User:Hmich176/Hersheypark/Roller coasters

This is a list of roller coasters at Hersheypark.

Cocoa Cruiser

Cocoa Cruiser
Hersheypark
Location	Hersheypark
Park section	Founder's Way
Status	Operating
Opening date	2014
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Zamperla
Track layout	Kiddie roller coaster
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height restriction	36 in (91 cm)
Cocoa Cruiser at RCDB

Cocoa Cruiser is a steel kiddie roller coaster at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Founder's Way section of Hersheypark, next to Fender Bender and Music Box Theatre. Built in 2014 by Zamperla, the coaster features a figure-eight design.

History

Cocoa Cruiser was announced in December 2013, and opened in May 2014. This is Hersheypark's second kiddie coaster. The first was Mini-Comet, which operated in the park from 1974 until 1978.

Comet

Comet
The Comet as seen from the since removed Giant Wheel
Hersheypark
Location	Hersheypark
Park section	The Hollow
Status	Operating
Opening date	1946
General statistics
Type	Wood
Manufacturer	Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters
Designer	Herbert Paul Schmeck
Track layout	Double Out and Back
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	85 ft (26 m)
Drop	90 ft (27 m)
Length	3,360 ft (1,020 m)
Speed	50 mph (80 km/h)
Duration	1:45
Max vertical angle	45°
Capacity	950 riders per hour
Height restriction	42 in (107 cm)
Comet at RCDB

The Comet is a wooden roller coaster at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Hollow section of Hersheypark, next to Skyrush. Built in 1946 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the coaster features a double out and back track layout. When built it was jointly owned by Hershey Park and PTC.

History

• In 1964, The Comet received 6,650 individual 10-watt chaser lights.
• In 1994, The Comet received 2 new trains. They are named "Mork's Comet" and "Hally's Comet". One of the old trains is currently used as seating at the Hershey Museum, and the other was donated to ACE.
• In 2006, during the park's off-season, The Comet was re-tracked.
• In 2008, during the park's off-season, new seat belts were added.
• In 2012, during the park's off-season, Comet was repainted the same color white, and the station was redone.
• In 2014, during the park's off-season, the lift hill was rehabilitated and straightened removing the well known "kink" that was in the lift hill.

Ride experience

The Comet goes up an 97 foot lift, and then drops 96 feet at 47°. After the first drop the train goes up a hill and then makes a left 180 degree turn, drops back down another hill, goes up a small hill, and then up a larger hill, making another 180 degree turn. After the turn, there is another drop and then the track makes a right turn ("dog leg"), going through several bunny hills before another left 180 degree turn. Following the second set of bunny hills is a left turn, two bunny hills and the then the train slows into the station.

As is typical, the train usually sits for a few moments before coming around into the station because of an extra set of brakes that served as an unloading point until the Comet was renovated to how it is operated.

Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit's logo and lift hill
Hersheypark
Location	Hersheypark
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 24, 2008
Cost	US $12,100,000
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Intamin
Model	Vertical Lift Coaster
Lift/launch system	Vertical chain lift
Height	121 ft (37 m)
Length	2,700 ft (820 m)
Speed	58 mph (93 km/h)
Inversions	6
Duration	1:25
Max vertical angle	97°
Capacity	850 riders per hour
Height restriction	54 in (137 cm)
Fahrenheit at RCDB

Fahrenheit is a steel roller coaster at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Pioneer Frontier section of the park, just across from the entrance to the Boardwalk. The ride features six inversions and opened on May 24, 2008, replacing the Western Chute-Out water slide complex. The coaster's first drop is at 97 degrees, making it the second steepest in the United States behind Steel Hawg at Indiana Beach.

In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), Fahrenheit is dubbed Fearenheit.

History

Fahrenheit was announced in a Hersheypark press release on September 27, 2007. The ride is the 11th roller coaster and was one of two new attractions for the 2008 season.

Viral marketing campaign

Fahrenheit was the first ever roller coaster to gather hype through a viral marketing campaign. The campaign started as a post on coaster website ThrillNetwork.com regarding the sight of businessmen in the general area of where Fahrenheit is going to be built.

