Drachen Fire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Drachen Fire was a roller coaster at Busch Gardens Europe. Opened in 1992, it stood 150 feet tall and had a top speed of 60 mph. Though it was known as rough and uncomfortable to ride, it is nonetheless regarded by coaster enthusiasts as one of the most missed attractions at any theme park.
| Drachen Fire | |
| Location | Busch Gardens Europe |
|---|---|
| Park section | Current Black Forest site |
| Type | Steel |
| Status | Demolished |
| Opened | April 4, 1992 |
| Closed | July 11, 1998 |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics |
| Designer | Ron Toomer |
| Model | Custom Looping |
| Track layout | custom |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 150 ft (46 m) |
| Drop | 140 ft (43 m) |
| Length | 3,550 ft (1,080 m) |
| Max speed | 60 mph (97 km/h) |
| Inversions | 6 (1992-1994) 5 (1994-July 11,1998) |
| Duration | 1:46 |
| Cost | $4,000,000 USD |
| Acceleration | no launch |
| Max g-force | 3.7 |
| Height restriction | 4 ft 0 in (120 cm) |
| Drachen Fire at RCDB Pictures of Drachen Fire at RCDB |
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[edit] History
Rumors suggested that initially, Drachen Fire was to be a Bolliger and Mabillard creation [1], although verification of this has never been established by the park itself. It is said that Busch Entertainment had contacted the young company to build two sit-down coasters at its Busch Gardens parks in Virginia and Florida. However, B&M was busy creating two stand-up coasters for Paramount Parks (one at Great America and the other at Carowinds) and preparing to debut its first inverted coaster, Batman: the Ride at Six Flags Great America. They could deliver on their coaster for Busch Gardens Tampa (that coaster, Kumba, opened in 1993), but not for its Williamsburg sister park. Busch understood and instead handed the contract for the Williamsburg coaster to Arrow Dynamics; the concept given to the company by B&M was unlike anything Arrow had done to date. This, however, could have just been attributed to the design evolution of Arrow Dynamics. One particular problem the company faced was designing the vertical loop to wrap around the lift hill—an element B&M would use in designing Kumba. Also, the layout proposed by Arrow was much too large and therefore they tried to incorporate everything into it in a smaller layout design. When Drachen Fire was completed it had six inversions, including several unique elements: a wraparound corkscrew midway into the first hill (first), a Batwing (more commonly referred to as a cobra roll [2] -- second and third), and a cutback (fifth). Two corkscrews, the fourth and sixth inversions, completed the inversion count.
Officially, Arrow Dynamics was contracted to build a multi-inversion coaster that featured many inversions and elements unique to anything they've done in the past. Whether or not this was due to a supposed previous contract with B&M that resulted in that company performing much of the design work or just the result of a long standing design/fabrication firm attempting something new is at this point unknown for sure. However, one thing that may tip this coaster off as originally being a design for B&M is the use of the cobra roll inversion. Drachen Fire was the only Arrow Dynamics roller coaster to feature this inversion that is seen on many B&M coasters, most notably Kumba at Busch Gardens Africa. Another possible tipoff is that the corkscrews seemed to interlock—an element that B&M would use for Kumba and many other coasters built after it. The ride also had support layout that was very similar to those on B&M coasters, a change from the style that Arrow Dynamics typically used.
[edit] The Problems
From day one, Drachen Fire had numerous problems that resulted in low ridership. First, its trains were a new, more streamlined body style that made for a more uncomfortable ride than the older, standard trains. Instead of giving riders freedom of movement, the new trains boxed them in as tightly as possible. Second, Arrow designed the coaster using the center of the train as the center of gravity. In sharp contrast, B & M coasters placed the center of gravity on the riders’ hearts. Also, the coaster was placed in the back of the park with few attractions to lead people to it.
Because of complaints of roughness, the first corkscrew (inversion #4), which immediately followed the block brake, was removed after the 1994 season. Drachen Fire continued to operate without incident until it mysteriously closed July 11, 1998. According to Larry Giles, Head Engineer of the park, Drachen Fire continually failed to pass their standards on G-force limits, thus leading to the ride's ultimate closure. For the remainder of that season and for the next three seasons, it lay dormant as the park attempted—without success—to sell the coaster. During the coaster's “Standing But Not Operating” status, the park had no signs marking the ride's location. Its entrance was blocked off from the walkways and the coaster itself erased from maps and brochures. Before—Drachen Fire is at the far left (1997) After (2001)
Another problem that plagued Drachen Fire were the transitions between elements. Arrow Dynamics (and Vekoma) are known for awkward transitions between track elements which usually deliver a rough ride to its riders. For example, the track may take a tight, banked turn and due to the design of the trains wheel assemblies, the wheels won't touch the track at all times, causing the train to shake while on the track. The upstop wheels on Arrow (and Vekoma) trains usually don't touch the track unless the train is traveling through an inversion and going upside down. The margin of error in constructing track segments was much greater when Drachen Fire was designed and manufactured than today's standards. This is due to lack of computers that allow for precise measurements and calculations.
A train was traveling on the track on Opening Day of 2001, testing the ride to decide whether or not to re-open it for the 2002 season, as well as raising many people's hopes about the possibility of opening with the rest of the park. It was never re-opened. In February 2002, the coaster was torn down and its steel melted. The area where the ride was is now called Festhaus Park, and now hosts major concerts. Drachen Fire's loading station and train storage house are still used today for Howl-O-Scream as an area named "The NeverAfter" featuring "Grimm Hollows: Deadtime Stories," "Tormented Tales," and "The Beaten Path." The Beaten Path does not use the two buildings, but rather is a path through the area where the coaster once stood.
[edit] External links
- History of Amusement Parks: Drachen Fire
- Original test run POV video of Drachen Fire in the Theme Park Review forums. (Requires free registration)
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