- For similarly-named coasters, see Corkscrew (disambiguation).
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Corkscrew is a prototype looping coaster operating since 1990 at Silverwood Theme Park in Athol, Idaho, USA. It had previously operated at Knott's Berry Farm from 1975 to 1989.
History[]
In 1974, Marion Knott was looking for a unique coaster to go with Knott's Berry Farm's upcoming Roaring 20's area. She visited Arrow Development's headquarters in Mountain View, California to test ride a steel looping coaster prototype designed by Ron Toomer that was tentatively named "Corkscrew". Ten exact replicas would eventually be built, but Knott wanted the first one immediately and purchased that prototype from Arrow's headquarters for $1 million.[1][2]
On June 6, 1975, the ride debuted at Knott's Berry Farm as the Roaring 20's Corkscrew (later shortened to simply "Corkscrew").[3] Making the coaster the first one at Knott's Berry Farm (and not to be confused with the vertical loop on Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain), Corkscrew is the first modern steel rollercoaster in the world to successfully take riders upside down, as well as doing it twice.[4][5]
Corkscrew was closed at the end of the day on September 17, 1989 to make way for Boomerang. It had been ridden by 31 million guests over 14 years.[2] The coaster was sold for $250,000 to Silverwood Theme Park, where it has been operating since June 22, 1990.[5]
Design[]
Trains[]
The coaster features 6 cars per train. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows in each car for a total of 24 riders per train.
Photo gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ The Evolution of the Roller Coaster Inversion Record by Theme Park Crazy, YouTube. 2022-09-25.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 After 14 years in operation, the landmark Corkscrew rollercoaster closed to the public on September 17, 1989, to make way for Boomerang. by Knott's Berry Farm, Facebook. 2020-09-17.
- ↑ Coaster Landmark - Corkscrew, American Coaster Enthusiasts. 2011-08-27.
- ↑ A Look Back at the History of Roller Coasters at Knott’s, Knott's Berry Farm. 2020-04-20.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Venerable Corkscrew: End of a Long Ride : Before Knott's Historic Roller Coaster Is Carted Off to Idaho Park, Many Pause to Attest to Its Thrills by Zan Dubin, Los Angeles Times. 1989-09-17. Archived 2024-06-14.
External links[]
- Corkscrew official webpage at Silverwood Theme Park
- Corkscrew at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Corkscrew (Knott's Berry Farm) at the Six Flags Wiki
- Corkscrew (Silverwood) at Wikipedia
| Preceded by Loopingbahn |
First Modern Roller Coaster with an Inversion 1975 |
Succeeded by Corkscrew (Cedar Point) |
| Preceded by Loopingbahn |
Most Inversions on a Roller Coaster 1975-May 1976 |
Succeeded by Corkscrew (Cedar Point) |