At first, the ride was planned for an announcement on October 2, 2007. A sign was seen on the side of the wooden structure for the Western Chute-Out slide the ride would replace. Not long after the teaser was shown, a web design company named "Nantimi" was uncovered. Curiously, the name of the company was an anagram of Intamin, a roller coaster design firm. Nantimi supposedly had just announced that they would be creating a website to promote Hershey's new attraction, and revealing the price of the attraction, $12.1 million. Two days later, it was discovered that the log-in window on the Nantimi site had a username and password written in it. Using it to log in, logos for a ride called "Tsunami" were discovered.

Soon after, it was found that the Nantimi website was registered through web hosting company Go Daddy, and through it, an address to Nantimi's supposed headquarters was found. Putting the address into online map software, it was discovered that this supposed headquarters was in the middle of an open field with no nearby buildings except a farm. In early September, it was discovered by looking through the Nantimi website a link saying "them.travelled/thRu", that led to a page with a letter that claimed that the materials designed by Nantimi would be ready by September 26, 2007, "for the following day's announcement". An e-mail address was then discovered. Eventually, another e-mail address was discovered, and when e-mailed, provided a response in binary, providing another e-mail address.

After an e-mail was sent to this address, a reply arrived revealing a new announcement date, September 27, 2007, along with saying that those playing the Alternate Reality Game would receive the announcement on September 26, 2007. Later, by re-arranging the letters of the phrase "them.travelled/thRu" a location on the Nantimi site was discovered at the URL, where an animated GIF flashing between several pictures was discovered. These pictures included pictures of the Western Chute-Out slides, a section of track of the style used by Intamin, and a picture of the ride's layout.

Sometime later, someone e-mailed Hersheypark asking if they had any connection to Nantimi. In the reply, Hershey confirmed the September 27, 2007, announcement date. The same day, Nantimi hired a new employee, a web security developer named Donan Michael. The announcement of the hiring included information that on his favorite colors (silver and orange), and that Donan was a specialist in base64 encoding. That day, a new teaser page was posted on the Hersheypark website, confirming the September 27 announcement date once again. Two days later, coaster enthusiast website Coasterdom managed to get an interview with an employee of Nantimi. The interview contained a reference to "nanatomic" a member of another coaster website, Theme Park Review.

The same day the interview was posted, a hint, "s & o are the key" and a puzzle featuring an image of what appeared to be roller coaster track was found. Later that day, yet another e-Mail address was uncovered, and when contacted, replied with more binary, that when translated led to another address. That night, the puzzle was completely solved, revealing a shot of part of the ride. Also that night, sing the information that Donan was a specialist in base64 encoding, and his favorite colors, silver and orange, someone thought to encode the phrase "silver and gold" in base64, revealing another URL, which provided a black and white image of the Western Chute-Out slides, that was also the GIF animation that the puzzle was found in.

A few days later, 25 people across several coaster related sites began to get messages about "Phase 10". These e-Mails requested that the people the message had sent to them provide their name, birthday, and e-mail address. The next day, a picture of one of the supposed employees of Nantimi meeting with Sandor Kernacs, president of Intamin was discovered. The next day, the ones who had received the messages began getting e-mails containing small square pictures with the subject "25" and text saying "You are one. Play nice.". It was quickly discovered the squares were pieces of a puzzle, and the puzzle started being assembled soon after. Then, a location on the Nantimi website was discovered that contained a list of threads relating to Hersheypark's 2008 ride on several popular coaster enthusiast forums. Soon after a blog supposedly by Nantimi employee Martin Tinley surfaced.

The next day, a supposed beta video of the new attraction was posted on coaster forum Theme Park Review, however it was revealed after a few days to be a hoax created by a coaster enthusiast who wanted to stop people believing in the game. The same day the video was revealed to be false, a sale listing for the Western Chute-Out slides was discovered on the website of "Rides4U" a company dedicated to selling amusement rides. Although there were little to no hints from Nantimi for several days, after Nantimi resumed sending out the square pieces, the entire right hand side of the puzzle was completed by the morning of September 25. It was also discovered that the left hand side of the picture had been flipped upside down. When flipped the right way, even more of the ride was revealed.

