Out and back roller coaster
# Out and back roller coaster

Out and back refers to the layout of a roller coaster. An out and back coaster is one that climbs a lift hill soon after leaving the station, races out to the far end of the track after the initial drop, performs a 180 degree turn and then returns to the station. Some out and back coasters perform more complicated turns at the far end of the track.

This particular design is very popular and is easy to design and construct. With an out and back design, the hills on the way "out" usually are quite large and gradually decrease in size. The hills on the way "back" are usually "bunny hops", or small hills created to maximize air-time.

## Design variants

The simplest out-and-back layout resembles a flattened oval when viewed from above. In profile, the train leaves the station (point A) and ascends the lift hill; after gaining kinetic energy from the initial drop, the train ascends a second hill to slow the train before it enters the first turn-back at the far end of the track (point B). Exiting the turn-back, the train descends the second hill to gain speed again before entering a third hill (or a braking area) to slow for a second turn-back at the near end of the track (point C) and the return to the station.

### Double out-and-back

A variation on the theme has the track traveling from the station (point A) out to the far end (point B), then returning past the station before traveling out to the far end again, and finally returning to the station. From above, the simplest double out-and-back would appear as a flattened oval spiral with a crossover for the final return to the station.

Examples of this type of ride include the venerable Comet, which was moved from Crystal Beach Park in Ontario to Great Escape at Queensbury, New York, the Phoenix at Knoebels' Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, and GhostRider at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California.

### Triple out-and-back

These coasters travel back and forth between A and B thrice; the resulting appearance is often hard to discern from true twisters, which are usually free-form in design. An example of this type of ride is the Coney Island Cyclone.

### Quadruple out-and-back and higher

While no roller coasters of this type are known, they would travel between A and B more than three times. Like triple out-and-backs, they are hard to discern from twisters, and sometimes wild mice.

## Examples

| Coaster | Park | Year opened | Manufacturer |
| - | - | - | - |
| American Eagle | Six Flags Great America | 1981 | Intamin |
| Apollo's Chariot | Busch Gardens Williamsburg | 1999 | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Arkansas Twister | Magic Springs and Crystal Falls | 1993 | Michael Black and Associates |
| Behemoth | Canada's Wonderland | 2008 | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Big One | Blackpool Pleasure Beach | 1994 | Arrow Dynamics |
| Blue Streak | Cedar Point | 1964 | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters |
| Boulder Dash | Lake Compounce | 2000 | Custom Coasters International |
| Cannon Ball | Lake Winnepesaukah | 1967 | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters |
| Cheetah | Wild Adventures | 2001 | Custom Coasters International |
| Comet | Hersheypark | 1946 | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters |
| The Comet | Great Escape | 1994 | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters |
| Fury 325 | Carowinds | 2015 | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Giant Dipper | Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk | 1924 | Arthur Looff |
| GhostRider | Knott's Berry Farm | 1998 | Custom Coasters International |
| Goliath | La Ronde | 2006 | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Goliath | Six Flags Over Georgia | 2006 | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Great American Scream Machine | Six Flags Over Georgia | 1973 | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters |
| High Roller | Valleyfair | 1976 | Rauenhorst Corporation |
| Intimidator | Carowinds | 2010 | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Jack Rabbit | Seabreeze Amusement Park | 1920 | Harry C. Baker |
| Judge Roy Scream | Six Flags Over Texas | 1980 | William Cobb & Associates |
| Leviathan | Canada's Wonderland | 2012 | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Magnum XL-200 | Cedar Point | 1989 | Arrow Dynamics |
| Mamba | Worlds of Fun | 1998 | D. H. Morgan Manufacturing |
| The Mighty Canadian Minebuster | Canada's Wonderland | 1981 | Taft Broadcasting |
| Millennium Force | Cedar Point | 2000 | Intamin |
| Nitro | Six Flags Great Adventure | 2001 | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Phoenix | Knoebels' Amusement Resort | 1985 | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters |
| Predator | Darien Lake | 1990 | Dinn Corporation |
| The Racer | Kings Island | 1972 | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters |
| Racer 75 | Kings Dominion | 1975 | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters |
| Roller Coaster | Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach | 1932 | Erich Heidrich |
| Rollo Coaster | Idlewild Park | 1938 | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters |
| Screamin' Eagle | Six Flags St. Louis | 1976 | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters |
| Shivering Timbers | Michigan's Adventure | 1998 | Custom Coasters International |
| Tornado | Adventureland | 1978 | Frontier Construction Company |
| The Voyage | Holiday World & Splashin' Safari | 2006 | The Gravity Group |
| Wildcat | Lake Compounce | 1927 | Dinn Corporation |
| Wild Beast | Canada's Wonderland | 1981 | Taft Broadcasting |
| The Wild One | Six Flags America | 1986 | Dinn Corporation |
| Wild Thing | Valleyfair | 1996 | D. H. Morgan Manufacturing |
| Yankee Cannonball | Canobie Lake Park | 1930 | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters |
