Two main components of roller coaster design are their track and support structure. In most cases, both are made of the same material, either wood or steel. Its track is made from wood, while its support structure is made of steel.
Arrow Development built a vast amount of
mine train roller coasters beginning in the 1960s, featuring tubular steel track and wooden supports. One of their last such installations is
Adventure Express at
Kings Island, which opened in 1991. The term "hybrid roller coaster" was introduced when
New Texas Giant opened in 2011 and
Six Flags classified the roller coaster as wood, despite having steel tracks. In response to the confusion over this ride classification, Six Flags reclassified the roller coaster as a "hybrid", which has since been used to refer to many other coasters that incorporate both steel and wood. Hybrid coasters are still typically classified as steel or wood based on what their track material is made from. RMC and
The Gravity Group are at the forefront of modern hybrid coaster construction. RMC is most well-known for refurbishing old wooden roller coasters by converting them into hybrids with steel track, beginning with New Texas Giant at
Six Flags Over Texas in 2011. which has been consistently ranked as one of the best steel coasters in
Amusement Today's
Golden Ticket Awards. The Gravity Group designs coasters with wooden track and steel support structures, such as
Mine Blower at
Fun Spot America Kissimmee and
Kentucky Flyer at
Kentucky Kingdom. ==Examples of hybrid roller coasters== == References ==