Thunderhead (roller coaster)

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Thunderhead

Thunderhead's logo and two Golden Tickets for the Best Wooden Roller Coaster
Location Dollywood
Park section Timber Canyon (previously Thunderhead Gap)
Type Wood
Status Open
Opened April 3, 2004
Manufacturer Great Coasters International
Designer Mike Boodley
Track layout Twister roller coaster
Lift/launch system chain lift hill
Drop 100 ft (30 m)
Length 3,230 ft (980 m)
Max speed 55 mph (89 km/h)
Inversions 0
Duration 2:30
Cost $7,000,000
Height restriction 4 ft 0 in (120 cm)
Thunderhead at RCDB
Pictures of Thunderhead at RCDB

Thunderhead is a wooden roller coaster located at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The coaster opened on April 3, 2004 in a new section of the park called "Thunderhead Gap". Thunderhead boasts 22 turns, and 32 crossovers [1] The trains are GCI's Millennium Flyers, used in all of GCI's roller coasters since 1999. These articulated trains feature an open front. Thunderhead is the first roller coaster to feature a station-flyby.

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[edit] History

The ride was named after Thunderhead Mountain, a peak within the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park that was heavily logged during the early 20th century. The mountain itself was named "Thunderhead" after a slang term in the American South for Cumulonimbus clouds.

[edit] Rankings

Golden Ticket Awards: Top Wooden Roller Coasters[1][2]
Year 2004 2005 2006 2007
Ranking
6
1
1
2
Mitch Hawker's Internet Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster
Year 2004 2005 2006 2007
Ranking
5
2
7
3
NAPHA Survey: Favorite Wood Roller Coaster[3]
Year 2004 2005 2006 2007
Ranking
4
3

[edit] Construction Data

  • 700,000 board feet of Southern Yellow Pine
  • 3600 yards of concrete
  • 250,000 bolts
  • 2,000,000 screws
  • 185,000 feet of steel rebar[4]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

Coordinates: 35°47′48″N 83°31′55″W / 35.79667, -83.53194

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