Silver Star (roller coaster)
Silver Star is a steel roller coaster located at Europa-Park, a theme park in Rust, Germany. The coaster has a height of 73 metres (240 ft)[1] and a drop of 67 meters (220’), placing it in the hyper coaster category. At the time of its opening, Silver Star was one of Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M)'s tallest coasters constructed; in 2012, they surpassed themselves with Shambhala: Expedición al Himalaya, at Barcelona’s PortAventura Park, with a height of 76m/249’. B&M would then go on to further beat their own records, with the 93m/306’ tall Leviathan (at Canada's Wonderland), and the aptly-named, 325’ high Fury 325 (at North Carolina’s Carowinds) in 2015. These two became the tallest coasters B&M has ever built, to date.
Silver Star | |
---|---|
Europa-Park | |
Location | Europa-Park |
Park section | France |
Coordinates | 48.268°N 7.72004°E |
Status | Operating |
Opening date | 23 March 2002 |
General statistics | |
Type | Steel |
Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
Model | Hyper Coaster |
Track layout | Out and Back |
Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
Height | 73 m (240 ft) |
Drop | 67 m (220 ft) |
Length | 1,620 m (5,310 ft) |
Speed | 127 km/h (79 mph) |
Inversions | 0 |
Max vertical angle | 68.5° |
Capacity | 1,750 riders per hour |
G-force | 4 |
Height restriction | 140 cm (4 ft 7 in) |
Website | Official website |
Silver Star at RCDB |
Silver Star has 3 trains, which seat 36 people each, giving an hourly capacity of 1,750 passengers.[1] This hypercoaster is situated in the “France” area of Europa Park, and is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz.
The ride
Silver Star features no inversions, but many camelback hills:[2]
- After the first drop, the train travels to the left and up onto the first camelback, before making a smaller drop, and then a second camelback.
- The train performs a 180° return in the horseshoe element.
- The train then continues onto another camelback before a mid-course brake-run.
- A 270° upwards turn brings the train back under the lift hill, and onto one last camelback.
- An S-bend (“bunny-hops”) has the train passing by the camera for candid on-ride photos, before the final brake run.
Nearly every camelback is fitted with brake trims to regulate the trains’ speed. The original friction-brake trims made the ride uncomfortable for some riders; these were refitted with magnetic trims.
Gallery
- The train climbs to a height of 73 metres (240 ft)
- Lifthill
- Panoramic view
- Silver Star in the evening
References
- Marden, Duane. "Silver Star (Europa Park (Rust, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany))". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- "Silver Star Roller Coaster Front Seat POV Onride Europa Park Germany". Theme Park Review. 23 December 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 14 September 2019 – via YouTube.