Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Great American Scream Machine (Six Flags Over Georgia)

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Status
  
Operating

Track layout
  
Out-and-back

Opened
  
1973

Park
  
Six Flags Over Georgia

Type
  
Wood

Height
  
32 m

Max speed
  
92 km/h

Great American Scream Machine (Six Flags Over Georgia)

Opening date
  
March 31, 1973 (1973-03-31)

Manufacturer
  
Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters

Designer
  
Don Rosser, John C. Allen, William Cobb

Address
  
275 Riverside Parkway, Austell, GA 30168, USA

Similar
  
Mind Bender, Georgia Cyclone, Dahlonega Mine Train, Georgia Scorcher, Goliath

Great American Scream Machine is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Georgia. The 105-foot (32 m)-tall ride reaches a top speed of 57 miles per hour (92 km/h). GASM, as it is known to park workers, was built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters in 1973 with Marvin M. Black & Sons as the contractor. When it opened, it was the tallest, longest and fastest roller coaster in the world, and riders were given a "Red Badge of Courage" button for riding the coaster.

Operational Information

A computerized block system is used to prevent trains from contacting each other. GASM has 5 blocks: Station, Transfer Table, Lift, Main Brake, and Ready Brake. Normal operation uses two trains; however, it can be operated with only one. During two-train operation, if the train in the station has not fully exited the loading platform, the inbound train will stop abruptly in the Main Brakes. A combination of proximity switches, mechanical switches, photoelectric sensors, and timers are all used by the controller to track train movements.

Each train consists of four cars with three rows per car, two riders per row, holding 24 total riders. Each row has a lap bar and a seat belt. The lapbar itself is locked and unlocked by an electrical current that activates solenoids on the train, resulting in a "buzzing" electrical sound. They can be troublesome, sometimes requiring the operating crew to manually unlock the lapbar for a rider. The trains ride on steel wheels with guide wheels and upstops attached. The track is plank wood stacked 7 planks high, with steel running surfaces on the top, bottom and sides (locations where the running, guide, and upstop wheels contact the track).

Before computerized control existed, operators used a lever to operate the brake system and dispatch trains. The operator near the end of the station controlled the main brakes at the end of the circuit; the operator at the front of the station operated the brakes at the station platform only and worked to dispatch trains to the lift.

References

Great American Scream Machine (Six Flags Over Georgia) Wikipedia