The same day, Nantimi hired another employee, Natalie Vegan. Curiously, her first name and last initial were identical to the member "nanatomic" on the Theme Park Review forums who had previously been referenced in Coasterdom's Nantimi interview. When an e-mail was sent to Natalie's address, a reply was received, strangely from another Nantimi employee, Luke Nanavati, Nantimi's CEO. This e-mail also included the phrase "GottenBaklavaCompulsion..". The puzzle was then completed on the afternoon of that day, September 25. The next day, the "GottenBaklavaCompulsion.." phrase was deciphered, revealing the blog of Luke Nanavati. Later that day, Donan revealed that for those who played the game and received the puzzle pieces, the announcement would arrive at 11:11 PM that night.

That afternoon, a color picture taken in the coaster simulation game NoLimits surfaced. The picture depicted the ride's inverted loop element as well as one of the Corkscrew inversions. At 11:11 PM, as promised, the 25 who received the puzzle pieces received user names and passwords to log into the Nantimi website and view computer generated footage of the ride. However, someone soon managed to access the video without logging in. The video was deleted soon after this incident. Also, shortly after the 25 received their puzzle pieces, 11 of the 25 players were invited to be the first riders on Fahrenheit during opening day in May. At noon on September 27, along with the announcement of the ride, Fahrenheit, Hersheypark confirmed that they were behind the game. According to a press release put out by the park, the Nantimi website attracted more than 34,000 hits from 47 states and 28 countries.

Naming

Fahrenheit is the unit of temperature most commonly used in the United States. The name works with the high degree drop (97) of the first hill. Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, was stated as an inspiration for the name of the ride by one of the four men who had helped create the ride.

Track layout

Described as a "vertical lift inverted loop coaster", Fahrenheit features a 121 foot vertical lift as well as six inversions, airtime hills and high speed banked curves, cobra roll, including a record breaking 97-degree drop on the first hill. Storm Runner at Hersheypark has a 90 degree drop, the previous steepest at Hersheypark.

Ride experience

The coaster train exits the station and makes a 135 degree right turn. The train then climbs the vertical lift hill of 121 feet. Cresting the hill riders face down directly at the ground and fall into the 97 degree drop. At the bottom of the drop is an on-ride camera. The train then ascends into a rare Norwegian loop. At entrance into the Norwegian loop, the train rolls to the left and dives through a half loop down to the ground. The train soars up and rolls out to the left as it exits the Norwegian loop. Upon exit, the train dives down and to the left into a two inversion cobra roll, an element that returns riders in the same direction the train enters. Following the cobra roll the train rolls into two consecutive corkscrews and a banked turn to the right through the lift hill. Exiting the turn the train flies over a small airtime hill and through a wide low to the ground left banked turn up into a slanted downward final brake run. The train then makes another 135 degree turn back into the station concluding the 85 second ride on Fahrenheit.

Gallery

• 
  Fahrenheit's lift and drop
• 
  Fahrenheit's lift
• 
  Fahrenheit's drop
• 
  Fahrenheit's drop
• 
  Fahrenheit's drop
• 
  Fahrenheit's drop
• 
  Fahrenheit's drop
• 
  Fahrenheit's Norwegian Loop
• 
  Fahrenheit's Norwegian Loop
• 
  Fahrenheit's Norwegian Loop
• 
  Fahrenheit's Norwegian Loop
• 
  Fahrenheit's Norwegian Loop
• 
  Fahrenheit's Norwegian Loop
• 
  Fahrenheit's barrel roll
• 
  Fahrenheit's cobra roll
• 
  Fahrenheit's corkscrew
• 
  Fahrenheit's banked turns
• 
  Fahrenheit's corkscrew and other elements

Great Bear

Great Bear
Great Bear's straight segment before its corkscrew
Hersheypark
Location	Hersheypark
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 23, 1998
Cost	$13,000,000 USD
General statistics
Type	Steel – Inverted
Manufacturer	Bolliger & Mabillard
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Inverted Coaster
Lift/launch system	Chain Lift
Height	90 ft (27 m)
Drop	124 ft (38 m)
Length	2,800 ft (850 m)
Speed	61 mph (98 km/h)
Inversions	4 (Vertical Loop, Immelmann Loop, Zero-G Roll, Corkscrew)
Duration	2:55
Capacity	1300 riders per hour
Height restriction	54 in (137 cm)
Great Bear at RCDB

Great Bear is a roller coaster located at Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania. It was built by Bolliger & Mabillard during the winter of 1997 and opened for the 1998 season. It is located in the Kissing Tower Hill section of the park, uphill from SooperDooperLooper, and across from the Kissing Tower. Because of the coaster's unique custom design, as well as other factors including the terrain, Spring Creek, and proximity of noted attractions such as the SooperDooperLooper, the coaster was one of B&M's most difficult installations. Also, due to the lack of sand in the supports, the coaster makes a loud roaring sound like a bear.

