The History of Disaster Transport

Disaster Transport was Cedar Point's indoor bobsled coaster, a free-sliding sled that moved through the dark on a make-believe space-cargo run. It began life outdoors and lasted until 2012.

From Avalanche Run to Disaster Transport

The ride opened in 1985 as Avalanche Run, an outdoor Intamin bobsled coaster. Bobsled coasters are unusual: the cars have no wheels locked to a rail, and instead slide loose inside a trough-shaped track, banking through the curves like an Olympic bobsled run. In 1990 Cedar Point enclosed the whole thing in a show building and rethemed it as Disaster Transport, a science-fiction story in which riders were space cargo being shipped through a troubled delivery, complete with robots, effects, and blacklight scenery in the queue.

The end of the line

By the early 2010s the enclosed ride had aged and dated, and it closed in July 2012. Its building was demolished, and together with the neighboring Space Spiral observation tower, the cleared site became the GateKeeper wing coaster, which opened in 2013.

One thing to know

Disaster Transport rode so strangely because its cars had no wheels fixed to a rail. They were free-sliding bobsleds steered only by the banking of the trough, so no two trips down the track were ever quite the same.

Disaster Transport is one chapter in the history of Cedar Point.

Disaster Transport at a glance