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Steel Coasters
 
    Steel coasters came long after wooden coasters.  Steel coasters, which run over a long steel tube, began to appear in the 1960`s.  The use of steel completely changed roller coasters.  Steel coasters now make up over 50% of all operating coasters!  
 
    They can carry coaster cars through upside down loops, corkscrews, and steeply banked turns.  Steel also allows designers to build coasters that hang from an overhead track.  A steel coaster is generally any coaster with steel rails.  Some steel coasters have a wooden structure.  Steel coaster cars usually have wheels made from a plastic material or nylon.  The steel tracking and nylon wheels offer a smoother ride.  
 
    Steel coasters also cost less to build than wooden ones.  Again, steel tracks allow the creation of more terrifying coasters.  Tracking can be twisted and shaped into loops and corkscrews.  This is because they have the advantage of materials that early coaster designers did not have - nylon or polyurethane for wheels, and tubular steel for tracks - to create safe and comfortable loops.  
 
    Like wooden coasters, steel coasters have a nickname.  That would be "steelies."  
 
 
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Wooden Coasters
 
Woods and Steels
 
Steel Coasters
 
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