Wooden vs Steel ?
Well there are arguments and benefits of both. Steel coasters are generally higher faster and smoother than their wooden brethren, which is true. Wooden coasters are generally less capable than their steel counterparts, when it comes to trick sections like inversions. Wooden coasters instead rely on their wild and rougher ride, as well as the perception of being dangerous and less reliable. These perceptions are intentional as well as necessary for a wooden coaster to operate. The structure is often designed to give and move as a loaded coaster car passes, the amount of give can vary from a couple of inches to a few feet ! This give in the structure, is like a shock absorber allowing the structure to absorb the stresses and not break , much the same way a green twig will bend a lot vs a dry twig that will just snap apart.
Steel Coasters on the other hand are generally larger and very capable of tricks like inversions and rolls and corkscrews. Their ride is generally very smooth and less physical than their wooden counterparts. They are capable of very high speeds and because of the steel structure are very stable. The ride ‘cars’ on steel coasters come in several different types inverted (riders are suspended below the track),flying ( inverted then tilted forward to a flying position), floorless ( riders sit on a seat that is above the track with no floor beneath them) , and suspended (an inverted seating position that can swing from side to side). These features allow steel coasters to be designed and configured with a wide variety of extreme maneuvers.
Wooden coaster designs include the psychology and perceptions of the riders, and feed off their fears. The shaky track, the swaying structures ,that are all necessary for structural integrity, reinforce these (unfounded) fears. Because of the nature of the construction and materials a woodie will exhibit totally different rides depending on the weather, temperature, and even the time of day. Generally from my experiences woodies tend to be a bit rougher and more physical in the early hours of operation. As the day goes on and the heats up the ride loosens up a bit and tends to get smoother. Personally I think the most fun rides are when it’s in the late afternoon, after there has been a rain shower. This is when the grease is loose, the water further reduces the frictions and the ride literally flies to its whole potential. To truly experience any woodie you need to have at least 3 rides taken in the following seating order. First in the front seat, then anywhere in the middle and then in the last seat. These all have a very different ride and will vary with all the other conditions. So a wooden coaster is more dynamic in terms of the ride you get, and seldom do you get a ride that is exactly the same as the last.
Steel coasters do have a much higher initial cost to build vs a woodie. But a woodie may have overall operational costs (maintenance, track lubrication and retracking) over time that are higher than a steel coaster. Rides on steel coasters should be taken in the same order as the ones mentioned above for woodies. On the steel coasters you will always get the same ride time after time unlike their wooden counterparts. Yet time will be the true test, how many old woodies are still around , plenty, and there are still a lot that are over 50 years old some nearing 100, that still stand and thrill. Steel coasters … hmmm I don’t think that can be said and only the test of time will tell ….
So Wood versus Steel is all in the perception, and the ride. The only way to figure it out is to go out have fun and ride ride ride.