Hershey Park was not allowed to have supports built into Spring Creek, resulting in unusual support designs not often seen on Bolliger & Mabillard coasters.

In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), the Great Bear is dubbed the Great Scare.

Ride experience

Riders exit the station and climb a 90-foot (27 m) hill. Unique to Great Bear, there is a helix immediately after the lift, swinging riders around into the 124-foot (38 m) drop into Comet Hollow. After the drop, train enters a loop, followed immediately by an Immelmann loop, and then going into a zero-g roll. Riders continue through Comet Hollow over midway areas, making a sharp turn over Spring Creek. After a short straightaway, the train goes into a corkscrew, and then up a hill with two wide turns. For the 2014 season, the on-ride camera's location was changed to just after the corkscrew inversion, on the same pole that houses the on-ride camera for SooperDooperLooper. The train then enters a short brake run; after the brake-run, riders return to the station. Great Bear was the first inverted looping coaster in Pennsylvania.

• 
  Great Bear's full layout from the air
• 
  Great Bear's pre-drop helix (360-degree turn)
• 
  Great Bear's first drop
• 
  Great Bear's first drop, loop, and Immelmann (second inversion)
• 
  Great Bear's loop (first inversion).
• 
  Great Bear's Immelmann
• 
  Great Bear's zero-g roll (third inversion)

Lightning Racer

Lightning Racer
Hersheypark
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 13, 2000 (2000-05-13)
General Statistics
Type	Wood – Racing – Dueling
Manufacturer	Great Coasters International
Model	Racing roller coaster
Lift/launch system	Chain
	Lightning (Red)	Thunder (Green)
Height	92 ft (28.0 m)	92 ft (28.0 m)
Drop	90 ft (27.4 m)	90 ft (27.4 m)
Length	3,393 ft (1,034.2 m)	3,393 ft (1,034.2 m)
Speed	51 mph (82.1 km/h)	51 mph (82.1 km/h)
Inversions	0	0
Duration	2:20	2:20
Max vertical angle	45°	45°
G-force	3.6	3.6
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)
Lightning Racer at RCDB Pictures of Lightning Racer at RCDB

Lighting Racer is a wooden roller coaster located at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Midway America section of the park. Built by Great Coasters International in 2000, it was the first wooden racing and dueling roller coaster.

The ride

The ride makes use of GCI's Millennium Flyer articulated trains for a smooth and comfortable ride. During the ride's first two years in operation, the park played recordings for the winning train, which sometimes included local celebrity voices. While fans of the ride may have a particular side (Thunder/Green, or Lightning/Red) they enjoy more, both sides travel through the same elements, although at different times. Speed is affected not only by weight on the train, but by weather conditions (rain, temperature, etc.), maintenance, the lifts' speeds, and placement of riders on train. Like most GCI coasters, both sides of the Lightning Racer's first drops curve as a way to decrease the chances of nausea, and both coasters contain an on-ride camera, located in the tunnel midway through the ride.

In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), Thunder and Lightning are renamed Mischief and Mayhem, respectively. The ride is also dubbed "Wicked Racer" for the occasion.

Additional information

Lightning Racer is in the Midway America section of the park. It is the most popular attraction in that section, often dispatching full trains on the average day. Despite this, wait times for the ride often do not exceed fifteen to twenty minutes when both trains are running on each track due to high capacity and ease of dispatch. If only one train is operating on each track wait times can reach up to one hour.

When Lightning Racer opened, it was the second GCI coaster to open at Hersheypark after Wildcat, making it the only park in the world to have two GCI coasters.

During its initial season and several seasons thereafter, the ride featured Creed's hit "Higher" as its theme song.

Awards

Lightning Racer is consistently voted a top 25 wooden roller coaster by Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards.

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters

Year	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Ranking	–	13	11	7	10	9	10	10	9	12	10	11	11	9	11

Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster
Year	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Ranking	19	24	22	23	23	25	32	32	30	31	34	31	35

Note: Mitch Hawker's poll lists Lightning Racer as two separate coasters (for the Lightning and Thunder sides). Every year the poll has been run, Lightning has received a higher ranking. The results above are for Lightning.

