The Mini Mine Train is a kiddie roller coaster tucked into the Boomtown section of Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas. Built by Arrow Development and opened in 1969, three years after its much larger sibling the Runaway Mine Train, it was designed to give the park’s youngest guests their own taste of a frontier mining adventure without the bigger drops and speeds of a full-size coaster.
Despite its small footprint, the Mini Mine Train has stayed in operation for more than five decades, running alongside the original Runaway Mine Train even after the surrounding area was reconfigured in 1997 to make room for the Mr. Freeze coaster. It remains one of the park’s go-to rides for introducing small children to the thrill of roller coasters.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, Texas
- Manufacturer: Arrow Development
- Opened: 1969
- Height: about 20 feet (max drop)
- Top speed: about 20 mph (32 km/h)
- Length: about 910 feet
- Inversions: 0
The Ride Experience
The Mini Mine Train sends its small mining cars through a series of tight curves and short, swooping drops, none higher than about 20 feet, while passing through tunnels and past frontier-themed scenery in the Boomtown area. The full circuit takes roughly a minute and ten seconds to complete, with trains made up of five two-row cars carrying up to 20 riders at a time.
Because it’s built for younger guests, the ride keeps its speeds and drops modest compared to the park’s bigger coasters. Riders must be at least 42 inches tall to ride solo, or 36 inches tall if accompanied by a supervising rider, making it one of the more accessible coaster credits at Six Flags Over Texas.
A Longtime Boomtown Fixture
The Mini Mine Train arrived in 1969 as a junior-scale companion to the park’s original Runaway Mine Train, giving families a matched pair of mining-themed coasters in the same corner of the park. Both rides came from Arrow Development, the manufacturer behind many of the mine train coasters built at Six Flags parks in that era.
The ride survived a significant shakeup of its surroundings in 1997, when the area was reworked to add the Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast coaster. More than fifty years after it opened, the Mini Mine Train still operates as a reliable first-coaster experience for the park’s youngest visitors.
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Mini Mine Train FAQs
How tall do you have to be to ride the Mini Mine Train?
Riders must be at least 42 inches tall to ride alone, or at least 36 inches tall when accompanied by a supervising companion.
Who built the Mini Mine Train, and when did it open?
It was built by Arrow Development and opened in 1969, three years after the park’s original Runaway Mine Train.
Does the Mini Mine Train have any inversions or big drops?
No. It’s a mild, family-oriented coaster with no inversions and a maximum drop of about 20 feet, designed for young or first-time riders.
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