It looks like roller coaster enthusiasts from all over will be converging on Branson, MO next year. Yesterday, Silver Dollar City officially announced the rumored 2013 roller coaster. It will be called Outlaw Run. Thanks to its Rocky Mountain-designed steel track, this “wooden” coaster will boast a one-of-a-kind upside-down element (pictured under construction here) known as an outside banked turn, the steepest drop (81 degrees) of any “wooden” coaster in the World, and most shockingly, a double barrel roll.
Not Your Father’s Wooden Coaster
The 90-degree banking on Gravity Group’s The Voyage and Ravine Flyer II have been very cool. El Toro’s insanely smooth ride was ground-breaking in my opinion.
And now we’ve got a wooden or a wooden-ish coaster (I can’t ignore the steel topper track) with a double barrel roll. Sure, Son of Beast had a vertical loop for a while, but the hang time from a barrel roll sounds more fun than a positive g-force-filled loop. I was already really excited for this coaster and depending on what Magic Mountain’s cooking up for ’13, it may move to my most anticipated new coaster.
Outlaw Run – Behind the Numbers
As a few readers have pointed out in the comment section, Outlaw Run will be a bit on the short side at 2,937 feet in length. The ride’s length doesn’t phase me one bit as it looks to be quite an eventful run. The fact its 107′ tall lift provides a 162′ foot drop makes me smile. This means that Outlaw Run will take advantage of the park’s terrain and drop riders into a ravine or down a hill of some sort. 68 mph is darn fast for a “woodie”! And, it should be pretty smooth thanks to the steel topper track.
The Category Conundrum: Wood or Steel or Hybrid
I’ve been including quotes around “wooden” when referring to this ride because it’s a bit of a genre-bending roller coaster. From what I’ve been able to gather, Outlaw Run looks like it’ll be a roller coaster with a wooden support structure and Rocky Mountain Construction’s steel topper track. In past projects (on rides like Tremors and Georgia Cyclone) the all steel topper track replaced the top two layers of the existing wood stack. So, unlike the I-Box track used on the New Texas Giant, there’s still a good amount of wood being used in the track.
A case could be made for both sides. I’d like to call it a hybrid for now and I’m somewhat okay with the park calling it a woodie. At the end of the day, I don’t think it matters what this coaster will be categorized as, but it definitely blurs the line.
Learn more here: SilverDollarCity2013.com. Also, check out this image of the ride’s layout and a teaser video:
What are you thoughts? Leave a comment below.
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August 10, 2012 at 15:02
this will be crazy. I hope i get that missouri trip next year.
August 10, 2012 at 15:08
This looks great. I think it truly a wooden coaster because they aren't using iron horse track like on texas giant. Or are they? I'm not sure. The park mentions breaking the record for steepest and 2nd biggest drop and 2nd fastest wooden coaster so either they consider it wooden because the supports are wooden or it is a wooden coaster truly. In fact, if you look at the green track close up pictures on the outlaw run site you can see lines like there would be on a wood coaster. I am not sure if these pictures are accurate though. There is no mention at all that this is a hybrid. To be a wood coaster, it must have wood track. And they say it is a wood coaster. I am really confused on this one, not sure what to think or if it is steel or wooden. I think it is wooden though due to the continuous mention of it being a wooden coaster.
August 10, 2012 at 23:05
I agree, it's not very clear. I thought it was an Iron Horse, but it looks like it might be a topper track coaster. I'll get it straight and update my post.
August 10, 2012 at 15:33
It's a wooden coaster if you consider topper track to be wooden. Topper track consists of six layers of wood and one layer of steel on top. Normal wooden coaster track typically consists of seven layers of wood and steel strips where the wheels make contact. So I would consider topper track to be wooden coaster track reinforced with extra steel.
August 12, 2012 at 22:45
Yeah. From what I'm finding it looks to be a woodie with topper track. I'm not sure on where I fall with this, but I think I might agree with you're reasoning. Looking at other woodies that have received topper track on RCDB and Duane has continued to categorize them as woodies. Of course that assumes that he knows that they've been given topper track.
The I-Box track for the New Texas Giant is all steel. So it'd make sense to re-categorize that ride as a steel coaster.
September 26, 2012 at 22:10
The rides that have recieve topper track are only partial, I noticed that when watching Coasterforce's most recent POV of the praised Tremmors, so it's not like Outlaw Run will be with 100% topper track, which is why I think there's the debate, but I haven't looked at the POVs of the other woodies that recived topper track, but I can assume that's the case.
I personally call it wooden, but it could also be neither and the first ture hybrid, because of how the topper track is made up, with the extra steel and the six layers of wood,
August 10, 2012 at 17:11
This will win the 2013 Golden Ticket for best wooden roller coaster in the world. This looks awesome!
August 10, 2012 at 18:57
This looks AMAZING. This will no doubt be an awsome expirience and ill be begging to go as soon as opened.
August 11, 2012 at 01:16
It actually makes me want to go to Branson, MO., or, according to Homer Simpson, "Las Vegas for Ned Flanders."
August 11, 2012 at 09:17
looks pretty bleeping cool…
August 11, 2012 at 14:50
It looks insanely crazy and awesome. On the list of 'parks to visit'!
August 12, 2012 at 11:40
looks amazing but it also looks really short .
August 12, 2012 at 14:57
My thoughts exactly, it appears to be a short, gimmicky ride…. But, then again, it also looks like a lot of fun!
August 12, 2012 at 16:44
I definitely think a 2013 new coaster shoot out with Outlaw Run vs. Gatekeeper will be in order. Different beasts but it looks like they will both be innovative, and intense. Wooden (steel topped?) coaster with a double-barrel roll vs. a wing-ridden giant cork screw.
August 14, 2012 at 21:05
I think that is right that Gatekeeper and this are different and both fun. I think it will be a battle for the #1 new coaster in 2013
August 12, 2012 at 20:46
This looks like the wooden coaster's revenge on steel. I have mixed emotions on it. Yes it looks completely insane! But it doesnt seem right for a wooden coaster to have three inversions, especially a double barrel roll. All I can say is that it"s definently in a league of its own (and that I really want to get on this thing).
August 13, 2012 at 03:03
Meet the new King : Outlaw Run haha fingers crossed that this turns out great
August 13, 2012 at 10:16
I think I'll probably end up falling into the topper track = wood but iron horse = steel crowd.
August 13, 2012 at 12:46
Has anyone experinced a outward banking turn? I have been trying to imagion what that would be like and I can just think of being lanched out of your seat.
August 14, 2012 at 21:02
I hope that this doesn't turn into a Son Of Beast. Just hope it's not shaky like Gravity Group's Hades
August 15, 2012 at 20:30
i like that thought
August 15, 2012 at 20:29
yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!another son of the beast coaster
August 30, 2012 at 21:30
This year looks like the year of the inversion because full throtle getting the biggest loop and iron rattler and outlaw run look like ther going to have a war of the woodies with the first inversions on a woodie sense son of beast I bet that they will try to finish first and try to get the first inversion. And do you know how fast these rides are .