Montu is an Inverted roller coaster manufactured by Swiss company Bolliger and Mabillard which opened at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in 1996. With a height of 150ft, Montu features a top speed of 60 mph and 7 inversions.

Ride Station

Take a look at the ride station for Montu – these photos were taken when there was not a train on the ride circuit. Like most other B&M Inverts, Montu features a barrier at the front of the station, which tilts back and lowers upon dispatch, as well as an retractable floor which also lowers upon dispatch. At the start of Montu, the train takes a slight dip and right turn into the ride area known as ‘alligator pit’, before engaging with the feeders at the base of the lift hill.

Brake Run and Transfer Track

Montu features 6 block sections across the ride circuit. These are: the station, lift hill, the mid course brake run, which splits the two sections of the ride, along with the brake run and transfer track. Montu can run up to 3 trains on the circuit, with each train having its own designated maintenance bay. The metal stands on the transfer track are used to assist guests in the event of an ride evacuation. The only place on Montu where harnesses are required during an evacuation is the mid course brake run – no harnesses are used on Montu’s brake run or lift hill due to there being barriers on all edges.

Back of House

Below the transfer track and brake run is a back of house area where ride parts and covers are stored during maintenance. A train on Montu can run 75,000 cycles before it must be stripped for maintenance to check all the components. This area also has access to the back of the maintenance shed for any deliveries of parts or to remove a train from the ride system completely.

Lower Maintenance Shed

The Montu maintenance shed features three different levels. The majority of the tools and spare parts are stored on the lower floor of the maintenance shed. Some larger machinery is also placed down here and is used during ride maintenance. Montu’s spare wheels are stored on the back wall.

Centre Maintenance Shed

The centre level of the maintenance shed provides engineers with access to the main part of the train where they can inspect the restraints and the 8 rows of 4 seats. During our visit, one train was available for operation, one was sat not in use and the other was receiving its annual maintenance.

Upper Maintenance Shed

The upper level of the maintenance shed is where engineers can inspect the wheel assemblies on Montu. Due to the way that the maintenance bay is designed, the train is held up by different rails separate to the drive, side and up-stop wheel assembly. This is so each of the wheels and the pivot motion of the train can easily be inspected when the wheel cover is lifted up.

Ride Views

Here are some views of Montu from the back of house area. These are views which are not accessible to guests from the main pathways within the park. Note that, during the tour, engineers were inspecting sections of Montu’s track. The ride is the same as it was at opening with the exception of a trim brake being added prior to the batwing element due to the forces being too strong for some riders in the hot summer months. The ride also saw a re-paint for the 2022 season meaning that the ride looks fresh and well presented.