Runaway Mine Train (Alton Towers)

Runaway Mine Train
Alton Towers
Park section	Katanga Canyon
Coordinates	52°59′23″N 1°53′08″W / 52.989668°N 1.885612°W / 52.989668; -1.885612Coordinates: 52°59′23″N 1°53′08″W / 52.989668°N 1.885612°W / 52.989668; -1.885612
Status	Operating
Opening date	21 March 1992 (1992-03-21)
Cost	£1,000,000
General statistics
Type	Steel – Powered – Mine Train
Manufacturer	Mack Rides
Designer	John Wardley
Model	Powered Coaster
Track layout	steel
Lift/launch system	powered hot rail
Height	36 ft (11 m)
Drop	36 ft (11 m)
Length	1,000 ft (300 m)
Speed	22.4 mph (36.0 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	1:50
Max vertical angle	29°
Capacity	1062 riders per hour
G-force	2.4
Height restriction	90 cm (2 ft 11 in)
Runaway Mine Train at RCDB Pictures of Runaway Mine Train at RCDB

The Runaway Mine Train is a powered steel roller coaster made by MACK Rides of Germany. The ride is located in the Katanga Canyon area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England.

The train normally makes two circuits for each ride, although on quiet days it has been known to run for three or more circuits. The ride runs alongside the Congo River Rapids, with which it shares a tunnel section. Passengers must be at least 0.9m tall to ride with an adult, and over 1.1m tall to ride separately.

As of 2013 it is officially the park's oldest roller coaster, after The Beastie was removed prior to the 2013 season.

Incidents

On 20 July 2006 the failure of a coupling on the train caused it to split into two sections, which then collided in the tunnel. 20 people were injured, 6 of whom were taken to hospital; 4 of the 6 were sent home, and 2 were kept in overnight.^[1]

On 6 April 2007 the Runaway Mine Train reopened after being closed for over 8 months. The train was not returned to its full length until the end of June 2007, because some of the carriages were still undergoing refurbishment at MACK Rides.

References

External links

Alton Towers
Roller coasters	Runaway Mine Train (1992) Nemesis (1994) Oblivion (1998) Galactica (2002-2015 as Air) (2016) Spinball Whizzer (2004) Rita (2005) TH13TEEN (2010) The Smiler (2013) Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure (2015)
Other rides	The Blade as Pirate Ship (1980) Enterprise (1984) Congo River Rapids (1986) Hex – The Legend of the Towers (2000) Duel - The Haunted House Strikes Back! (2003) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride (2006) Driving School (2006) Marauder's Mayhem (2008) Battle Galleons (2008) Twirling Toadstool (2009) Nemesis: Sub-Terra (2012) The Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - 4-D Experience (2012)
Past rides	Doom & Sons (1981–1992) Around The World In Eighty Days (1981–1993) Thunder Looper (1990–1996) The Beast (1988–1997) Nickelodeon: Outta Control (1997–1998) Boneshaker (1995–2003) The Black Hole (1984–2005) Dynamo (1993–2005) Toyland Tours (1994–2005) Corkscrew (1980–2008) Beastie (1983–2010) Submission (2001–2013) The Flume (1981-2015) Ripsaw (1997–2015)
Theme park areas	Towers Street Katanga Canyon Gloomy Wood Forbidden Valley Adventure Land X-Sector Mutiny Bay Cloud Cuckoo Land Dark Forest CBeebies Land The Towers & Gardens
See also	Alton Towers Waterpark Merlin Entertainments John Wardley History of Alton Towers The Grand Knockout Tournament