Sidewinder

Sidewinder
Half of Sidewinder's Cobra Roll
Hersheypark
Location	Hersheypark
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 11, 1991
General statistics
Type	Steel – Shuttle – Boomerang
Manufacturer	Vekoma
Model	Boomerang
Lift/launch system	Cable and Chain lift hill on both towers
Height	116.5 ft (35.5 m)
Length	935 ft (285 m)
Speed	47 mph (76 km/h)
Inversions	6 (3 forward, 3 backward)
Duration	1:48
Capacity	760 riders per hour
G-force	5.2
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)
Sidewinder at RCDB

Sidewinder is a steel roller coaster located at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Pioneer Frontier section of the park, right across from Storm Runner. While the coaster itself is a standard Vekoma Boomerang, this installation is notable because it was the first Vekoma Boomarang to use Vekoma trains (previous Boomerangs used Arrow trains). For the 2011 season, the Sidewinder's trains were replaced with Vekoma's modern trains, similar to the train on Carowinds' Carolina Cobra. This ride was also the first coaster installed in the park in 14 years since the SooperDooperLooper in 1977.

With a total of 3 loops in the ride's structure, and the fact that the ride operates in both directions, a single ride involves riders being turned upside down 6 times.

In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), Sidewinder is dubbed Scarewinder.

History

Sidewinder was built on a former catering area. This moved to the area that at the time was occupied by Kaptain Kid's Kove, and became Trailblazer's catering pavilion.

Ride Experience

The ride begins with riders being pulled backwards out of the station up a hill by a cable winch. At the top of the hill, the train is released, and speeds through the station and goes through the ride's three inversions, including a cobra roll and a vertical loop. The train goes up a second lift hill and, when it reaches the top, the lift disengages, and the train falls backwards through the inversions, pressing about 5 G's of force on riders (especially in the loop) before it returns to the station. It can be noted that due to the wear of the ride, riders will experience a very rough time as the train passes through the cobra roll forwards and backwards. The over-the-head restraints have been designed with special padding on the sides to prevent any injury to the neck, however it is inevitable that riders will slam their necks into the restraints during the ride.

• 
  Sidewinder's dual incline spike towers
• 
  Sidewinder's dual incline spike towers
• 
  Half (end of) of Sidewinder's cobra roll
• 
  Sidewinder's loop

Skyrush

Skyrush
Hersheypark
Location	Hersheypark
Park section	The Hollow
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 26, 2012 (2012-05-26)
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Intamin
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Wing Coaster
Track layout	Twister
Lift/launch system	Cable
Height	212.6 ft (64.8 m)
Length	3,600 ft (1,100 m)
Speed	75 mph (121 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	1:03
Max vertical angle	85°
Capacity	1350 riders per hour
Height restriction	54 in (137 cm)
Skyrush at RCDB

Skyrush is an Intamin prototype Wing Coaster with winged seating at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. It opened to the general public on May 26, 2012.

Skyrush is Hersheypark's 12th roller coaster, and its third coaster made by Intamin. Skyrush features a 212-foot (65 m) cable lift (measured to the creek floor) that raises the train at a 17-mile-per-hour (27 km/h) rate. Skyrush has a yellow track and light blue support columns. Skyrush's trains are the first of their type in the world. Each train weighs 13 tons. In each car, two seats are positioned over the track and two seats hang over the sides of the track, inspiring Skyrush's tagline "Ride the Edge". Skyrush's top speed is 76-mile-per-hour (122 km/h). The ride achieves a maximum of 5 g just at the bottom of the first drop. The ride's highest negative g-force is -2 g on the second airtime hill. The coaster is located in The Hollow section of Hersheypark, next to the Comet. In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), the ride is dubbed "Scarerush."

History

The attraction was proposed to Derry Township on August 17, 2010. The attraction was described as reaching a maximum height of 212.6-foot (64.8 m) . In a subsequent meeting, the park shared a potential blueprint of a roller coaster.

Preceding the announcement of the ride, Hersheypark engaged in a viral marketing campaign to promote the attraction (called "Project 2012" - see the sections below). The campaign released concepts about the attraction in a series of clues, though none of the officially confirmed. However, certain things came out from governmental sources, due to the attraction's interaction with Spring Creek, a creek that runs through the park. It includes work in and around the creek, the mentioned diagram, as well as a potential name of the ride, Skyrush.

