Runaway Mine Train opened on July 4, 1974, as one of the founding attractions at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, making it the park’s very first steel roller coaster. Built by Arrow Development, the pioneering firm behind the mine train genre, the ride sends its runaway ore cars through the park’s Frontier Adventures section on a Gold Rush-themed chase that predates nearly every other coaster still standing at the park.
More than five decades after it debuted, Runaway Mine Train remains a family-friendly staple rather than a record chaser, topping out at 38 mph with a 39-foot first drop after a modest 60-foot lift hill. Its enduring appeal comes from theming and tradition as much as thrills: block brakes, a chain lift, and a helix-and-lake layout have carried generations of Great Adventure visitors through the same Old West storyline since the Nixon administration.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, New Jersey
- Manufacturer: Arrow Development (now Arrow Dynamics)
- Opened: July 4, 1974
- Height: 60 feet
- Top speed: 38 mph
- Length: 2,429 feet
- Drop: 39 feet
- Inversions: 0
The Ride Experience
Riders board ore cars themed to a Gold Rush mining operation and climb a 60-foot chain lift before the train appears to lose control, plunging 39 feet and racing through banked turns and rolling hills at speeds up to 38 mph. The layout winds through the Frontier Adventures section and crosses a scenic lake before block brakes bring the two-minute journey to a close back at the station.
Unlike most Arrow mine train coasters, which typically use multiple lift hills to string together separate drops, Great Adventure’s version relies on a single lift hill, giving the ride a more compact, continuous-momentum feel that has distinguished it from sister rides at other Six Flags parks.
History and Legacy
As the first steel coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure, Runaway Mine Train has outlasted dozens of attractions that came and went at the park, including headline coasters that opened decades after it did. The ride received a major overhaul in 1995 covering its motor, cars, and operating systems, followed by a 2006 refresh that brightened the track colors and updated restraints.
In 2019, the park partnered with RWJBarnabas Health to paint one of the ride’s trains in honor of cancer survivors, adding a community touchpoint to a coaster already woven into Great Adventure’s identity. Its continued operation into its sixth decade makes it one of the longest-running rides of its type in the country.
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Runaway Mine Train Photo Archive: July 2001
This is an original ThrillZing photo of the Runaway Mine Train taken at Six Flags Great Adventure on July 15, 2001, restored and upscaled from the original camera file. It shows the 1974 Arrow mine train rounding a curve at dusk with Rolling Thunder’s lift hill behind it. All photos are free to reuse under a CC BY 4.0 license with credit to ThrillZing and a link to this page.
Runaway Mine Train FAQs
How old is the Runaway Mine Train at Six Flags Great Adventure?
It opened on July 4, 1974, alongside the park itself, making it Six Flags Great Adventure’s original steel roller coaster and one of its oldest continuously operating rides.
Who manufactured Runaway Mine Train?
It was built by Arrow Development, the California-based company that pioneered the mine train roller coaster style; the firm later became known as Arrow Dynamics.
How fast does Runaway Mine Train go?
The coaster reaches a top speed of about 38 mph during its 39-foot first drop, following a 60-foot lift hill.
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Photo: User:FlyingLeopard2014 / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.