Big Dipper vs The Swarm
card comparison
| Stat | Big Dipper | The Swarm | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 65 ft | 127 ft | |
| Speed | 40 mph | 59 mph | |
| Inversions | 0 | 4 | |
| Throughputest. | 900 rph | 1600 rph | |
| Build Costest. | 0.1 $m | 31.8 $m | |
| Vintage | 1923 | 2012 |
Vintage is the reversed stat — the older ride wins. Every number here is the same one printed on the card; see /methodology for how Build Cost and Throughput are sourced.
The verdict
The Swarm takes it 5–1, and the 1 Big Dipper does win is the whole of its case.
Big Dipper is a wooden Classic wooden out-and-back coaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, GB, built by William H. Strickler & John A. Miller (extended 1936 by Charlie Paige & Joe Emberton). The Swarm is a steel Wing Coaster coaster at Thorpe Park, GB, built by Bolliger & Mabillard.
Both are in GB, which puts them in the same conversation for anyone planning a trip there.
Stat by stat
- Height goes to The Swarm at 127 ft against 65 ft — nearly double.
- Speed goes to The Swarm at 59 mph against 40 mph — a long way clear.
- The Swarm inverts 4 times against nothing at all from Big Dipper — the widest kind of gap there is on this stat.
- Throughput goes to The Swarm at 1,600 rph against 900 rph — nearly double.
- Build Cost goes to The Swarm at 31.8 $m against 0.1 $m — in another class entirely.
- Big Dipper predates The Swarm by 89 years — 1923 against 2012 — and on the one stat where old beats new, that is decisive.