Magnum XL-200

A steel rollercoaster at Cedar Point. It is around 10 years old, maybe more - the whole thing screams "80's!" at you (the track is orange, and the trains are black and white space-looking things). It has a 200-some-odd foot first hill, making it the second-highest, second-fastest coaster in the park, Millennium Force being the highest and fastest. Magnum is nice and fast, and definately worth a ride from coaster aficionados, speed demons, and adrenaline junkies. However, due to technology levels at its construction time, Magnum is really, really rough - as in your entire spine hurts after you get off. Personally, I wouldn't ride it more than once.

Wow.  I can hardly believe there's already a writeup about this...

The Magnum XL-200 of Cedar Point is by far my favorite roller coaster of all the ones I've been on, and I've been on a lot of them.

It was built in the eighties, and so it has the speed made possible by the newer metal coaster technology and the bumpiness of a minor earthquake because they hadn't quite perfected the technique yet.  I *like* the bumpiness, though--I really can't stand the extreme smoothness the newer roller coasters offer, especially the maglev coasters...it kind of takes half the adventure out of it.

The track itself is also quite nice...it's got a whole lotta twist and turns, a couple of nifty tunnels, and it's also a loooong ride--probably three times the length of most of the newer rides.

While a lot of the roller coasters at Cedar Point are first-rate, the Magnum is the one that made a lasting impression on me.

The following is some more specific information and statistics on the Magnum XL-200. Opened May 6th, 1989, the Magnum XL-200 was designed by Arrow Dynamics at a cost of $8,000,000 (US) and is classified as a hypercoaster. When it was originally announced it was listed with a height of 201 feet but in actuality is 205 feet tall. The shorter height was taken from blueprints and did not include the height of the footers.

After two excellent drops the riders are hurtled to the left and through a cloverleaf structure that feels like one long turn. The banking coupled with the speed creates an excellent experience. Sitting on the left is definitely recommended. The second half of the ride is a great, but violent, series of bunny hops. Some of these are shrouded in dark tunnels. Beware the final tunnel with a drop while you are in the dark. Easily makes my top ten (which is saying quite a bit). More specific statistics are as follows:

• Height: 205’
• Drop: 194’8”
• Top Speed: 72 mph
• Duration: 2:00
• Length: 5106’
• Angle of Drop: 60 degrees
• Capacity: 2000 riders per hour on three trains, six cars per train, seated two across