Roller Coaster DataBase

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Roller Coaster DataBase
Roller Coaster DataBase home page
Type of site
Database
Available in10 languages
OwnerDuane Marden
URLwww.rcdb.com
RegistrationNo
Launched1996; 28 years ago (1996)
Current statusOnline

Roller Coaster DataBase (RCDB) is a roller coaster and amusement park database begun in 1996 by Duane Marden.[1] It has grown to feature statistics and pictures of over 11,000 roller coasters from around the world.[2]

Publications that have mentioned RCDB include The New York Times,[3] Los Angeles Times,[4] Toledo Blade,[5] Orlando Sentinel,[6] Time,[7] Forbes,[8] Mail & Guardian,[9] and Chicago Sun-Times.[10]

History[edit]

RCDB was started in 1996 by Duane Marden,[1] a computer programmer from Brookfield, Wisconsin.[9] The website is run off web servers in Marden's basement and a location in St. Louis.[3]

Content[edit]

Each roller coaster entry includes any of the following information for the ride: current amusement park location, type, status (existing, standing but not operating (SBNO), defunct), opening date, make/model, cost, capacity, length, height, drop, number of inversions, speed, duration, maximum vertical angle, trains, and special notes.[11] Entries may also feature reader-contributed photos and/or press releases.[3]

The site also categorizes the rides into special orders, including a list of the tallest coasters, a list of the fastest coasters, a list of the most inversions on a coaster, a list of the parks with the most inversions, etc., each sortable by steel, wooden, or both. Each roller coaster entry links back to a page which lists all of that park's roller coasters, past and present, and includes a brief history and any links to fan web pages saluting the park.[11]

Languages[edit]

The site is available in ten languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Swedish, Japanese and Simplified Chinese.[12][11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Faster coasters have reliability issues". USA Today. The Associated Press. June 19, 2006. Archived from the original on October 22, 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  2. ^ "About This Site". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Cohen, Noam (October 3, 2010). "Obsessions With Minutiae Thrive as Databases". The New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  4. ^ MacDonald, Brady (October 25, 2012). "Looping wooden roller coasters are about to become a reality". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  5. ^ "N.J. coaster gets raves, when it's working". Toledo Blade. June 18, 2006. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  6. ^ Bevil, Dewayne; Caviness, Tod (July 14, 2007). "A New Life For Old Coaster". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  7. ^ Shum, Keane (September 19, 2005). "In The Loop". Time. Archived from the original on October 14, 2010.
  8. ^ LaMotta, Lisa (October 25, 2007). "The Most Blood-Curdling Coasters". Forbes.
  9. ^ a b "US's temperamental roller coasters". Mail & Guardian. June 17, 2006. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  10. ^ Moran, Dan (September 1, 2011). "New coaster coming to Gurnee Six Flags in 2012". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  11. ^ a b c Frederiksen, Linda (2007). "Roller Coaster Database". Reference Reviews. 21 (1): 51–55. doi:10.1108/09504120710719770. ISSN 0950-4125.
  12. ^ Marden, Duane. "About This Site". Roller Coaster DataBase.

External links[edit]