Thunderbolt Express

Last updated
Thunderbolt Express
Previously known as Screamin' Demon (1977–?)
Demon (?–1987)
Demon (Kings Island) 1978.jpg
View of Kings Island and the Demon in 1978.
Camden Park
Coordinates 38°23′53″N82°31′47″W / 38.398150°N 82.529620°W / 38.398150; -82.529620 Coordinates: 38°23′53″N82°31′47″W / 38.398150°N 82.529620°W / 38.398150; -82.529620
StatusRemoved
Opening date1988 (1988)
Closing date1999 (1999)
Kings Island
Park section Wild Animal Habitat
Coordinates 39°20′38″N84°16′05″W / 39.344°N 84.268°W / 39.344; -84.268
StatusRemoved
Opening dateApril 16, 1977 (1977-04-16)
Closing date1987 (1987)
Thunderbolt Express at Kings Island at RCDB
Pictures of Thunderbolt Express at Kings Island at RCDB
General statistics
Type Steel  Shuttle
Manufacturer Arrow Dynamics
ModelLaunched Loop
Height56 ft (17 m)
Drop47 ft (14 m)
Length635 ft (194 m)
Speed45 mph (72 km/h)
Inversions 1
Duration1:06
G-force 4
TrainsSingle train with 5 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 20 riders per train.
Thunderbolt Express at RCDB
Pictures of Thunderbolt Express at RCDB

The Thunderbolt Express was a looping shuttle roller coaster located at Camden Park. Originally named Screamin' Demon (and later just Demon) when it operated at Kings Island from 1977 to 1987, the roller coaster was built and designed by Arrow Dynamics. It was sold to Camden Park following the 1987 season, and reopened at its new location in 1988. Following an electrical issue in 1999, the ride was closed indefinitely for a period of time. An announcement surfaced that the ride would reopen in 2002, but the roller coaster was dismantled following the 2004 season and replaced by a miniature golf course.

Contents

History

Anton Schwarzkopf and Intamin co-developed the first shuttle loop design, which opened as King Kobra at Kings Dominion in 1977. [1] A total of six shuttle loop roller coasters opened that same year throughout the United States, including Screamin' Demon at Kings Island. It had the distinction of being the first from Arrow Development to open to the public. [2] Unlike the vertical track used as a reverse point at one end of King Kobra, Arrow used loading platforms on both sides instead. [3] [4]

At the end of the 1987 season, the ride was sold and relocated to Camden Park in West Virginia where it was renamed Thunderbolt Express. [5] It was closed in 1999 after a circuit board malfunctioned and never reopened. It was eventually scrapped in 2004. [6]

Ride experience

After riders board the train in the loading station, they are launched forward into an immediate drop. The propulsion system consists of an electric motor and pulley system. The drop leads into a vertical loop as riders experience a maximum of 4 g. The train exits the loop and ascends to a horizontal section of track similar in length to the loading station's track. After coming to complete stop for a brief moment, the train is launched in reverse to repeat the course and return to the loading station. [3]

Related Research Articles

Wooden roller coaster 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.

Roller coaster inversion Section of inverted track on a roller coaster

A roller coaster inversion is a roller coaster element in which the track turns riders upside-down and then returns them an upright position. Early forms of inversions, dating as far back as 1848 on the Centrifugal Railway in Paris, were vertical loops that were circular in nature. They produced massive g-force that was often dangerous to riders, and as a result, the element eventually became non-existent with the last rides to feature the looping inversions being dismantled during the Great Depression. In 1975, designers from Arrow Development created the corkscrew, reviving interest in the inversion during the modern age of steel roller coasters. Since then, the elements have evolved from simple corkscrews and vertical loops to more complex inversions such as Immelmann loops and cobra rolls. Featuring fourteen inversions, The Smiler at Alton Towers holds the world record for the number of inversions on a roller coaster.

Stand-up roller coaster

A stand-up roller coaster is a roller coaster designed to have the passengers stand through the course of the ride.

Anton Schwarzkopf was a German engineer of amusement rides, and founder of the Schwarzkopf Industries Company, which built numerous amusement rides and large roller coasters for both amusement parks and traveling funfairs.

Shuttle roller coaster Type of roller coaster

A shuttle roller coaster is any roller coaster that ultimately does not make a complete circuit, but rather reverses at some point throughout its course and traverses the same track backwards. These are sometimes referred to as boomerang roller coasters, due to the ubiquity of Vekoma's Boomerang coaster model.

Boomerang (roller coaster) Steel roller coaster

Boomerang is a model of roller coaster manufactured and designed by Vekoma, a Dutch manufacturer. The roller coaster model name is from the hunting implement based on the traditions of the Indigenous Australians. As of December 2021 there are 55 Boomerangs operating.

Demon (roller coaster)

Alternative statas of demon

TOGO Former Japanese amusement ride company

TOGO was a Japanese amusement ride company that built roller coasters, giant wheels, carousels, flumes, dark rides, sky cycles and other amusement rides.

