Wooden Roller Coaster

The Wooden Roller Coaster is a versatile roller coaster which appears in RollerCoaster Tycoon, RollerCoaster Tycoon 2, and RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. Wooden Roller Coasters are among the most widely-available coaster types, and among the most widely-used types in pre-built scenarios, in all three games.

Added Attractions/Corkscrew Follies, the first expansion for RollerCoaster Tycoon, introduced a variant of this type known as the Wooden Twister Roller Coaster. RCT1 treats these rides as separate, while RCT2 and beyond combine both types into a single Wooden type. See § Differences between games for more information on the differences between these two types within RCT1.

In OpenRCT2, the RCT1 variant of the Wooden Roller Coaster returns, now named the Classic Wooden Roller Coaster.

Construction
Track is laminated wood, topped with a flat steel running rail, constructed on a wooden support structure. Trains are held on the track by up-stop wheels, which run under the inside edge of the rails.

Special Track Elements

 * Banked curves
 * On-ride photo section
 * Water splash
 * Vertical loop (Loopy Landscapes, RCT2, and RCT3)
 * Booster (OpenRCT2 only - use the "Enable all drawable track pieces" cheat)

Constraints

 * Maximum banked curve angle - 30° (RCT1), 45° (RCT2)
 * Maximum Track Slope - 60°
 * Maximum Lift Hill Slope - 25°
 * Maximum Height - 35 m (105 ft) (RCT1); 60 m (200 ft) (RCT2)

Downloadable Vehicles

 * Dream Woodie Trains (The Amazing Earl)

Operating Modes

 * Continuous circuit mode
 * Continuous circuit block sectioned mode (RCT2 onwards)
 * Reverse-incline launched shuttle mode (OpenRCT2 only)

Scenario-only
A * sign means the name is different in the US and EU versions,
 * Bumbly Beach: Roller Coaster 1/Dipper (European version)
 * Karts & Coasters: Big Woodchip/Lumberjack (European version)
 * Karts & Coasters: Bigger Woodchip/Timber Terror (European version)
 * Crumbly Woods: Woodchip Woodchip/Double Trouble (European version)
 * Haunted Harbour: Woodpecker
 * Volcania: Roller Coaster 1/Volcanic Wooden Roller Coaster (RCT Classic)
 * Rotting Heights: Phantom
 * Fiasco Forest: Dynamite Run
 * Dusty Desert: Roller Coaster 2/Dusty Rattler (RCT Classic)
 * Southern Sands: Roller Coaster 1/Desert Diver (RCT Classic)
 * Tiny Towers: Roller Coaster 2
 * Megaworld Park: Cyclone
 * Megaworld Park: Rotting Lumber
 * Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Big Dipper
 * Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Grand National
 * Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Roller Coaster
 * Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Vikingar
 * Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Zipper Dipper
 * PC Gaming World: Calamity

RollerCoaster Tycoon 2

 * Roller Coaster Building Tutorial: Wooden Roller Coaster 1
 * Gravity Gardens: Treetop Flyer
 * Infernal Views: Wooden Roller Coaster 1
 * Rainbow Summit: Wooden Roller Coaster 1
 * Six Flags Belgium: Loup-Garou
 * Six Flags Great Adventure: Rolling Thunder (Track 1)
 * Six Flags Great Adventure: Rolling Thunder (Track 2)
 * Six Flags Holland: Robin Hood
 * Six Flags Magic Mountain: Colossus (Track 1)
 * Six Flags Magic Mountain: Colossus (Track 2)
 * Six Flags Magic Mountain: Psyclone
 * Six Flags Over Texas: Judge Roy Scream
 * Six Flags Over Texas: Texas Giant
 * Grand Canyon: Calamity Coaches
 * African Diamond Mine: Wooden Roller Coaster 1

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3

 * Raiders of the Lost Coaster: Rickety Racers Blue
 * Raiders of the Lost Coaster: Rickety Racers Red

Pre-built designs

 * Black Widow (RCT2, RCT3)
 * Brainstorm (RCT2)
 * Buffalo (RCT3)
 * Colossus (Track 1) (RCT2)
 * Colossus (Track 2) (RCT2)
 * Driftwood (RCT2, RCT3)
 * Firetrap (RCT2, RCT3)
 * Glowing Embers (RCT2, RCT3)
 * Great White Wail (RCT2, RCT 3)
 * In the UK version, this is called 'Goofball City'.
 * Hardwood (RCT2, RCT3)
 * Judge Roy Scream (RCT2)
 * Little Beast (RCT3)
 * Loup-Garou (RCT2)
 * Microfobia (RCT2, RCT3)
 * Mischief (RCT1)
 * Psyclone (RCT2)
 * Ricochet (RCT2, RCT3)
 * Robin Hood (RCT2)
 * Rolling Thunder (Track 1) (RCT2)
 * Rolling Thunder (Track 2) (RCT2)
 * Roughrider (RCT2, RCT3)
 * Sawdust (RCT2, RCT3)
 * Shimmy (RCT2, RCT3)
 * Splinter (RCT2, RCT3)
 * Texas Giant (RCT2)
 * Tinder (RCT2, RCT3)
 * Touchwood (RCT2, RCT3)
 * Ugly Twisters (RCT2, RCT3)
 * Whiteout (RCT2, RCT3)
 * Whitewash (RCT2, RCT3)
 * Woodchip (RCT1, RCT2)
 * Woodwind (RCT2)
 * Woodworm (RCT2, RCT3)
 * Zipper (RCT3)

