Mr. Freeze

Mr. Freeze Concept Art

Early concept art of Mr. Freeze that didn’t exactly nail the overbanked turn

Mr. Freeze is a magnetically-launched roller coaster within the Gotham City section of Six Flags over Texas. Dozens of linear induction motors (LIMs) act as synchronized electromagnets and accelerate riders from 0-70 mph in a mere 3.8 seconds. After the train blasts through a twisting top-hat inversion and a 120° overbanked turn, passengers are propelled vertically up the 218-foot “spike” tower before reversing and going through everything again the other direction.

Additional LIMs on the tower give the train an extra boost upwards and downwards, ensuring it’ll have enough momentum to make it through the ride’s course in reverse. Mr. Freeze’s close proximity to Batman the Ride makes it appear as if the rides are “dueling” each other.

Mr. Freeze structure

This view of Mr. Freeze is only attainable from the Six Flags Railroad.

To combat the problem of shuttle coastersCoasters that don't make a complete circuit having notoriously low capacity because of one-train operation, Mr. Freeze features an innovative loading station where trains are placed on transfer tracks that allow one train to unload/load while the other runs its course.

In 2002, Six Flags retrofitted Mr. Freeze’s trains to swap its over-the-shoulder harnesses to lapbars. The change resulted in a significantly better ride as the original over-the-shoulder restraints could cause headbanging.

Mr. Freeze has a sister ride of the same name with an identical, mirrored layout at Six Flags St. Louis in Missouri.

Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast

In March 2012 Six Flags over Texas announced it would reverse the trains of Mr. Freeze and add “Reverse Blast” to its name. Although Mr. Freeze is a shuttle coaster and already travels both forwards and backwards anyway, reversing the trains resulted in two big ride experience changes: launching from 0-70 mph backwards and facing straight down during the train’s climb up the vertical spike.

Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast opened to the public May 12th, 2012 with an inaugural concert by Vanilla Ice. In September 2022 the park reversed the trains back to their original, forward-launching configuration and returned to the original name.

In mid-2023, the park turned one train back around, giving riders the choice to ride Mr. Freeze forwards or backwards.

 

Mr. Freeze Trivia

Technical Difficulties
Mr. Freeze was actually supposed to open in 1997 to coincide with the release of the Batman & Robin movie but technical difficulties delayed the ride’s opening until 1998.
A Foggy Idea
Fog was originally used in the launch tunnel until it was determined that it interfered with the ride’s photoelectric sensors.
Electrical Stats
Each launch of Mr. Freeze requires 5,000 amps of electricity at 480 volts (a staggering 2.4 mW of power). The linear induction motors, designed and manufactured by Force Engineering, create 5,000 horsepower of launch thrust.

Mr. Freeze’s launch is so energy-consuming that in unusually hot Texas summers when electricity usage peaks and rolling blackouts are a possibility, Six Flags over Texas opts to not operate the ride.

Valley Ride
Since Mr. Freeze is reliant upon powerful launches to complete its course in both directions, it occasionally valleys (gets stuck) in the track section between the overbanked-turn and tower.

A catwalk on the track section allows for easier guest evacuation.

Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast Logo

Mr. Freeze Stats

Ride Type:Steel LIM-launched coaster
Height:218 ft
Top Speed:70 mph
Length:1372 ft
Year Introduced:1998
Inversions:2 (one forward, one backward)
Manufacturer:Premier Rides
Duration:45 sec
Height Requirement:54"
Status:Operating
Flash Pass Enabled:Yes
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Where to Sit?

Ride in the back of the train (the row closest to the tunnel) to have reach the greatest height on the vertical tower.

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