Switchback Now Testing at ZDT's Amusement Park

© ZTD's Amusement Park

ZTD's Amusement Park has officially started testing on the all-new Switchback wooden roller coaster, and has the video to prove it.  The Texas amusement park hired The Gravity Group to create a unique coaster for them, squeezing the ride into a tight layout that contains extreme banks, hills and curves.  The new video is from when the ride just began its runs, so I would expect it to speed up even more as it breaks in.

© ZTD's Amusement Park

The Switchback starts with a 63 foot lift, a quick turn and then a 58 foot drop toward the ground.  A series of quick turns and hills - including two trips under a building and a 104 degree over-bank turn - lead to the spike seen in the photo above.  The trains, which are cute little eight-seaters, head up the spike until gravity takes over, pulling them down backward.  The entire course is then done in reverse, with a section of switch track getting the trains back to the station.

Hopefully the ride will open soon now that successful testing is under way!  Check out the full video of on-ride and off ride shots at this link.