Thunder Run (Kentucky Kingdom)

Last updated

Thunder Run
Thunder Run Kentucky Kingdom edit.jpg
Kentucky Kingdom
Location Kentucky Kingdom
Coordinates 38°11′44″N85°44′51″W / 38.19556°N 85.74750°W / 38.19556; -85.74750
StatusOperating
Opening dateAugust 1990 (1990-08)
General statistics
Type Wood
Manufacturer Dinn Corporation
Designer Curtis D. Summers
John Fetterman
ModelCustom
Lift/launch system Chain lift hill
Height90 ft (27 m)
Drop74 ft (23 m)
Length2,850 ft (870 m)
Speed53 mph (85 km/h)
Inversions 0
Duration1:54
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
TrainsSingle train with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Thunder Run at RCDB

Thunder Run is a wooden roller coaster at the Kentucky Kingdom amusement park in Louisville, Kentucky. The ride originally operated from August 1990 through to October 2009, when then-operators Six Flags abandoned the park. After remaining closed since 2009, Thunder Run reopened in May 2014 when Kentucky Kingdom reopened under new operators.

Contents

The ride was manufactured by Dinn Corporation and designed by Curtis D. Summers and John Fetterman. With 2,850 feet (870 m) of track, Thunder Run stands 90 feet (27 m) tall and features a top speed of 53 miles per hour (85 km/h).

History

Kentucky Kingdom opened on May 23, 1987, leasing 10 acres (4.0 ha) at the Kentucky Exposition Center property. [1] The Texas investors who operated the park filed it for bankruptcy after only one season of operation. [1] The Ed Hart-led Themeparks LLC firm purchased the rights to operate the park in 1989, reopening the park the following year. [1] As part of the reopening the new operators added a collection of new rides including Thunder Run, which opened in August 1990. [2] Early in Thunder Run's operating life, one of the cars uncoupled while climbing the lift hill and the ride's lap bars were found to be unsafe. No injuries were reported from these incidents. [3] The original ride was retracked by Martin & Vleminckx prior to its closure in 2009. [4]

Thunder Run operated until the end of the 2009 season which ended on November 1. On February 4, 2010, amid a corporate bankruptcy, Six Flags closed the park due to the rejection of an amended lease by the Kentucky State Fair Board. [5] Eventually, on June 27, 2013, a group of investors led by Ed Hart negotiated an agreement to reopen the park with a planned investment of $50 million. [6] Rocky Mountain Construction was hired to refurbish the coaster, [7] resulting in replacement of the existing wooden track. [8] [9] On October 10, 2013, Kentucky Kingdom invited members of the media and amusement industry to ride the refurbished Thunder Run. The ride reopened to the public on May 24, 2014. [9] After the 2016 season, Kentucky Kingdom announced that Thunder Run would receive a new train from the Philadelphia Toboggan Company for the 2017 season. This train replaced the single train that was first put into service in 1990. [10]

Characteristics

The 2,850-foot-long (870 m) Thunder Run stands 90 feet (27 m) tall. With a top speed of 53 miles per hour (85 km/h), the ride featured a ride duration of approximately 2 minutes. The ride operates with a single train featuring six cars. Each car seats riders in two rows of two, totalling 24 riders per train. [2] Thunder Run features 70 degree banked turns. [11]

Thunder Run's design was originally intended for Americana Amusement Park. In 1986 John Fetterman presented the design to park manager Ron Berni. Berni contacted Dennis Starkey of Curtis D. Summers's engineering firm. The coaster was never built for Americana and Berni transferred to Kentucky Kingdom in 1989. [12]

The design was later used as the foundation for the International Coasters' roller coaster located at Carowinds and formerly at Kings Dominion named Hurler. [13] [14] [15]

Ride experience

Riders on Thunder Run in 2023 Thunder Run at Kentucky Kingdom 2.jpg
Riders on Thunder Run in 2023

Thunder Run features a double out and back layout. It begins with a left turn out of the station. This leads to the 90-foot-tall (27 m) chain lift hill. Once at the top, riders go down a small dip and along a 180 degree turn to the left. The first drop of 74 feet (23 m)[ citation needed ] leads into a near-ground level 70-degree banked turn to the left. A series of small camelback hills are followed by a turnaround. The train proceeds back towards the station with another hill. This process repeats a second time leading back into the brake run and station. [2] [16]

Reception

In 1993 and 1994, Thunder Run was cited by Amusement Business as the "Most Terrifying Roller Coaster" on a top 10 list. [17] Inside Track magazine ranked Thunder Run as the "fourth best of its kind in the nation." [18] In 2007, the Lexington Herald-Leader described the ride as having "a few nice drops and that jerky, clicking wooden coaster feel that some people love, but it never gets too wild." [19] Tim O'Brien, formerly of Amusement Business, rode the inaugural run of the ride in 1990, as well as the first cycle of the refurbished ride in 2013. O'Brien describes the updated ride as "a better ride today than it was back then," commending the ride's ability to give a classic wooden roller coaster feel, yet run smoothly. He stated Thunder Run "is one of the top wooden roller coasters in the world." [9]

In Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards, Thunder Run has appeared four times between 2001 and 2004. It debuted at position 34 in 2001 before dropping to 49 in 2004. [20] [21]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year2001200220032004
Ranking34 [20] 39 [22] 35 [23] 49 [21]

Mitch Hawker's Wooden Coaster Poll was an annual survey of roller coasters from around the world. [24] In that poll, Thunder Run entered at position 30 in 1994, maintaining an average of 54 for the 17 years that followed. The ride's ranking in subsequent polls is shown in the table below. [25]

Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best wood-Tracked Roller Coaster [25]
Year1994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009
Ranking30564147545053523941484659606486

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wooden roller coaster</span> Type of roller coaster

A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also be made of steel lattice or truss, which has no bearing on a wooden coaster's classification. The type of wood often selected in the construction of wooden coasters worldwide is southern yellow pine, which grows abundantly in the southern United States, due to its density and adherence to different forms of pressure treatment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Custom Coasters International</span>

Custom Coasters International (CCI) was one of the premier wooden roller coaster manufacturers in the world and produced 34 wooden coasters in eleven years — more than any other company in recent times. It was located in West Chester, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hypercoaster</span> Height class for roller coasters

A hypercoaster is a roller coaster with a height or drop measuring at least 200 feet (61 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Lantern (Six Flags Great Adventure)</span> Steel roller coaster

Green Lantern, formerly known as Chang, is a stand-up roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Green Lantern stands 155 feet (47 m) tall and features a top speed of 63 miles per hour (101 km/h). The 4,155-foot-long (1,266 m) ride features five inversions and a duration of approximately 21⁄2 minutes. This steel coaster was designed and built by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Riddler's Revenge</span> Stand-up roller coaster

The Riddler's Revenge is a steel stand-up roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride opened as the park's eleventh roller coaster on April 4, 1998, setting multiple world records among stand-up coasters. Originally located in the Movie District section of the park, which later became Metropolis in 2017, The Riddler's Revenge was also the park's single biggest investment at a cost of $14 million. It features a height of 156 feet (48 m), a maximum speed of 65 mph (105 km/h), six inversions, and a track length of 4,370 feet (1,330 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Toro (Six Flags Great Adventure)</span> Wooden roller coaster

El Toro is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Designed by Werner Stengel and manufactured by Intamin, the ride opened to the public on June 11, 2006. Intamin subcontracted Rocky Mountain Construction to build the ride, and the coaster's track was prefabricated, allowing for quicker installation and lower construction costs. El Toro is the main attraction of the Mexican-themed section of the park, Plaza Del Carnaval. It replaced another roller coaster, Viper, which closed following the 2004 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Comet (Great Escape)</span> Roller coaster

The Comet is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor in Queensbury, New York, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steel Vengeance</span> Roller coaster at Cedar Point

Steel Vengeance, formerly known as Mean Streak, is a steel roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. The roller coaster, originally constructed by Dinn Corporation as a wooden roller coaster, was rebuilt by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) and opened to the public on May 5, 2018. It is a hybrid coaster, using RMC's steel I-Box track and a significant portion of Mean Streak's former support structure. Upon completion, Steel Vengeance set 10 world records, including those for the tallest, fastest, and longest hybrid roller coaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T3 (roller coaster)</span> Defunct roller coaster

T3 (stylized as T3; pronounced "T-three", "T-cubed", or "Terror to the third power") was an inverted roller coaster located at Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky. The Suspended Looping Coaster model manufactured by Vekoma originally opened as T2 on April 8, 1995. Following the amusement park's closure in 2009 due to financial difficulties, the ride sat idle for several years. Under new park ownership, the roller coaster was refurbished and renamed T3, which reopened to the public as T3 on July 3, 2015. The ride closed permanently following the 2022 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Storm Chaser (roller coaster)</span> Steel roller coaster in Kentucky

Storm Chaser is a steel roller coaster located at Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. Designed by Alan Schilke and manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) at an estimated cost of $10 million, the ride opened to the public on April 30, 2016. It features three inversions, a 78-degree drop, and a maximum speed of 52 mph (84 km/h) utilizing RMC's patented I-Box track technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Texas Giant</span> Roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas

New Texas Giant is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas. It originally opened as Texas Giant, which was the tallest wooden coaster in the world when it debuted in 1990. Manufactured by Dinn Corporation and designed by Curtis D. Summers, Texas Giant operated for nearly two decades and was highly-ranked in Amusement Today magazine's annual Golden Ticket Awards. The ride's popularity declined over the years as it gained a negative reputation for increasing roughness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shuttle Loop</span> Steel shuttle roller coaster

Shuttle Loop is a type of steel launched shuttle roller coaster designed by Reinhold Spieldiener of Intamin and manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf. A total of 12 installations were produced between 1977 and 1982. These 12 installations have been located in a total of 22 different amusement parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mack Rides</span> German manufacturer of amusement rides

Mack Rides GmbH & Co KG, also known simply as Mack Rides, is a German company that designs and constructs amusement rides, based in Waldkirch, Baden-Württemberg. It is one of the world's oldest amusement industry suppliers, and builds many types of rides, including flat rides, dark rides, log flumes, tow boat rides and roller coasters. The family that owns Mack Rides also owns Europa-Park.

