B and M

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B&M (also known as Bolliger & Mabillard) are a roller coaster manufacturer based in a Switzerland secret research facility. B&M are widely regarded as the best most expensive roller coaster manufacturer, they are particularly loved by Alton Towers fans due to their work with God and the 3 B&Ms that reside in Alton Towers (Nemesis, Oblivion and Air). This is shown by two of their B&Ms sitting in Forbidden Valley, Towers' fetish area for ride manufacturers. It is a fact that every proper theme park enthusiast loves B&M, they are widely regarded as the top manufacturer.

History

B&M were founded by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard in 1988 after Walter and Claude left Giovanola, a subcontractor for Intamin.

Boilliger and Mabillard developed the stand-up rollercoaster for Giovanola before they left the company, before eventually building their own B&M Stand-up rollercoaster in 1990.

B&M first made a name for themselves when they built the multi-inversion inverted rollercoaster aka Batman in the early 1990s. Their next unique rollercoaster which they designed (with a little help from God) was Nemesis at Alton Towers.

Notable Projects

With sitting, standing and inverting rollercoasters in their portfolio B&Ms next major design was built in 1998. The Dive Machine was created, the first rollercoaster to feature a vertical drop (Oblivion's drop is only 87 degrees, but we'll ignore that...)

Dive Machines feature 6-, 8- or 10-across seating with cars holding 16, 18, 24 or 30 people. Oblivion once again pushed the boundaries of rollercoaster design, B&M now are becoming the world's best roller coaster manufacturer.

The following year, a floorless rollercoaster was designed (Medusa/Bizarro at Six Flags Great Adventure). And then another year later the Mega Coaster was added to the portfolio before their next rollercoaster at Alton Towers opened in 2002.

Air at Alton Towers was advertised as the world's first flying rollercoaster (Vekoma and SkyTrack at Granada Studios may argue with this statement though). Air was plagued with problems, and still is today, breakdowns often occur and due to the nature of the ride there is a lot of Faff.

Future

The Wing-Rider and eventually a rumoured 4D coaster are the next new concepts being designed and built by B&M, this is their first major innovation since Air in 2002. Many believed that B&M had started to become stagnant without any major change in their ride portfolio for a number of years.

The first Wing-Rider rollercoaster was built by Intamin (Furious Baco in Port Adventura, Spain) but that model is known for its rough ride, something that B&M will be determined to iron out of their train design. The B&M Wing-Rider will be called X-Raptor and it is currently under construction in Gardaland.

It was rumoured that in 2012 B&M will be added 4D functionality to the Wing-Rider train, Thorpe Park are expected to get this model of coaster. Currently, S&S Worldwide are the only company to build 4D coasters (after they acquired the designs after Arrow Dynamics filed for bankruptcy), but this is another coaster model that is plagued with issues. It is still unknown if B&M can overcome the models shortcomings to catapult themselves firmly back into the number 1 manufacturer slot.

Characteristics of B&Ms

B&M are known for created world-class, top-quality rollercoasters. John Wardley aka God once asked Walter Bolliger: "What if the coaster stalls? How will we get the trains back to the station?". Bolliger replied: "Our coasters never stall. They always work perfectly the first time."

One feature of B&Ms is their box style track. Due to the design of the track, many B&Ms product the B&M roar (most noticeable in Nemesis at Alton Towers, and The Incredible Hulk at Islands of Adventure). The B&M roar on Nemesis is much louder due to the pit that Nemesis is built in, on a cold and wet evening in Scarefest the Nemesis roar is also deafening. Some parks decide to fill their track with a sand/silicon material to reduce the roar from the track.

B&M are known for their smooth layouts and comfortable trains.

Notable Rides

• Nemesis
• Air
• Oblivion
• Nemesis Inferno
• Black Mamba
• Dragon Khan
• Silver Star
• Manta