Classic Arrow Steeplechase inspires new generation of ride
S&S Worldwide has created family-friendly Rail Ryder attraction
AT: Tim Baldwin
tbaldwin@amusementtoday.com
LOGAN, Utah — Good ideas sometimes get even better with a little innovation. S&S Worldwide serves as the caretaker for the parts and services of numerous Arrow Dynamics rides. Prior to the pandemic, the ride manufacturer looked at the possibility of reaching into the past to recreate some of Arrow’s legacy rides. While only a couple were ever created, the Steeplechase rides were beloved. One still exists at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
However, in almost half a century, codes and standards have changed. While there was some interest in the concept, S&S soon realized one of the biggest stumbling blocks to this ride reaching its potential was owed to capacity … or lack thereof.
“This is the next generation of the Arrow Steeplechase,” said Jason Mons, CEO, S&S. “We temporarily shelved it, and then in 2023, we had an ‘aha’ moment where we knew we could make modifications and turn it into a multi-rider experience. The plate between the [upper and lower] rails does a lot of things. In addition to spanning longer distances, it creates a unique aesthetic. It also allows for a lot of theming options; it could be painted different colors or a vinyl application, or [we could add] lights. The train itself doesn’t touch the ‘ribbon’ plate.”
The ride manufacturer was fully aware that there were other single-rail coasters on the market, but those are marketed for white-knuckle thrills. S&S went a different direction.
“The ride was designed from the ground up to be a family thrill coaster,” Mons said. “We wanted to get anyone from a 3- or 4-year-old child up to a bigger sibling and for grandparents to ride and not be intimidated. This was intended to be a family coaster.”
The height requirement is 39 inches.
S&S has designed three model sizes. The smallest is fully erected at the facility in Utah, ready to be sold and relocated to a customer’s facility.
“The one at our facility is our smallest one at 45 feet tall. The next one up has a 60-foot lift hill, and our largest one has both. On that larger one, we can achieve a capacity of more than 1,000 with four trains,” Mons said.
The trains on the ride are exceptionally comfortable, with an open feeling using a locked belt as the restraint.
“Like any coaster, we can do a full custom layout and adapt it to any environment the park has,” Mons said. “The speed on these coasters can go up to 35 mph, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but you gain a sensation of speed when you are sitting right on that rail. If a park had a forest or hill, you could increase that sense of speed, while it still maintains that 35 mph.”
“The design ethos of Rail Ryder was to make it approachable to riders of all ages but not to be intimidating,” said Trever Dyer, marketing. “We also wanted it to be approachable and not intimidating to potential parks and buyers and FECs and mountain venues looking for that next step up from a mountain coaster but don’t want to commit to a full-fledged project of a big, scary coaster. The design wasn’t just for the riders but for the parks at the same time.”
S&S said they were working with suppliers of installation labor to get a turnkey cost prepared for them.
“We’ve definitely tried to minimize the amount of structural columns, hence the ribbon steel and solid plate between the two rails that allows us to have greater spans between columns,” noted Dyer.
Multiple themed concepts have been explored by the company in terms of designing the trains.
“We’ve employed some third-party engineering firms to make sure everything is truly feasible,” Dyer told Amusement Today. “We know theming can create weight issues, and we’ve vetted that out. We have a farm theme with tractors and animals, or race cars. We’ve looked at motorbike styles and mine trains. Getting back to that nostalgia of the Arrow mine trains has been appealing to some of our customers so far. Recognizing global expansion, we’re looking at a flying carpet theme as well.”
“One of the neat things about these themes is because the base price is so inexpensive, it can allow parks to have a truly themed ride,” added Mons. “We are able to resurrect those older-style rides and provide those in a Rail Ryder concept.”
To maximize space, queuing could take place inside the infield of the ride, or other rides pass through, creating interaction, or smaller rides can fit inside.
Mons is pleased with another point. “We installed this entire ride with a tele-handler. There were no cranes or specialty equipment,” he said. “Somebody could use local rentals and install themselves if they had to with the assistance of our managers.”
“We started this early in 2024 when we started the design,” said Chris Reynolds, mechanical/project engineer. “After about eight months of design, we started ordering at the end of March [2025]. It didn’t take long to go up.”
According to management, erection takes about two weeks, with commissioning taking another four.
“I like the back seat coming off the lift hill,” Reynolds said. “It has a nice swoop to it. I love the front seat for the horseshoe.”
