Big Bad Wolf (roller coaster)
| Big Bad Wolf | |
|---|---|
The 99-foot drop over the Rhine River.
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| Busch Gardens Williamsburg | |
| Park section | Oktoberfest |
| Coordinates | 37°14′00.5″N 76°38′41.5″W / 37.233472°N 76.644861°WCoordinates: 37°14′00.5″N 76°38′41.5″W / 37.233472°N 76.644861°W |
| Status | Closed |
| Opening date | June 15, 1984 |
| Closing date | September 7, 2009 |
| Cost | $6,000,000 |
| Replaced by | Verbolten |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Suspended |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics |
| Designer | Ron Toomer |
| Model | Suspended roller coaster |
| Track layout | Terrain |
| Height | 113 ft (34 m) |
| Drop | 99 ft (30 m) |
| Length | 2,800 ft (850 m) |
| Speed | 48 mph (77 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 3:00 |
| G-force | 4.0 |
| Height restriction | 42 in (107 cm) |
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Big Bad Wolf at RCDB Pictures of Big Bad Wolf at RCDB |
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Big Bad Wolf was a suspended roller coaster in the Oktoberfest section of Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Designed by Arrow Dynamics, the roller coaster opened to the public on June 15, 1984. The ride was in service for more than 25 years before closing permanently on September 7, 2009. The footers, queue line, and station were re-purposed for Verbolten, a roller coaster that was introduced in 2012.
Prior to the construction of Big Bad Wolf, Anton Schwarzkopf had designed a prototype ("Flying Coaster") for the park. Even though three-quarters of the new ride had been built, the ride was never completed, and was later completely scrapped. Busch Gardens then handed the contract to Arrow Dynamics, who built the ride known as the Big Bad Wolf.
After the failure of The Bat at Kings Island, Arrow Development/Arrow Huss refined its own suspended roller coaster concept and opened XLR-8 at Six Flags Astroworld in 1984. Big Bad Wolf was supposed to open on March 18, but it got delayed. Despite this, it was completed and opened shortly thereafter in June. XLR-8 continued to operate until the closure of Astroworld in 2005.
On July 24, 2009, it was announced that the Big Bad Wolf would be retired after 25 years of operation. It officially closed on September 7, 2009. The land once occupied by Big Bad Wolf was cleared afterwards to make room for the construction of Verbolten, a new roller coaster that opened at the park in 2012.
While the Drachen Fire roller coaster was in operation from 1992 to 1998, guests waiting in its line queue could view the Big Bad Wolf's village-themed area of the ride, as the pathway was situated nearby and offered a viewing area. Access to the viewing area was closed following Drachen Fire's demise in 1998. The final drop and turns were still visible to guests on the Rhinefield Bridge area of the park, which continues to provide unobstructed views of Verbolten.
Following a safety announcement and recorded departure message, "Thank you and enjoy traveling at the speed of fright!", the ride would start out with two small dips out of the station, turning left then right before ascending the first lift hill. It would then travel down the first drop. The train would then steer its way though a mock Bavarian village, narrowly missing houses and shops. The ride completed three turns, first to the left, then the right, then the left, each of approximately 180 degrees. After the third turn, the ride hit a straight piece of track, then headed towards a helix through a wooded area adjacent to the village.
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Wikipedia