Roller Coaster DataBase

Roller Coaster DataBase (RCDB) is a roller coaster and amusement park database begun in 1996 by Duane Marden.^[1] It has grown to feature statistics and pictures of over 12,000 roller coasters from around the world.^[2]

Roller Coaster DataBase

Roller Coaster DataBase home page
Type of site	Database
Available in	10 languages
Owner	Duane Marden
URL	www.rcdb.com
Registration	No
Launched	1996; 29 years ago (1996)
Current status	Online

Publications that have mentioned RCDB include The New York Times,^[3] Los Angeles Times,^[4] Toledo Blade,^[5] Orlando Sentinel,^[6] Time,^[7] Forbes,^[8] Mail & Guardian,^[9] Chicago Sun-Times.^[10] and Chicago Tribune.^[11]

History

RCDB was started in 1996 by Duane Marden,^[1] a computer programmer from Brookfield, Wisconsin.^[9] The website is run off web servers in Marden's basement and a location in St. Louis.^[3]

Content

See also: List of defunct amusement parks

Each roller coaster entry includes any of the following information for the ride: current amusement park location, type, status (existing, standing but not operating (SBNO), defunct), opening date, make/model, cost, capacity, length, height, drop, number of inversions, speed, duration, maximum vertical angle, trains, and special notes.^[12] Entries may also feature reader-contributed photos and/or press releases.^[3]

The site also categorizes the rides into special orders, including a list of the tallest coasters, a list of the fastest coasters, a list of the most inversions on a coaster, a list of the parks with the most inversions, etc., each sortable by steel, wooden, or both. Each roller coaster entry links back to a page which lists all of that park's roller coasters, past and present, and includes a brief history and any links to fan web pages saluting the park.^[12]

Languages

The site is available in ten languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Swedish, Japanese and Simplified Chinese.^[13][12]