Building Tundra Twister and Snoopy’s Racing Railway at Canada’s Wonderland

We have two new rides coming for the 2023 season and work to build them is underway! 

Snoopy's Racing Railway

The first is Snoopy’s Racing Railway, a family launch roller coaster that will be situated in Planet Snoopy. This will be the park’s 18th roller coaster and it’s being built in the area that used to feature the Dinosaurs Alive! attraction that we had at the park from 2012 to 2018. The new ride entrance will be between Lucy’s Tugboat and Woodstock’s Whirly Birds.

“Snoopy’s Racing Railway will be the first launch coaster that kids can ride in our park,” said Peter Switzer, director of maintenance and construction. Children only need to be 36” tall to ride and he thinks they’ll get a kick out of the launch element – so to speak. “There’s no traditional lift hill, instead there’s an energy component – specifically kinetic energy – that will launch the ride. So that’s a little different. It’s like Backlot Stunt Coaster but smaller.”

The ride is being manufactured by ART Engineering and coaster components have already begun to arrive from Germany where the company is located. Elements include track, columns, motors, electrical control panels, gates, movable platforms and eventually the train itself (seen in the top photo, at the factory). 

At the ride site, crews have excavated earth and approximately 200 track foundations have been poured and capped with anchor bolts. Next up is the station, with more excavation and concrete forming for its foundation and walls, and then assembly and installation of track. Once complete, the park will begin testing and commissioning the ride and have it inspected by the TSSA before training ride operators to run it.

Snoopy’s Racing Railway will feature one train with seven cars, accommodating 14 riders and will accelerate from zero to 50 km/h in a matter of seconds! It’s sure to become a favourite of our youngest park guests.

Tundra Twister

Our other new ride, Tundra Twister is for more seasoned thrill warriors.

The giant, 360-degree swing ride will have guests soaring and spinning 47 metres (154 feet) high above Frontier Canada at speeds up to 75 km/h.

The ride will be located just outside the entrance to Splash Works, tucked in beside Yukon Striker and the Gold Rush Junction funnel cake location. It’s a tight space in between the walkway and Yukon Striker’s columns and tracks and will make for an interesting build, according to Switzer.

“I’ve said it before for other projects, but this really is like building a ship in a bottle,” he said. “It’s going to be a giant machine.”

It’s also the first of its kind in the world. Designed by Dutch rides company Mondial, Tundra Twister is a prototype and will be an experience guests won’t find anywhere else.

The ride will also be shipped to the park in parts, this time coming from the Netherlands. Once the site’s foundations are complete, final grading done and all parts are onsite, the ride will be assembled bit by bit. For anyone who’s not an engineer and has better reference to children’s toys, imagine a giant K’NEX play set. The massive columns get erected with temporary braces until the 67-tonne motor house is hoisted between them and secured. Then either end of the pendulum is attached to the centre piece one-by-one, with the gondolas and seats coming last once the rest of it is erect.

The loading platform itself will be about 10 feet above pathway level, which allows the ride its needed clearance when it swings overtop the Splash Works building. The platform will rise and lower, similar to our Psyclone ride.

That close-call clearance between the building and nearby Yukon Striker will only add to the thrills in store for riders on Tundra Twister. With two gondolas of seats, the ride will accommodate 40 riders at once.

Stay tuned to our social media accounts for more updates on these exciting new rides!