Dominator (roller coaster) Floorless roller coaster at Kings Dominion

Dominator is a floorless roller coaster located at Kings Dominion amusement park in Doswell, Virginia. Built by Bolliger & Mabillard, it originally opened in 2000 as Batman: Knight Flight at Six Flags Ohio in Aurora, Ohio. It obtained its current name when Cedar Fair purchased Geauga Lake in 2004. Following the park's permanent closure in 2007, the roller coaster was relocated to Kings Dominion where it opened in the International Street section of the park on May 24, 2008.

Volcano: The Blast Coaster Defunct roller coaster at Kings Dominion

Volcano: The Blast Coaster, or simply Volcano, was an inverted roller coaster located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. Designed by Werner Stengel, it was the first launched roller coaster manufactured by Intamin and the first of its kind in the world to be inverted. Its launch mechanism was based on linear induction motor (LIM) technology. After a series of delays, Volcano officially opened to the public on August 3, 1998. The ride's soft opening was held two days earlier on August 1. A portion of the ride was enclosed inside a man-made volcano, which previously housed other attractions and was constructed in 1979. Volcano's final year of operation was in 2018, and in the off-season that followed, Kings Dominion made the sudden decision to retire the roller coaster.

Anaconda (roller coaster) Steel roller coaster at Kings Dominion

Anaconda is a steel roller coaster located at Kings Dominion. Built by Arrow Dynamics and designed by Ron Toomer, Anaconda opened in 1991 as the first looping roller coaster to feature an underwater tunnel and the first at Kings Dominion with more than one inversion.

Dimond Back is a Shuttle Loop roller coaster located at Frontier City in Oklahoma City and formerly at Six Flags America in Largo, Maryland as Python and both were previously at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey known as Lightnin' Loops. Manufactured by Arrow Development, the ride opened on May 23, 1978, with a unique feature at the time. Both tracks interlocked at their vertical loop element. The ride's popularity declined in the mid-to-late 1980s, and a fatal incident occurred in 1987. The ride had limited operation when it reopened later that year and was eventually dismantled in 1992.

Shuttle Loop 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.

Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements".

Thunderbolt (Dreamworld)

The Thunderbolt was a steel roller coaster located at the Dreamworld theme park in Gold Coast, Australia. The roller coaster opened with the park in April 1982 and operated until 8 August 2003. It was demolished the following year.

King Cobra (roller coaster)

King Cobra (1984–2001) was a TOGO Stand-up roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. It was the first in the world to be designed from the ground up as a stand-up roller coaster. Other stand-up roller coasters that preceded King Cobra were sit-down models later modified to accommodate stand-up trains.

Invertigo (roller coaster) Dutch designed roller coasters (first 1997)

Invertigo is the name of an inverted shuttle roller coaster model developed and manufactured by Dutch company Vekoma. Four roller coasters based on this model were built, with the first installation opening in 1997 as HangOver at Liseberg amusement park located in Sweden. Three of the four are still in operation. Invertigo is designed as an inverted variation of their traditional Boomerang model, which first appeared in 1984. Invertigo's seat configuration is also a departure from its predecessor, in that riders sit back-to-back, resulting in all rows facing one another with the exception of the first and last.

Impulse roller coaster

An Impulse roller coaster is a form of a launched inverted roller coaster manufactured by Intamin. The first Impulse roller coaster appeared in Japan, and the ride type has since evolved to include four specific layouts, three of these varieties being built in the United States. It uses LIMs to launch a train out of the station and up a vertical spiral. The train then falls backward, is powered again through the station, and heads up a back tower. The train then falls forward, and continues in this fashion for a total of 2½ cycles per ride. On the final forward launch, with a slightly reduced speed, the train is sent up the front tower, and brakes then deploy on the launch track. The train then slows down and heads back into the station.

<i>Mr. Freeze</i> (roller coaster) Launched roller coasters at Six Flags parks

Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast, previously known as Mr. Freeze, is a shuttle roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas and Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri. The steel coasters feature a linear induction motor (LIM) launch system that accelerate riders from 0–70 mph (0–113 km/h) in 3.8 seconds. The two installations are mirror images of one another and are themed to the famous Batman villain Mr. Freeze. Originally, they were themed after the 1997 film Batman & Robin prior to a conversion in 2012 to operate backwards.

Launched Loop (Arrow Dynamics) Steel roller coaster

A Launched Loop is a type of steel launched shuttle roller coaster manufactured by Arrow Dynamics. With 8 different installations, 7 of them being relocated at least once, the ride was introduced in 1977, with the last one opening in 1993.

References

  1. Marden, Duane. "King Kobra  (Kings Dominion)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  2. Marden, Duane. "Demon  (Kings Island)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Rutherford, Scott (2004). "5". The American Roller Coaster. St. Paul, MN: Motorbooks International. p. 117. ISBN   0-7603-1929-4.
  4. Scheinin, Lisa (2007). "100 Moments in Roller Coaster History: The First Launched Coasters — 1977". RollerCoaster! Magazine. 28 (2): 20–21. ISSN   0896-7261.
  5. "Theme Park Timelines". Archived from the original on 2009-04-14. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  6. "Thunderbolt Express: Camden Park" . Retrieved 2010-05-15.