Volcano Write Up Contest

[Clint Novak]

This time we are going to do a write up for Volcano and its very long history. This could include what used to be in the ride building. What pieces are still there. All kinds of fun!

Voting will end 8/5

Adam B

In 1979 Kings Dominion added a series of new attractions in a newly constructed Lost World Mountain, this building was comprised of a steel structure then it was covered with Styrofoam. The complex originally featured 3 rides, Journey to Atlantis, Land of the Dooz, and Time Shaft. All of these rides were either in the mountain or interacted with the mountain.

Journey to Atlantis was a log flume type ride, the ride featured a large drop just to the right of where Volcano’s station is now, and in fact you can still see the old flume track in the water with a ride vehicle. Another ride was the Land of Dooz this ride dispatched from the old station above where Volcano’s station is, when going up Avalanche you can still see the old station. The other ride was Time Shaft this ride was a basic gravitron and was located on the south side of the mountain. The next year the Journey to Atlantis ride was rethemed to Haunted River. Another ride to see a change was the land of Dooz was changed to Smurf Mountain. In the end by 1996 all three of these rides and their different versions had been removed.

This left Kings Dominion with a dormant Styrofoam mountain in the Congo area of the park. On July 22 1997 Kings Dominion (then under Paramount ownership) announced a new coaster would be added into the mountain. The press release states that the ride would be themed to an erupting Volcano. The ride was creatively titled Volcano: the Blast Coaster. The ride was stated to open in Spring of 1998, of course being a prototype it wasn’t even near.

The famous design firms of Intamin AG and Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH collaborated to bring this ride from drawing board to reality. The ride featured two Linear Induction launches. This was a first for a suspended coaster. The ride was also the first full circuit launched coaster. The ride features a launch to 70 mph, 4 inversions, and a twisting bundle of track around the mountain. The trains are arranged into 4 cars which each hold 4 people the hourly capacity is fairly low creating long lines. The ride originally featured 3 trains, but now there are only 2. The ride opened to the public on August 3 1998, due to problems with the Linear Induction Motors. (LIM)When the ride opened they had to chain off rows so it could make it through the course.

The riders enter under an arch at the beginning of Volcano’s queue, they then proceed up a ramp and through a dark tunnel (or cave) they then enter the first set of switchbacks, these are located in the mountain and are rarely used. Then riders cross a bridge into another set of switchbacks above Volcano’s merchandise location. They then enter the mountain they proceed down a ramp and then can choose their row. If wanting to ride in the front riders can wait in an extension queue (which Rose kindly painted for the 2009 season). The riders will then put any loose articles on the cart which an employee brings around.

The riders then board the train; they will hear all clear and creep out the station and around the corner, once the entire train is around the curve the train launches. The riders will the go through a banked turn and into another launch, they will then shoot up a 90 degree angle and into the first inversion the roll out (a corkscrew from vertical) and round the corner into a Heartline Roll, and then they go through two more rolls and dive back into the mountain into the brakes. The riders will then disembark at the special exit platform.



http://www.themeparkinsider.com/news/re ... fm?ID=2675

http://www.rcdb.com/id474.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_Dominion


Brian M

Volcano The Blast Coaster has thrilled both park guests and coaster enthusiasts since opening at the park on August 3, 1998. The park created this attraction to draw people from all over to experience a state of the art ride that used many elements that would be a first for many. The coaster continues to bring in many enthusiasts and guests and has claimed its title as “The World’s fastest suspended looping coaster� with a continuous circuit.

The development for this ride begin in 1996 when Kings Dominion, under Paramount ownership at the time, wanted to develop an attraction that would set a new record for speed and would be the first of its kind. Before Volcano The Blast Coaster was born, the Volcano Mountain was originally named “The Lost World� and was home to four other attractions at the park. The names of these attractions were: Voyage to Atlantis: a log flume ride, Time Shaft: a rotor flat ride, Land of the Dooz: a small roller coaster, Mt. Kilimanjaro: a Bayern Curve flat ride.

