There are five
roller coasters around the world that bear the name Thunderbolt - three on the east coast of the United States, one in Australia, and one in the Middle East.
Easily one of the most famous wooden coasters along with the nearby Cyclone, the Thunderbolt at Astroland along Coney Island operated for nearly sixty years. During the Roaring Twenties, roller coasters became quite popular and the Ridbak Amusement Corporation hired coaster designer John Miller to create a new ride. When it opened in 1925, the Thunderbolt was taller than any other coaster along the boardwalk and was the first to use steel supports. Another supporting element was the Kensington Hotel, a small house under the first and third turns of the coaster. George Moran and his son Fred lived in the house and were the coaster's operators for many years; George's wife Mae Timpano recalled finding a number of personal objects that had fallen from thrillseekers' pockets into her backyard during the 77-second ride. The house itself became famous when it was featured in Woody Allen's movie Annie Hall. The Astroland park opened in the mid-sixties, but in the 1970s the Cyclone closed and the nearby Tornado coaster burned down. The area no longer drew the crowds it had, and by the end of the 1982 season the Morans could no longer afford to operate the 87-foot-high coaster and closed it down. It remained SBNO for a number of years, through a 1985 change of ownership and all of the 1990s. On 1 September 2000, building inspectors for New York City examined the Thunderbolt and found it unsound; an emergency declaration was issued recommending the coaster's demolition unless repaired by its owner. Just a few months later, on 17 November, a wrecking ball struck the historic coaster and it was destroyed.
Another historic wooden Thunderbolt can still be found at Kennywood in Pennsylvania. Also designed by John Miller, it opened as the Pippin in 1924. In 1968, Andy Vettel rebuilt the coaster and called it the Thunderbolt, creating a 2,887-foot track. The ride itself is 95 feet high, and the greatest drop is 90 feet; a popular feature is the "spaghetti bowl," a large helix that creates strong lateral pull - no single riders are allowed in each two-person seat. The ride time is somewhere between ninety seconds and two minutes; the coaster's top speed is 55mph. It originally had three trains designed by National Amusement Devices, but today no more than two are allowed to run at any one time. Kennywood's Thunderbolt has been designated an ACE Coaster Classic by American Coaster Enthusiasts.
A bit younger than the last two, the wooden Thunderbolt at Six Flags New England opened in 1941 at what was then the Riverside Amusement Park. Joseph E. Drambour designed the ride in a figure eight shape, with a track length of 2,600 feet and a height of 70 feet. The top speed is 40mph and the ride takes about one minute; both trains were designed by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company.
On the other side of the world, a steel Thunderbolt resides at Dreamworld in Australia. Designed by Meisho, it opened in 1982 and has carried more than 15 million passengers since then. The track is 3,960 feet long and 102 feet high; the two inversions are loops nearly 70 feet tall. It reaches a top speed of 54mph and the two trains carry 24 riders each under horsecollar restraints.
The newest Thunderbolt is in perhaps the least expected location: at the Aladdin's Kingdom theme park in Qatar along the Persian Gulf. A standard steel Vekoma boomerang design (as seen in RollerCoaster Tycoon), the 875-foot track includes three inversions. The coaster is 125 feet high and runs up to 48mph; because only one train can be used on this type of ride and it takes one minute and forty-eight seconds for the whole run, the hourly capacity is 750 riders.
Sources
http://www.rcdb.com/result.htm?searchtype=coasterquick&name=thunderbolt
http://history.amusement-parks.com/users/adamsandy/cithunderbolt.htm
http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/yellowpages/coasters/thunderbolt_kenny.shtml
http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/yellowpages/coasters/thunderbolt_sfne.shtml