Vampire (roller coaster)

Vampire

Vampire's second lift hill and drop.
Chessington World of Adventures
Park section Transylvania
Coordinates 51°20′50″N 0°18′56″W / 51.347279°N 0.315607°W / 51.347279; -0.315607Coordinates: 51°20′50″N 0°18′56″W / 51.347279°N 0.315607°W / 51.347279; -0.315607
Status Operating
Opening date 11 April 1990
General statistics
Type Steel – Suspended
Manufacturer Arrow Dynamics
Designer John Wardley
Model Suspended
Lift/launch system Chain lift
Height 70 ft (21 m)
Length 2,200 ft (670 m)
Speed 45 mph (72 km/h)
Inversions 0
Capacity 1,200 riders per hour
G-force 4
Height restriction 43 in (109 cm)
Fastrack available
Wheelchair accessible
Vampire at RCDB
Pictures of Vampire at RCDB

Vampire is an Arrow suspended swinging roller coaster at Chessington World of Adventures Resort theme park in London, England. It opened in 1990 in the new Transylvania area, and was designed by John Wardley.[1] The ride closed during the 2001 season so it could be modified to use new trains, and reopened in 2002. The ride has a gothic theme, and its station features strong theming, including an animatronic organist.[2]

History

Vampire opened in 1990 in the new Transylvania area at Chessington World of Adventures Resort, and was designed by John Wardley.[1]

Ride station

As Vampire started to age, it suffered from a number of breakdowns and maintenance problems. The manufacturer, Arrow Dynamics, had gone bankrupt since the ride had been built, meaning little could be done to rectify these issues. Vampire was closed for the 2001 season, and at the time this was thought to be permanent. However, instead of removal, the decision was taken to modify the ride so that it could use a new type of suspended coaster train, therefore increasing its popularity.[2] The track was to remain unchanged because modifying this would require planning permission, which was unlikely to be granted. Since the ride consisted of the suspended swinging model, with tight corners, any new trains would also have to be able to swing (reducing lateral Gs). This led to the development of swinging suspended floorless coaster trains, manufactured by Vekoma, which are still in use today. The modified ride opened in 2002, under the same name as the previous incarnation.

Description

Coaster

It originally featured bat-themed trains, which were later replaced with floorless trains. The trains hang from the track, and swing freely as the roller coaster completes the course. It has two lift hills, featuring many dives and turns throughout. Towards the end, the ride has a sudden drop into a sharp banked curve through a tunnel before entering the brake run.

Themes

The ride station is heavily themed as a very gothic abbey, using dim lighting and dramatic music. The queueline takes riders through a graveyard, before heading through a crypt and dark corridor which leads to the loading platform. Of particular note is the animatronic organist within the station which 'plays' a large pipe organ along to the theme music close to entering the loading area.

Gallery

Ride entrance 
Ride station, themed as an abbey, with an organ in the far back 
Animatronic organ player 
Riders in sitting position 
Helix after lift two 

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vampire (roller coaster).

References

  1. 1 2 "Vampire". T-Park. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
  2. 1 2 "Transylvania". ThemeUk.com. Retrieved 2013-10-15.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, December 10, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.