Plans for a new wooden roller coaster were first conceived by park president Will Koch. Koch contacted Custom Coasters International and plans for the then-unnamed roller coaster began to form. The roller coaster remained unnamed until August 1994, when Koch invited magazine editor and fellow amusement park lover Tim O'Brien to tour the site of the future roller coaster. During that tour it was O'Brien who first suggested the name Raven, deriving the idea from Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven". The name was soon made official and construction on Raven began.[2]
On May 6, 1995, Raven was opened to the public. The roller coaster debuted with a single 24-passenger train made by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters.[1] The ceremonial first train was dispatched with one empty seat, after Leah Koch, the daughter of Will Koch, opted not to ride. The seat was instead reserved for the spirit of Edgar Allan Poe, who had published "The Raven" exactly 150 years earlier.[2]
Changes
In 2005, Raven received a second 24-passenger train. Adding the second train improved Raven's capacity from 700 riders per hour to 960 riders per hour.[3][4]
In order to accommodate and store the second train when it was not being used, a transfer track was built along the straightaway prior to the lift hill. A transfer track allows a portion of the track to be moved and redirected to a storage bay. This allows an unused train to be stored during normal operation, and also provides an additional area for maintenance crews to inspect the train.[5]
The change to two-train operation also necessitated a change in the coaster's control system. Prior to 2005, the ride was operated manually, as the ride operator would push a button to release the brakes and position the train in the station. This type of control system allowed the ride to be operated by a single ride operator. In 2005, an automatic control system was added. The automatic control system automatically controls braking, positioning, and the block system. This type of control system also necessitates that two ride operators be present to dispatch the train from the station.[6]
During the 2020-2021 off-season, Raven was given a refurbishment. The ride's trains were repainted with new wing decals on both sides, and 25% of the track was replaced.[7]
Ride experience
A train in Raven's station
A full ride experience on Raven lasts approximately one minute and thirty seconds.[5]
Immediately after dispatch, the train takes a 180° turn over the queue area before latching onto the lift hill chain. Once at the top of the lift hill, the train dips down and makes a turn to the right as riders overlook the park's main entrance and the parking lot. The train then dives down its initial 85 foot (26m) drop at 48 miles per hour (77km/h).[8]
Immediately at the bottom of the first drop is a 120 foot (37m)above-ground tunnel. After exiting the tunnel, the train goes back up another hill before making a slight turn to the right and heading back down again for the ride's second small drop. Following the second drop the train crests the top of a small hill in preparation for a large, sweeping right turn over Lake Rudolph. The turn over Lake Rudolph is a full 180° turn and sends the train back uphill before making a left turn so that the train is now parallel to the top of the second hill. At this point the train dips down and returns uphill in a simultaneous left turn.[8]
The sweeping turn over Lake Rudolph
Once the train has crested the top of the hill, it drops down a 61 foot (19m) hill. Following the drop, the train hugs the ground through thickly-wooded terrain while traversing a banked "S" curve, first to the right and then to the left. The train then takes a second large, sweeping right turn. At the conclusion of the right turn, the train makes a quick left turn and immediately enters the brake run to end the ride, before returning to the station.[8]
Characteristics
Trains
Raven uses two 24-passenger trains built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. Each train is made of six cars that hold four riders each. Each car has two rows, each row holding two riders. Each row features a seat divider, two individual ratcheting lap bars, and two individual seatbelts.[1] Each train is red, with wing decals down the sides and the ride's logo featured on the front of the lead car.
Track
The wooden track on Raven is made from eight layers of Southern yellow pine, with a single layer of running steel along, the top, sides, and underside of the track where the train's wheels make contact with it. The support structure of the ride is also wooden. The total length of the track is 2,800 feet (850m), and includes 85 foot (26m) and 61 foot (19m) drops, in addition to a 120 foot (37m) long aboveground tunnel. The track features a chain lift hill and three block sections. Raven utilizes fin brakes.[4]
Incident
On May 31, 2003, Tamar Fellner, a 32-year-old woman from New York City, New York, died after falling out of Raven. Fellner was visiting the park to attend "Stark Raven Mad 2003", an event hosting roller coaster enthusiasts from around the country. At approximately 8:00 pm, Fellner and her fiancé boarded Raven in the last row of the train. Following a safety check of her lap bar and seat belt by a ride operator, the train left the station. Multiple witnesses reported that they saw Fellner "virtually standing up" during the ride's initial and subsequent drops. During the ride's 69 feet (21m) fifth drop, Fellner was ejected from the car and onto the tracks. When the train returned to the station, Fellner's fiancé, ride operators, and a passenger who was a doctor ran back along the tracks, at which point they found Fellner lying under the structure of the roller coaster at the fifth drop. The doctor, aided by park medical personnel, began CPR until an ambulance arrived. Fellner was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital.[9]
An investigation following the accident showed that Fellner's safety restraints were working properly and that there were no mechanical deficiencies on the roller coaster. However, Fellner's family filed a lawsuit in 2005 against Holiday World and the Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. The lawsuit was settled out of court in 2007, and the terms of the settlement were not disclosed.[10][11]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Must transfer from wheelchair
