Tower of Terror II

Tower of Terror II is a steel shuttle rollercoaster located at Dreamworld in Gold Coast, Australia. When the Tower of Terror opened on 23 January 1997, it was the first roller coaster in the world to reach 161.9 kilometres per hour (100.6 mph) speeds making it the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world. The ride is situated on the Dreamworld Tower which also houses the Giant Drop free fall ride. The ride was originally known as the Tower of Terror until it was modified and relaunched in September 2010.

Original ride
The original Tower of Terror ride featured an "escape pod" weighing 6 metric tons. Riders would be launched forwards out of a shorter, 80-metre (260 ft) tunnel at a rate of 160.9 kilometres per hour (100.0 mph) before travelling up the 115-metre (377 ft) tower. Just 0.25 seconds after the initial launch, an on-ride camera would take photographs of riders.

Escape Pod
The first steel passenger vehicle, known as the Escape Pod, would carry 15 passengers in four rows and weighed around 6 metric tons. The car was equipped with four large steel road wheels that run on the track, measuring 600 millimetres in diameter at the front and 900 millimetres at the rear. Smaller jockey wheels run on the other side of the track such that the track sits between the pairs of wheels. The original Tower of Terror's restraint system consisted of a thick, rigid lap bar with hand grips mounted to the lap bar. This type of restraint feels like a lap bar restraint, while still providing the safety of a traditional over-the-shoulder restraint. These restraints used a hydraulic locking system which allowed them to be pulled down to any position; when "locked", they could move down to any position but not up. In contrast, a ratchet-based restraint only locks at each "notch", and will often be too loose or uncomfortably tight for riders. In order to speed up loading, riders were asked to secure their own restraints if they were able to. The minimum height restriction is 120 centimetres, the same as most other major coasters. In addition, it is actually possible for a rider to be too tall to ride the Tower of Terror, if they are over 200 centimetres tall.

Queue and station
The queue line begins with a footpath that extends from the underpass linking Tiger Island and Wiggles World, to the inside of an 11-metre tall skull. From there, the line bends into a tunnel where riders have to walk 270 degrees anti-clockwise, crossing a metal bridge below which a model city is displayed. This is followed by some stairs at the top of which is a Dreamworld staff member in charge of letting people pass. Fourteen people at a time are allowed to pass through to the second waiting area where they wait for instructions to proceed. In the third waiting area, riders are asked to form four queues with two people in the front queue and four people in each of the remaining three queues. The doors to the Escape Pod then open up, allowing riders to embark.&nbsp In the station, a kicker tyre system is used to propel the car into the launch, and also to stop the returning car. Once in the launch, a linear synchronous motor system is used to accelerate the car along the horizontal part of the track, and also to slow the returning car. Following the ride, riders are let out an exit on the opposite side to the entry, which leads into a passageway containing a metal lift. This takes the riders back down to ground level and opens up to the Tower of Terror Warehouse merchandise shop. The shop contains souvenirs and photos of the riders in the Escape Pod for purchase.