Vekoma

Vekoma Rides Manufacturing
Subsidiary
Founded 1926
Founder Hendrik op het Veld
Headquarters Vlodrop, The Netherlands
Area served
 Worldwide
Products Amusement rides
Parent Sansei Technologies
Website Official website

Vekoma Rides Manufacturing is a Dutch amusement ride manufacturer.[1] Vekoma is an abbreviation of Veld Koning Machinefabriek (Veld Koning Machine Factory)[2] and was established in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld. They originally manufactured farm equipment, later they made steel constructions for the coal mining industry in the 1950s and after that (when the Dutch mines closed in the 1960s) steel pipes for the petrochemical industry. Since the 1970s they started making amusement rides.

Ferris wheels

In 2008, Vekoma Rides Manufacturing acquired the Wheels of Excellence range of Ferris wheels from Ronald Bussink, to be handled by a new Vekoma division, Dutch Wheels BV.[3] The Dutch Wheels product range includes the R40, R50, and R60 models, each available in three different types.[4]

Notable installations

Ferris wheel nameLocationOpenedStatus
Giant WheelMorey's Piers, Wildwood, New Jersey, US
1985
Operating[5]
Navy Pier Ferris WheelPier Park, Navy Pier, Chicago, US
1995
Closed[6][7][8]
Delhi Eye (R50)Kalindi Kunj Park, Okhla, Delhi, India
2014
[9][10]
Hong Kong Observation WheelCentral, Hong Kong
2014
Operating[11]

Roller coasters

Models

ModelFirst producedDescription
Corkscrew with Bayerncurve1979 (discontinued)Vekoma corkscrew designed by Arrow Dynamics and manufactured by Vekoma.
Boomerang1984Shuttle roller coaster with three inversions, height of 117 feet, and speed of 47 mph.
Invertigo1996An inverted model of the Boomerang.
Giant Inverted Boomerang2001Like Invertigo but with vertical lift hills and slightly different layout.
Suspended Looping Coaster1994Inverted coaster with several different models.
Flying Dutchman2000First large-scale flying roller coaster built. There are three of these coasters.
Suspended Family Coaster2001Similar to the SLC but no inversions and more appropriate for families.
Motorbike roller coaster2004Vekoma-launched roller coaster with trains like motorbikes.
Junior Coaster1990Roller coaster aimed at children. 207 m and 335 m models.
Wooden roller coaster2000Classic wooden coaster produced by Vekoma. There are three examples: the Thundercoaster at TusenFryd, Robin Hood at Walibi Holland, and Loup-Garou in Walibi Belgium.
Big Air2010Formerly known as a hammerhead stall due to the spinning function it previously possessed. There is only one installation of this roller coaster.[12]
LSM Launch Coaster1999Roller coaster with three inversions. Launched around 55 mph using LSM technology.
Stingray2009A compact flying roller coaster designed as the successor to the Flying Dutchman. Only one example has been installed.[13]
Dive Pretzel Coaster[14][15]2014[16]A roller coaster with a 90 degree climb and several pretzel loop elements.
Splash Party2013An inverted slower-paced roller coaster that is designed with several water gun and water bomb placements. Only one installation of this model exists.[17]
Tornado1986A modified version of the MK-1200, it consisted of two inversions (a vertical looping and a corkscrew) and a standard track.[18] Three installations exist in the world and are all still operating.

Other Vekoma coaster models include Swinging Turns, Enigma, Hurricane, Illusion, Family Boomerang, Tilt Coaster, and powered coasters.

In 2013, Vekoma signed a deal with Idaho-based Rocky Mountain Construction. The agreement allows Vekoma to sell Rocky Mountain Construction's roller coasters outside the North American market.[19]

Roller Coasters

As of May 2018, there are over 349 roller coasters around the world from Vekoma, some of which are either under construction or have been removed.[20]

References

  1. ↑ (in Dutch) Vekoma neemt bedrijf over, Limburgschs Dagblad, July 13, 1993
  2. ↑ (in Dutch) Vekoma - Themeparkfreaks.eu
  3. ↑ Giant Wheels go Dutch - Vekoma takes over Bussink range
  4. ↑ Dutch Wheels - our product range
  5. ↑ Ride experts call 11-year-old Pleasantville girl's fatal fall from Wildwood's Morey's Pier Ferris wheel a freak occurrence
  6. ↑ Navy Pier's new attractions deemed 'critical' to luring variety of patrons.
  7. ↑ Historic Navy Pier Attractions - Pier Park
  8. ↑ 10 millionth rider goes for spin on Navy Pier ferris wheel
  9. ↑ Delhi Eye thrown open to the public
  10. ↑ Giant wheel a monumental treat
  11. ↑ Partners - The Hong Kong Observation Wheel
  12. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Big Air  (E-DA Theme Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Stingray".
  14. ↑ "Raadselachtige nieuwe achtbaan opgebouwd in Limburg". looping.nl (in Dutch). April 23, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  15. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Unknown  (Great Mall of China)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  16. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Dive Pretzel Coaster  (Limburg)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  17. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Bandit Bomber  (Yas Waterworldrcdb_number=6536)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  18. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Tornado  (Vlodrop)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Vekoma rides on". Park World Magazine: 30. November 2013.
  20. ↑ Vekoma - rcdb.com
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