Waterloo amusement park plans to open a third roller coaster
“Fire Runner” will be a monorail, a newer technology is required
Three roller coasters will be open next summer at Lost Island Theme Park in Waterloo – including this new roller coaster called Fire Runner, pictured here. (Image provided)
WATERLOO – Lost Island theme park announces that another roller coaster will be operational next summer.
A new monorail roller coaster called the Fire Runner was announced at an amusement ride conference earlier this month. As the name suggests, a monorail roller coaster has only one track – most roller coasters have two. There are only five such coasters in the United States, located in California, Idaho, New Jersey and Texas.
Eric Bertch, general manager of Waterloo Park, said he has been in constant contact with the company that designs the rides since the park opened. Rocky Mountain Construction came to Bertch because of their good working relationship.
“(Single-rail) is a newer design and so it’s in high demand, they can only build a few a year,” Bertch said. “They have a long waiting list, but because of the relationship we’ve built with them, they came to us and gave us the preemption.”
Eric Bertch, Lost Island Themepark (provided photo)
The roller coaster has eight to twelve cars in a row, similar to a train, in which the passengers sit alone. The track is 600 meters long, has three inversions and reaches a top speed of 84 km/h. Instead of a 360-degree loop, the inversions resemble barrel rolls.
Bertch said that although it is an extreme roller coaster, it will appeal more to park visitors who are at least 48 inches tall. The other two roller coasters in the park have a minimum height of 52 and 56 inches, respectively. There is a children’s roller coaster in the park, which Bertch said will appeal primarily to elementary school-aged children.
Bertch did not disclose the cost of the new attraction.
The new, popular attraction is likely to attract even more visitors.
“We’ve been in business for three years now and the number of out-of-state visitors has increased quite significantly,” he said. “I expect the new attraction will drive significant growth.”
Bertch expects about 50,000 visitors this season, an average of 600 people a day. Last year, The Courier reported, about 46,000 people were there the week before the season ended. The first year, total attendance was just over 26,000.
On June 28, 2022, passengers roll over on the Nopuko Air Coaster during media day at the Lost Island Theme Park in Waterloo. (Jim Nelson/Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
Bertch did not reveal whether this year was profitable. He said releasing numbers “seems to do more harm than good.”
“People prefer to talk about dollar amounts rather than the experiences they’ve had,” he said. “We look forward to increasing visitor numbers with this new attraction.”
In response to patrons’ comments, more trees will be planted to provide relief from the heat, but Bertch noted that it will take some time for the trees to grow large enough to provide shade for people.
The carousel’s debut, which has been delayed since the park opened in 2022, is scheduled for 2025. Bertch said the delays were caused by contractors going out of business. Lost Island employees will build the ride themselves.
The theme park’s last day of operation this summer is September 2. The neighboring water park closes today.