Part of Skyrush's track

Skyrush was announced on August 2, 2011, in the Comet Hollow section of Hersheypark, approximately where the station of the ride will be. An on-board POV video of the ride was shown, as well the announcement of the name, Skyrush. The ride will reach a maximum height of 212 feet (65 m), drop 200 feet (61 m), reach speeds of approximately 75 miles per hour (121 km/h), with a 3,720-foot (1,130 m) long track. The coaster will have trains that are of extended width of the traditional 2-across Intamin trains with two additional seats that hang off the width of the chassis, allowing guests to "ride on the edge." The other two Intamin coasters in the park: Fahrenheit and Stormrunner, have the two across trains. Each train weighs 13 tons when empty.

By August 15, 2011, bright goldenrod painted pieces of single and double spine Intamin track began to appear at the park for the coaster's construction. Then in December 2011, the park added a webcam of the ride construction on their official website to allow park fans and roller coaster enthusiasts to watch the progress.

On May 2, 2012, Hersheypark began testing Skyrush with water dummies and opened Skyrush to the public on May 26, 2012, attracting many more guests than usual at Hersheypark.

Skyrush closed early in the 2012 season due to a maintenance issue and stood standing but not operating (SBNO). The ride reopened April 6, 2013.

Project 2012 campaign

Further information: Project 2012 (Hersheypark)

Hersheypark's marketing department had a viral campaign called Project 2012 in coordination with the announcement of Skyrush. The game began in October 2010 and concluded in August 2011, shortly after the ride's announcement.

Awards

Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters

Year	2012	2013	2014
Ranking	42	26	26

Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best steel-Tracked Roller Coaster
Year	2012	2013
Ranking	7	5

See also

• 2012 in amusement parks

sooperdooperLooper

SooperDooperLooper
Sooperdooperlooper's train cresting over a hill
Hersheypark
Location	Hersheypark
Status	Operating
Opening date	July 4, 1977
Cost	$3 million
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Anton Schwarzkopf
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Terrain Coaster
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	75 ft (23 m)
Drop	70 ft (21 m)
Length	2,614 ft (797 m)
Speed	45 mph (72 km/h)
Inversions	1
Duration	1:30
Capacity	1175 riders per hour
G-force	5,000
Height restriction	42 in (107 cm)
SooperDooperLooper at RCDB

The SooperDooperLooper is a ride at Hersheypark. It was designed as a terrain coaster by Werner Stengel, and built by Anton Schwarzkopf.

Elements

• Vertical loop
• 165-foot (50 m) tunnel
• Double-up

Rider experience

SooperDooperLooper's inversion

The train leaves the station and immediately makes a slight right turn before proceeding up the lift hill. At the top of the lift hill, the train makes a 180 degree left turn with a small dip, descends a long gentle drop, then enters a nearly-circular loop. It then makes a long, ascending sweeping left turn that travels through the middle of the loop. Next, it traverses a gentle right curve which includes a short tunnel. The ride concludes with a series of bunny hills and a 540-degree right-hand helix. The trains on the SooperDooperLooper seat 2 riders in each row, with each individual rider having their own locking lap bar to hold them in place. This design differs from most other looping roller coasters because it lacks an over-the-head restraint. The tunnel that occurs part-way through the ride used to house a mechanical spider prop that would drop down towards the train. The ride opened with three trains, but due to low ridership currently runs with only two.

Additional information

The ride was considered a "walk-on" by enthusiasts due to lines normally not exceeding 2–3 minutes, until the ride received two new trains in the year 2012.

SooperDooperLooper is located in the Hollow section of the park, across from Skyrush.

In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), the SooperDooperLooper is dubbed the SooperBOOperLooper.

For the 2012 season the original Schwarzkopf trains were replaced by trains manufactured by Gerstlauer. The trains were installed by Ride Entertainment Group, who handles all of Gerstlauer's operations in the Western Hemisphere. The brakes were also replaced with a magnetic braking system.

An On-Ride Photo was installed prior to the 2014 season.

Storm Runner

Storm Runner
File:Storm Runner (Logo).JPG Laser Snake Horse on Fire
Hersheypark
Location	Hersheypark
Park section	Pioneer Frontier
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 8, 2004
Cost	$12,500,000 USD
General statistics
Type	Steel – Launched
Manufacturer	Intamin
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Accelerator Coaster
Track layout	Custom
Lift/launch system	Hydraulic Launch
Height	150 ft (46 m)
Drop	180 ft (55 m)
Length	2,600 ft (790 m)
Speed	75 mph (121 km/h)
Inversions	3 (Immelman, Heartline Roll, Snake Dive)
Duration	0:50-0:60 seconds
Max vertical angle	90°
Capacity	1200 riders per hour
Acceleration	0 − 72 mph (116 km/h) in 2 seconds
G-force	4.2
Height restriction	54 in (137 cm)
Storm Runner at RCDB

Storm Runner is an Intamin-built steel launched roller coaster at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Pioneer Frontier section of the park, right across from Sidewinder and above the Trailblazer. It was constructed in 2004 and was the third Intamin Accelerator Coaster. It reaches a height of 150 ft (46 m) and catapults riders from 0 to 72 mph (116 km/h) in 2 seconds. It features a top hat and three inversions, a dual loading station and a magnetic braking system. It was built to interact with three other Hersheypark rides: the Dry Gulch Railroad, the Monorail, and the Trailblazer.

Storm Runner is the first accelerator coaster to utilize over-the-shoulder restraints and the first to have a dual-loading station with switch tracks. Likewise, it was also the first accelerator coaster to feature inversions; Kanonen at Liseberg was the second.

When Storm Runner first opened in 2004, the queue line would often be extended with ropes due to the ride's popularity. In 2005, the park added an overflow queue line located next to the Trailblazer's first drop.

In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), Stormrunner is dubbed Ghost Runner.

Ride experience

As the train leaves the station, it moves slowly onto the launch platform. As it is rolling to its launch, a pre-recorded sound of a heartbeat is heard, and after a few seconds, the trains rolls back as the magnetic brakes drop and riders hear a voice saying "Now get ready, here we go", then the train launches from 0–72 mph in 2 seconds (just when the voice says the word "go"). Riders are photographed by the on-ride camera a short way down the launch track. In 2004 during the wait, riders would listen to a heartbeat then a countdown from five before hearing the voice. After traveling down the take-off runway and hitting a speed of 72 mph, the train climbs straight up the 150-foot-tall "top hat" element providing some airtime, and back down again, dropping 180 feet, reaching the top speed of 75 mph down the side of a hill leading down toward Spring Creek. The train next climbs and rolls left through the first-ever "Cobra Loop". The train then speeds up and into a straight-line barrel roll which then leads to the first-ever "Flying Snake Dive" which consists of a heartline roll followed by a half Immelman roll that makes a vertical plunge back down toward Spring Creek. The train shoots back up and to within 10 feet under the park's Monorail track, over a portion of the TrailBlazer, quickly twists to the left and to the right, then back above the treetops for one last dose of airtime. The train hits the magnetic brakes at fast speed, jerking riders forward, and then slowly glides back into the station. The duration of the ride is 34 seconds from launch to the brakes.

Launch system

To launch the trains, Storm Runner utilizes a system invented by Intamin that launches the trains using hydraulics. This system is similar to the propulsion on a locomotive wheel except it doesn't spin completely. The inner diameter of the wheel is attached to the hydraulic actuator and the outer radius of the wheel is then attached to the launch mechanism. The outer diameter of the wheel amplifies the energy output from the slow actuator stroke creating a high speed launch in a matter of seconds. A pusher car is attached to the launch mechanism and the train attaches to this pusher car prior to launch. Once the train reaches the end of the launch area, the pusher car disengages and gravity does the rest.

The launch track features magnetic brake fins. These slow down the car if the launch is unsuccessful (also known as a rollback). Storm Runner does not have a very tall top hat like Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka, and usually does not have a problem clearing it. After a successful (although slightly rocky) first season, the ride's launch system is generally considered reliable.

Storm Runner is also a coaster available for construction in the video game RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 with the Soaked! expansion pack.