Differences between games
The original RollerCoaster Tycoon base game includes a Wooden Roller Coaster. The Added Attractions/Corkscrew Follies expansion (which was also included in the Loopy Landscapes expansion) introduced a separate ride type called the Wooden Twister Roller Coaster. The Wooden Twister utilizes a steeper bank on banked curves than the standard Wooden Coaster, is capable of steep curves, has access to helix track pieces, and only has access to the articulated train design. The original Wooden Coaster has (depending on the scenario) access to the water splash and vertical loop elements, whereas the Wooden Twister Coaster does not. The original Wooden Coaster also has a slightly different track paint style where both the inner and outer running rails use the ride's primary coloring, while the Wooden Twister's primary track color covers only the outer running rails.

Starting in RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 and in all later games, the two Wooden Coaster types are merged into a single type. The new Wooden Coaster type utilizes the Wooden Twister's steeper banked curves and its ability to have steep curves and helices, gives access to the original Wooden Coaster's water splash and vertical loops, and (depending on the scenario) gives access to all the train variants available for both the Wooden and Wooden Twister types.

In OpenRCT2, the original RollerCoaster Tycoon variant of the Wooden Roller Coaster returns, now named the Classic Wooden Roller Coaster. It is identical to its RollerCoaster Tycoon incarnation with the only new addition being the block brake track piece, which allows it to operate in continuous circuit block sectioned mode. To further distinguish it from the RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 variant, the Classic Wooden Roller Coaster has the following differences:
 * Its maximum support limit is only 21 units (35 m; 105 ft).
 * Its lift hill chain speed range goes from 4 km/h (3 mph) to 8 km/h (5 mph) as opposed to 8-11 km/h (5-7 mph).
 * The Classic Wooden Roller Coaster's natural excitement rating is slightly lower.
 * When a stat requirement is missed, the Classic Wooden Roller Coaster's intensity rating is unaffected.

In real life
The earliest purpose-built roller coasters, which debuted from the 1880s into the early decades of the 1900s century, were almost universally constructed out of wood. However, these coasters generally do not fall under the category of "wooden roller coasters" as it relates to the Wooden coaster type in RollerCoaster Tycoon. The key distinguishing feature between the earliest wooden coasters and modern wooden coasters is the presence of up-stop (or underfriction) wheels, which ride under the rail and prevent the roller coaster train from lifting up off the track when going down steep slopes or cresting over hills. Coasters built without these up-stop wheels are categorized as side friction roller coasters, and coasters built out of wood and which use those wheels are classified as wooden coasters and are most similar to those which would be considered Wooden coasters within the games. The two oldest currently-operating wooden roller coasters that were designed with up-stop wheels are called "Jack Rabbit," and debuted in 1920; one of them was built at Kennywood near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, while the other one was built at Seabreeze Amusement Park near Rochester, New York, USA.

Because of the over-a-century long history of the "modern" wooden roller coaster, there are many variations in style and design from coaster to coaster and from manufacturer to manufacturer. The Wooden Roller Coaster depicted in the game does not imitate any specific design. However, in the Added Attractions/Corkscrew Follies expansion, the separate "Wooden Twister Roller Coaster" is reminiscent of wooden coasters built by Great Coasters International (GCI) starting in the mid-1990s, specifically in regards to the added 'twistiness' of its track compared to the standard Wooden coaster in that game and in the use of the articulated trains (see below).

While the in-game coaster designs do not necessarily imitate any specific real-world ride manufacturers' designs, trains used on the Wooden Roller Coaster do appear to replicate designs used by real manufacturers. Specifically, the standard and six-seater trains (including reverse-facing variants) take on the appearance of classic Philadelphia Toboggan Company (PTC) trains, while the articulated trains are reminiscent of GCI Millennium Flyer trains.

The vertical loop element found in all three RollerCoaster Tycoon games was only ever featured on one modern wooden roller coaster: Son of Beast at Kings Island. Son of Beast debuted in 2000 with a vertical loop, but the loop was removed in 2006 when the coaster was switched to lighter trains.