# Roller Coaster DataBase

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**Roller Coaster DataBase** (**RCDB**) is a [roller coaster](/source/Roller_coaster) and [amusement park](/source/Amusement_park) [database](/source/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]

Publications that have mentioned RCDB include *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*,[3] *[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)*,[4] *[Toledo Blade](/source/Toledo_Blade)*,[5] *[Orlando Sentinel](/source/Orlando_Sentinel)*,[6] *[Time](/source/Time_(magazine))*,[7] *[Forbes](/source/Forbes)*,[8] *[Mail & Guardian](/source/Mail_%26_Guardian)*,[9] *[Chicago Sun-Times](/source/Chicago_Sun-Times)*.[10] and *[Chicago Tribune](/source/Chicago_Tribune)*.[11]

## History

RCDB was started in 1996 by Duane Marden,[1] a computer programmer from [Brookfield, Wisconsin](/source/Brookfield,_Wisconsin).[9] The website is run off [web servers](/source/Web_server) in Marden's basement which is based in [St. Louis](/source/St._Louis).[3]

## Content

See also: [List of defunct amusement parks](/source/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](/source/Roller_coaster_inversion), speed, duration, maximum vertical angle, [trains](/source/Train_(roller_coaster)), and special notes.[12] Entries may also feature reader-contributed photos and/or [press releases](/source/Press_release).[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](/source/English_language), [German](/source/German_language), [French](/source/French_language), [Spanish](/source/Spanish_language), [Dutch](/source/Dutch_language), [Portuguese](/source/Portuguese_language), [Italian](/source/Italian_language), [Swedish](/source/Swedish_language), [Japanese](/source/Japanese_language) and [Simplified Chinese](/source/Simplified_Chinese).[13][12]

## References

1. ["Faster coasters have reliability issues"](https://web.archive.org/web/20101022192645/https://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2006-06-17-fast-coasters_x.htm). *[USA Today](/source/USA_Today)*. The Associated Press. June 19, 2006. Archived from [the original](https://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2006-06-17-fast-coasters_x.htm) on Oct 22, 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2010.

1. ["About This Site"](https://rcdb.com/about.htm?pg=1). *Roller Coaster DataBase*. Retrieved 2021-05-09.

1. Cohen, Noam (October 3, 2010). ["Obsessions With Minutiae Thrive as Databases"](https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/business/media/04link.html?pagewanted=2). *The New York Times*. Retrieved December 1, 2012.

1. MacDonald, Brady (October 25, 2012). ["Looping wooden roller coasters are about to become a reality"](https://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb-rocky-mountain-coasters-10201225-story.html). *Los Angeles Times*. Retrieved December 1, 2012.

1. ["N.J. coaster gets raves, when it's working"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wckwAAAAIBAJ&dq=roller-coaster-database&pg=6851%2C631229). *Toledo Blade*. June 18, 2006. Retrieved December 1, 2012.

1. Bevil, Dewayne & Caviness, Tod (July 14, 2007). ["A New Life For Old Coaster"](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2007/07/14/a-new-life-for-old-coaster/). *Orlando Sentinel*. Retrieved December 1, 2012.

1. Shum, Keane (September 19, 2005). ["In The Loop"](https://web.archive.org/web/20101014230609/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1106455,00.html). *Time*. Archived from [the original](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1106455,00.html) on October 14, 2010.

1. LaMotta, Lisa (October 25, 2007). ["The Most Blood-Curdling Coasters"](https://www.forbes.com/2007/10/25/six-flags-rollercoaster-ent-manage-cx_ll_1025scaryrollercoaster.html). *Forbes*

1. ["US's temperamental roller coasters"](http://www.mg.co.za/article/2006-06-17-uss-temperamental-roller-coasters). *Mail & Guardian*. June 17, 2006. Retrieved December 1, 2012.

1. Moran, Dan (September 1, 2011). ["New coaster coming to Gurnee Six Flags in 2012"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120323001059/http://newssun.suntimes.com/news/7407158-418/new-coaster-coming-to-gurnee-six-flags-in-2012.html). *Chicago Sun-Times*. Archived from [the original](http://newssun.suntimes.com/news/7407158-418/new-coaster-coming-to-gurnee-six-flags-in-2012.html) on March 23, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2012.

1. ["Designers get twisted, you can too"](https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/231256590). *Chicago Tribune*. May 2, 2003. Retrieved April 17, 2025.

1. Frederiksen, Linda (2007). "Roller Coaster Database". *Reference Reviews*. **21** (1): 51–55. [doi:10.1108/09504120710719770](https://doi.org/10.1108/09504120710719770). [ISSN 0950-4125](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0950-4125)

1. ["rcdb.com/about.htm"](http://rcdb.com/about.htm). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20231207191730/https://rcdb.com/about.htm) Dec 7, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 19, 2015.

## External links

- [Official website](http://www.rcdb.com/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Roller Coaster DataBase](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roller_Coaster_DataBase) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roller_Coaster_DataBase?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.