Gallery

• 
  Launch section
• 
  Top hat
• 
  First drop off the top hat
• 
  Cobra Loop
• 
  Dive Loop from another angle
• 
  Zero G Roll and Flying snake dive
• 
  Twist finale before brakes

Trailblazer

Trailblazer
Trailblazer's entrance
Hersheypark
Location	Hersheypark
Park section	Pioneer Frontier
Status	Operating
Opening date	1974
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Arrow Dynamics
Model	Mine train
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	50 ft (15 m)
Length	1,600 ft (490 m)
Speed	45 mph (72 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	1:15
Capacity	1125 riders per hour
Height restriction	36 in (91 cm)
Trailblazer at RCDB

Trailblazer is a family roller coaster at Hersheypark amusement park in Hershey, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Pioneer Frontier section of Hersheypark, just below Storm Runner. The ride is notable for being the second-oldest operating coaster in the park, after the Comet, and for its family-friendly height requirement of 36 inches and above with an adult.

Description

The coaster reaches speeds of up to 45 mph, and features a helix that circles 4 times. The mid-course brake zone is nearly level with Storm Runner, and the queue for that ride extends inside Trailblazer's first drop.

History

According to a 1974 Souvenir book printed before the coaster was finalized, the ride was supposed to feature two lifts.

The ride received two brand new trains in 2003 built by Premier Rides. The main difference is the new cars had individual lap bars for each seat, rather than the single "t-bar" lap bars for each pair of seats.

Wild Mouse

Wild Mouse
Full layout
Hersheypark
Location	Hersheypark
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 8, 1999
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Mack Rides
Designer	Corbin Stengal
Model	Compact Wild Mouse
Track layout	Wild mouse
Lift/launch system	Chain
Height	45 ft (14 m)
Length	1,213 ft (370 m)
Speed	28 mph (45 km/h)
Duration	1:58
Capacity	835 riders per hour
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)
Wild Mouse at RCDB

Wild Mouse is a steel roller coaster located in Hersheypark designed by MACK Rides, Germany, in 1999. It is located in the Midway America section of Hersheypark, right across from the Wildcat. Riders are placed in single carts on a thin track. The ride frequently makes sharp turns, giving riders the illusion they are about to fall off the track. When this occurs the riders are jerked as they turn.

In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), the Wild Mouse is dubbed Mouse Stew.

Hersheypark usually runs their Wild Mouse with very little braking on the upper level, loading slow-moving cars in the station, and allows four adults per car. By comparison, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom's Wild Mouse is run with more brake pressure, cars stop to load in the station, and the park allows a two-adult restriction. Despite these differences, and the different manufacturers, the ride layout of these two Wild Mouse coasters are nearly identical (designed by Werner Stengel). The Wild Mouse features an on-ride camera during one of the drops.

Wild Mouse's curves

Wildcat

Wildcat
Wildcat's first drop
Hersheypark
Location	Hersheypark
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 26, 1996
Cost	US$5,000,000
General statistics
Type	Wood
Manufacturer	Great Coasters International
Designer	Clair Hain and Mike Boodley
Height	106 ft (32 m)
Drop	85 ft (26 m)
Length	3,183 ft (970 m)
Speed	50 mph (80 km/h)
G-force	3.5
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)
Wildcat at RCDB

Wildcat is a wooden roller coaster located at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The coaster opened on May 26, 1996, as the anchor attraction of the Midway America section of the park. Wildcat was the first coaster built by Great Coasters International, and initially ran with trains built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company until 2007 when they were replaced with GCI's Millennium Flyer trains.

History

The ride was named after Wild Cat (Hersheypark), Hersheypark's first roller coaster, which operated from 1923-1945.

Ride experience

Like many other GCI coasters, Wildcat contains a curved first drop to reduce chances of nausea. There is an on-ride camera located towards the end of the ride prior to the final brake run.

Characteristics

The ride was known for being extremely rough and painful while operating with the original trains. After the ride was retrofitted with Millennium Flyer trains, guests and enthusiasts alike noticed that the ride was less painful but retained its original roughness.

The Wildcat is located on a relatively large hill, causing it to appear much higher than it is in reality.

In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), the Wildcat is dubbed the Scaredycat.

Rankings

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters

Year	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Ranking	11	12	17	22	25	28	28	32	43	38	45	45	-	-	-	-	-

Images

• 
  Wildcat's lift, drop,and large twister segment
• 
  Wildcat from the Kissing Tower

External links

• Official Fahrenheit website
• Video of the Opening Day of Fahrenheit
• Trailblazer's page at www.hersheypark.com
• