Bolliger and Mabillard, often abbreviated to just B&M, is a Swiss Roller Coaster Manufacturer,
famous for their reliable and high quality attractions.
As of 2018, the company has installed over 100 roller coasters around the globe, making
them one of the leading manufacturers in the amusement attraction industry.
B&M itself was founded in 1988, by both Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard.
Initially, Bolliger and Mabillard worked together, both as engineers, for the amusement ride
manufacturer Giovanola.
Giovanola was often subcontracted to construct roller coasters for Intamin, leading to older
Intamin rides looking similar to their B&M counterparts.
However in 1987, Walter and Claude left Giovalona to create their own business: Bolliger & Mabillard:
Consulting Engineers.
Interestingly, their original intention was to cease the production of amusement rides,
avoiding the attractions altogether.
This resulted in the company's first project being to create a rotating platform, for a
restaurant on top of a Swiss Mountain.
However, their ideals were short lived.
Six Flags Great America requested for B&M to construct new trains for Rolling Thunder,
a roller coaster at the park.
The company agreed and the trains were manufactured.
At the same point in time, Great America was also looking to build a new roller coaster.
The park initially offered the contract to Walter and Claude, giving them the opportunity
to make their first independent roller coaster.
However, there was a problem.
The company had no way of fabricating the track pieces required for the new ride.
Their solution - Clermont Steel Fabricators.
B&M requested the steel company to manufacturer the track for their new ride, Iron Wolf.
Clermont Steel Fabricators agreed, starting the long relationship the two companies still
have today.
All track manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard has been done so at the Clermont Steel Fabricator
Factory.
Iron Wolf, the Swiss company's first roller coaster, opened to the public in 1990.
The ride is a standup coaster, similar to the one's manufactured by Intamin, in which
Walter and Claude helped to design.
It received critical acclaim, allowing B&M to step foot in the competitive roller coaster
market.
At this point, the company looked to find the next big thing.
Under secrecy, the two engineers set out designing a roller coaster like to other.
After two long years, B&M unveiled Batman: The Ride, the world's first inverted roller
coaster.
Unlike traditional rides, which seat guests above the track, Walter and Claude's new design
saw riders hang below it.
These concepts had been used before on the suspended coasters of the time, however, these
attractions were restricted to non-inverting layouts.
B&M's inverted coaster could navigate inversions, therefore allowing for a more thrilling ride
experience.
Naturally, the attraction was a huge success.
The inverted roller coaster quickly gained momentum, causing many parks to install the
new type of ride experience.
As a result, the inverted coaster model currently resides as B&M's most popular, with over
30 installations worldwide.
Amid the production of the inverted roller coaster, Walter and Claude continued to produce
their first model, the Stand-up coaster.
However, not all parks desired the interesting ride experience a stand-up train provided.
In 1993, Bolliger and Mabillard constructed Kumba, the company's first standard sit-down
roller coaster.
The ride not only featured the world's first pair of interlocking corkscrews, but also
a dive loop, in which riders undergo a brief rotation before completing the second half
of a traditional loop.
Similar to the inverted coaster, the ride and model was an initial success.
However, interest in the B&M sit-down coaster deteriorated after 1999.
As the Swiss company developed over time, so to did their line-up of attractions.
Ultimately, Walter and Claude's later floorless coaster arguably killed the standard sit-down
equivalent.
Interestingly, the original Stand-up roller coaster model also underwent the same fate.
After an initial burst in popularity, the model became outdated in 1999 with the introduction
of the floorless coaster.
Popularity in stand-up roller coasters has decreased further in recent years, as parks
have converted their stand-up trains to floorless counterparts.
Leading up to the invention of the floorless roller coaster, Walter and Claude installed
a mixture of new attractions across the world.
Specifically, 1994 resulted in the debut of Nemesis, Europe's first B&M roller coaster.
The ride, which is an inverted coaster, remains one of the company's most iconic to this
day, due to it's sheer intensity, and fantastic ride layout.
Several years prior to the invention of the floorless coaster model, B&M quietly worked
with John Wardley, a british attraction designer, on a whole new type of project - the dive
coaster.
Unlike traditional roller coasters of the time, which often featured long drawn out
drops, the B&M dive coaster didn't.
Riders were held, for several seconds, at the highest point of the attraction, before
plummeting down a near vertical drop.
To provide all guests with a fantastic view of the drop below, the dive coaster features
wide trains, often seating between 6 and 10 guests per row.
Oblivion, at Alton Towers in the United Kingdom, became the world's first dive coaster.
Initially, the new model was a slow success.
Although Oblivion obtained long queue times, as it marvelled the public, other theme parks
didn't seem quite as impressed.
It took 7 years for another park to purchase a new, and unique, version of the dive coaster.
However, the model has gained traction over the recent years.
Since 2015, a considerable number of new dive machines have been constructed, with more
set to debut in the near future.
A single year after the debut of the dive coaster, saw the introduction of two new roller
coaster models.
In 1999, the Swiss Company unveiled both the floorless coaster, and the hyper coaster.
Firstly, the previously mentioned floorless coaster model mirrors the standard sit-down
coaster in all but train design.
Unlike B&M's sit down trains, floorless trains lack the conventional floor found in
front of the riders seats.
This results in an increased sense of freedom, as the legs of guests dangle as they navigate
the course.
The first of the model debuted as Medusa, now Bizarro, at Six Flags Great Adventure.
The floorless coaster became an instant success, resulting in 10 installations within the first
5 years.
However, as the competition within the traditional sit down roller coaster market has increased,
interest in the floorless coaster model has diminished.
Fortunately, the same can't be said of the company's second new model of 1999, the
hyper coaster.
B&M's hyper coaster is specifically designed to provide airtime moments to the guests on
board.
The model features many large hills, which cause riders to feel weightless, for brief
periods of time.
This sensation is heightened as the model utilises lap bar restraints, providing a comfortable
and open ride experience.
Apollo's Chariot, located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, became the first hyper coaster;
taking guests on a journey through the parks dense forest.
The company's hyper coaster model has been a huge success, leading to consistent installations
at various theme parks around the world.
Aside from new roller coaster models, Walter and Claude debuted two of their most well
known roller coasters at the opening of a new Theme Park in 1999.
Located at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure at the time of opening was Dragon Challenge,
the company's first and only pair of dueling roller coasters, and the incredible Hulk,
B&M's first launched roller coaster.
Interestingly however, the launch itself was manufactured by an external company.
Unfortunately for fans of Dragon Challenge, the ride no longer exists at the park, as
it was removed in 2017.
During, and even prior to the debut of the many new attractions of 1999, the Swiss Company
were developing something revolutionary.
Similar to the production of the dive coaster, B&M worked with John Wardley to produce an
all new roller coaster experience.
Under extraordinary secrecy, Walter, Claude and John began designing the flying coaster.
In 2002, after years of work, the team produced Air, the world's first B&M flying coaster.
The ride, now named Galactica, seats guests in a prone position, giving them the sensation
of flight as they navigate the course.
To do this, the trains of the ride pivot from inverted, to flying position, before leaving
the station.
Due to its unique nature and incredible ride experience, the flying model has been a success,
resulting in over 10 installations worldwide.
For the remainder of the decade, Walter and Claude continued to construct and develop
their existing roller coaster models.
Then, in 2011, the company debuted another new type of roller coaster.
B&M constructed Raptor, a wing coaster, at Gardaland in Italy.
Unlike conventional roller coasters, B&M's wing coaster seats riders over the side of
the track, giving the illusion that they are freely suspended in the air.
The roller coaster model as a whole often interacts with objects surrounding its track,
in near-miss moments, to enhance the ride experience.
Similar to many of the company's other models, the wing coaster has been a success.
Currently, 6 new installations are scheduled to open during 2018 and 2019 seasons alone.
As B&M has developed over time, so to have their individual models.
In 2012, the Swiss company debuted Leviathan, a 93m, 306ft, hyper coaster - their first
to surpass the 300ft height barrier.
This was followed by Fury 325, a second, taller, hyper coaster in 2015.
As both of these rides measure over 300ft high, they are classified as the company's
only Giga coasters.
However, B&M doesn't always go big for that matter.
The most recent new addition to the company's portfolio of models has been on the smaller
scale.
B&M introduced the family inverted coaster in 2014, allowing younger riders to enjoy
the thrills of an inverted coaster, without the intense inversions.
The model often features gradual descents and sweeping turns, making it similar to the
rides offered by other roller coaster manufacturers.
Due to strict competition within this area of theme park attractions, B&M have constructed
only one of their new model, with a second set for completion at some point during the
2018 season.
The final, and most recent development of the roller coaster company has revolved around
launches.
B&M independently constructed Thunderbird, a wing coaster, featuring an LSM launch system,
in 2015.
Thunderbird became the first launch coaster built entirely by the Swiss company, making
further, similar attractions, much more likely in the future.
Fortunately for those looking to identify Bolliger and Mabillard's roller coasters,
their track design has remained relatively consistent.
B&M always utilises a distinctive box design for the spine portion of their track.
Two rails can be found either side of the spine, which are connected by a series of
cross ties.
The general shape of the track remains consistent from model to model.
However, the size, and often thickness, of the central spine changes depending on the
roller coaster in question.
For example, dive coasters feature huge track pieces, to accomodate for the heavier, and
denser, train.
The Swiss company's roller coasters can often be identified for other reasons also.
Many B&M roller coasters feature a pre-drop, a small dip in the track immediately after
the end of the chain lift hill.
This pre-drop occurs before the main drop, allowing for the train to disengage from the
chain.
Ultimately, this was done to reduce stress on the chain lift as the train crests the
hill.
However, alternate designs have allowed B&M to remove the once iconic pre-drop from their
modern day roller coaster additions.
Unlike many other amusement ride manufacturers, Walter and Claude's company are solely a
producer of roller coasters.
They offer no dark or flat ride products, but have previously fabricated trains for
other non-B&M roller coasters.
This includes Psyclone, a now defunct wooden coaster, as well as world's longest roller
coaster, Steel Dragon 2000.
Within the entire amusement park attraction industry, Bolliger and Mabillard are well
known for reliable and high quality products.
Many of their rides are designed with efficiency and consistency in mind, making them a great
choice for most theme parks.
At the expense of this quality comes cost, as B&M rides are often more expensive compared
to other roller coaster manufacturers.
However, many established parks are willing to pay the price for a reliable and durable
product that stands the test of time.
As only a single B&M attraction has been entirely demolished, these factors play a large part
of the selection process.
The desire for quality is often reflected in the developments B&M make as a company.
The manufacturer doesn't often push the forefront of what roller coasters can do;
but B&M do what they do incredibly well.
While other companies, like Intamin, break boundaries and create a mixture of both successful
and unsuccessful rides; B&M consistently manufacturer great attractions that everyone can enjoy.
Looking to the future, Walter and Claude currently have a large number of construction projects
within China, a rapidly growing theme park market; suggesting that B&M's success as
a company will undeniably continue over the next few years.
The real question, however, surrounds their portfolio.
Hopefully in the future, Bolliger and Mabillard can continue to expand their attraction line
up, by introducing newer, and more exciting, roller coaster models.
Thank you for watching, and I'll see you all next time.
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