Xcelerator

Roller coaster at Knott's Berry Farm

Xcelerator is a steel launched roller coaster located at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, United States. Manufactured by Intamin and designed by Werner Stengel, it opened in 2002 as the company's first hydraulically launched coaster and cost $13 million to construct. Following the early demise of Windjammer Surf Racers, a dueling roller coaster that briefly operated from 1997 to 2000, Xcelerator was soon announced as its replacement. It launches to a maximum speed of in 2.3 seconds and reaches a height of 205 feet (62 m).

Following the demise of the short lived Windjammer Surf Racers, a dueling roller coaster plagued with issues surrounding its design and operation, Knott's Berry Farm announced its replacement in December 2001. Intamin pioneered the hydraulic technology used on Xcelerator, which would later be built on a larger scale on future record breaking rides, including Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point and Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure. The ride was originally scheduled to open in May 2002, but the opening was delayed to June 22, 2002. In May 2004, California investigators asked that Knott's Berry Farm temporarily close Xcelerator, and that the nearby Six Flags Magic Mountain close Superman: Escape from Krypton, because the T bar restraint systems used by both rides were potentially defective. This was due to three incidents where people died after falling out of the restraints, including Superman – Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England. The rides were closed on June 2, 2004, so the necessary modifications could be made; Xcelerator reopened at the end of the month. After an incident in 2009, the ride was closed while it underwent investigation;

Xcelerator was closed in July 2017 for maintenance. The ride eventually reopened in March 2018. It closed near the end of October 2021 for a new coat of paint; the ride now has the colors red, gray, orange, and yellow. Xcelerator closed again in mid March 2022 due to a delayed shipment of a part. The park later announced that the ride would be reopening during the summer of 2023. However, On September 21, 2023, Xcelerator "went dark" after something broke while testing leaving an unknown reopening date. The ride reopened on November 7th 2023.

Xcelerator features two trains: red and violet. The trains themselves have spring loaded wheel assemblies and are standard Intamin trains with specially crafted shells to make them look like 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertibles. Each train can fit 20 people; It only uses 157 feet (48 m) of track to launch the train. Each of the twin hydraulic catapult motors achieves a maximum of during the launch of the train. Xcelerator's hydraulic motor system has the mechanical capability of accelerating vehicles to a speed of or more, although less power is needed for the train to crest the hill. In order for a train to launch, the train must "drift" back to "hook" on to a catch car. 24 volts are used to demagnetize a pin underneath the third car, which causes it to drop. At the same time, two bellows actuators fill up with air. Meanwhile, near the back of the train, two drive tires that are holding the train in place must retract. The brakes then lower while the train rolls back, allowing it to hook onto the 7 feet (2 m) catch car. Once connected, the motor engages to launch the train. The catch car passes over a set of magnetic brakes, and the motor must work harder to attain proper launch speed if the train is not fully loaded with passengers. From the time the launch begins, the train has 8.25 seconds to pass over a proximity switch, called a hall effect sensor, near the bottom of the first drop which clears the starting block. After launching, the train climbs a vertical 205 feet (62 m) top hat element, Another adult male rider complained of neck and back pain. A state investigation determined that the accident could have been avoided with more frequent inspections.