Dinn Corporation was a roller coaster designing and manufacturing company established in West Chester, Ohio, in 1983 by Charles Dinn. The company is noted for moving and rebuilding several existing wooden coasters and building ten new wooden roller coasters in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunder Striker</span> Steel roller coaster at Carowinds

Thunder Striker, formerly known as Intimidator, is a steel roller coaster located at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Built by Bolliger & Mabillard and located in the Thunder Road section of the park, the ride opened to public on March 27, 2010. It features a 232-foot (71 m) lift hill, a top speed of 75 mph (121 km/h), and a track length of 5,316 feet (1,620 m).

Curtis D. Summers was an American engineer and roller coaster designer credited for designing or providing structural engineering on 25 wooden roller coasters around the world. He earned a degree in Architectural Engineering from Kansas State University and was a registered engineer in 40 states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky Mountain Construction</span> Roller coaster manufacturer

Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) is a manufacturing and construction company based in Hayden, Idaho, United States. The company is best known for its I-Box track and Topper Track for wooden roller coasters. Established in 2001, the company was founded by Fred Grubb and Suanne Dedmon. The company has built over 20 roller coasters. In 2023, amusement ride manufacturer Larson International merged with Rocky Mountain Construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin & Vleminckx</span> Roller coaster manufacturer

Martin & Vleminckx is a roller coaster manufacturing and construction company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with an affiliated office in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, a manufacturing facility in Haines City, Florida, United States, and two subsidiaries, including a warehouse, in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fury 325</span> Steel roller coaster at Carowinds

Fury 325 is a steel roller coaster located at Carowinds amusement park in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, Fury 325 opened to the public on March 28, 2015. It features a 6,602-foot-long (2,012 m) track that reaches a maximum height of 325 feet (99 m), making it the fifth-tallest roller coaster in the world and the tallest overall among roller coasters that use a traditional chain lift hill. Riders experience speeds of up to 95 mph (153 km/h), winding through high-speed curves and passing over and under the park's main entrance. Beginning in 2016, Fury 325 has consistently ranked as the world's best steel coaster in the annual Golden Ticket Awards published by Amusement Today.

This is a list of events and openings related to amusement parks that occurred in 2015. These various lists are not exhaustive.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kleber, John E. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Louisville. University Press of Kentucky. p. 32. ISBN   0-8131-2100-0.
  2. 1 2 3 Marden, Duane. "Thunder Run  (Kentucky Kingdom)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  3. ↑ Fritz, Mark (September 1, 1996). "Thrill-a-Minute Can Mean Spill-a-Minute". Los Angeles Times . Tribune Company. Associated Press . Retrieved September 21, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Retracking". Martin & Vleminckx. Archived from the original on November 25, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Kentucky Kingdom Rejects Lease Park to Close". RCDB. February 4, 2010. Archived from the original on September 8, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  6. ↑ Karman III, John R. (October 22, 2012). "Hart pledges $120M investment to reopen Kentucky Kingdom". Business First . Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  7. ↑ Kentucky Kingdom (July 28, 2013). "Timeline Photos". Facebook. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
  8. ↑ Rocky Mountain Construction (October 11, 2013). "Thunder Run is now running again at..." Facebook. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 Boxley, Mark (October 11, 2013). "Thunder Run at Kentucky Kingdom up and running". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Kentucky Kingdom announces new attractions for 2017".
  11. ↑ "Thunder Run". Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. Archived from the original on November 18, 2007. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  12. ↑ Seifert, Jeffrey (2008). "Dinn and Summers, A Brief Resurgence in Wooden coasters". RollerCoaster! Magazine. 29 (3): 18–27. ISSN   0896-7261.
  13. ↑ Marden, Duane. "International Coasters, Inc". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  14. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Hurler  (Carowinds)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  15. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Hurler  (Kings Dominion)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  16. ↑ "Thunder Run Front Seat on-ride POV Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom". Coaster Force. YouTube. February 9, 2010. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  17. ↑ Dunkin, Zach (July 13, 1995). "Louisville offers zoo, thrill park". The Indianapolis Star . Gannett Company.
  18. ↑ "Kentucky Kingdom Making Waves: Water Attractions Part of Growth at Louisville Park". Lexington Herald-Leader . The McClatchy Company. April 26, 1992.
  19. ↑ "Screeeeeeeeeeam Test". Lexington Herald-Leader . The McClatchy Company. July 27, 2007.
  20. 1 2 "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today : 6B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  21. 1 2 "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today : 14–15B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007.
  22. ↑ "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today : 6B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today : 10–11B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  24. ↑ "Best Roller Coaster Poll". Best Roller Coaster Poll. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
  25. 1 2 Hawker, Mitch. "Wooden Roller Coaster Poll 20 Year Results Table (1994–2013)". Best Roller Coaster Poll. Retrieved August 18, 2013.

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.