Many of the rides were removed throughout the 1980s and the 1990s saw the arrival of new attractions to the mountain. The Land of the Dooz was rethemed to Smurf Mountain, and Voyage to Atlantis became “The Haunted River�. Smurf Mountain was removed in 1993, and the rest of the attractions were removed in 1995 as the mountain sat dormant to plan for the park’s next major attraction, Volcano The Blast Coaster.

Volcano The Blast Coaster was announced in 1997 and was set to bring new life to the Congo section of the park. The ride starts out with riders boarding trains that are suspended below the track. Riders sit in a floorless position with feet dangling below as they accelerate 0-72 mph using LIM technology out of an erupting Volcano at 155ft in the air. Riders then twist through 3 zero-g rolls as they curve around sharp turns and feel the eruption of the Volcano before their eyes. The ride concludes as they plummet down an 80 ft sharp drop into the brakes of the Volcano. Riders can catch their breath at the end saying that this ride is one of a kind and share their experiences with others.

Volcano The Blast Coaster is highly encouraged as a ride for many to ride. The ride has a track length of 2757 ft of twisted steel, sharp curves, and extreme speeds. Volcano The Blast Coaster is located in the Congo section and is the park’s busiest attraction. It is recommended for first time visitors to the park to visit this attraction as soon as the park opens as the line for this ride gets excessively long throughout the day, especially on weekends.

Ride Statistics:
Track Length: 2757ft
Speed: 0-70 mph top speed is 73mph
Designer/Manufacturer: Werner Stengel/Intamin AG
Trains: 2 trains, 16 passengers per train
Inversions: 4 (Sidewinder, 3 zero-g rolls)
F
un Fact: Did you know that Volcano The Blast Coaster has 2 separate LIM systems & the trains were originally designed to carry 8 passengers before being modified to carry 16 passengers.

Information provided by: Wikipedia.org


RockRaider

~ Washingtonian Magazine ranks it the best rollercoaster in the country. And it’s no wonder. Volcano: The Blast Coaster has been thrilling guests at Kings Dominion for nine years. Created by renowned thrill ride designers at Intamin AG in Switzerland, Volcano debuted in 1998 as the world’s “first inverted linear induction motor-launched (LIM) rollercoaster�—featuring the world’s tallest inversion. With over 2,700 feet of track, it is also Kings Dominion’s longest coaster, and for many thrill-seekers, its most exciting, with three zero-gravity, heart-pounding, barrel-roll inversions.

~ Feel the tension build as you slowly creep away from the station and float through a 90-degree bend to the left and over a pool of water. Then, erupt! Fly into the heart of darkness in the rumbling, smoke-spewing Volcano at speeds of over 70 mph. Blast into daylight again, curve around the back of the mountain, and then soar back into the mountain’s pitch-black core. Then, rocket 155 feet straight up and out of the top of the crater through a sidewinder inversion. Next, curve to the front of the mountain for another barrel-role, and top it off with an exhilarating grand finale—an 80-foot plummet into the base of the volcano before pulling back to the station. Head spinning. Heart pounding. Heat rising.

~ One trip on Volcano: The Blast Coaster, and you’ll know why so many call it the quintessential thrill-seeking experience. Feel the rumble. Let the lava flow. It’s smokin’!

~ Status: Operating since 8/3/1998
~ Make / Model: Intamin AG / Suspended Catapult Coaster
~ Designer: Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH
~ Lift / Launch System: LIM

~ Length: 2757'
~ Height: 155'
~ Drop: 80'
~ Inversions: 4
~ Speed: 70 mph
~ Elements: Roll Out, Heartline Roll (Zero−G−Heart Roll), Heartline Roll (Zero−G−Heart Roll), Heartline Roll (Zero−G−Heart Roll)
~ Trains: 3 trains with 4 cars per train. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 16 riders per train.
Riders must be 54" or taller to ride.

~ Fun Fact ~
Volcano got new trains for the 2009 season

[Clint Novak]

We have three write ups turned in!! We have two days left so get to writing!

[KDFAN]

Remeber vote for Adam, I will give you a good ptr from the event.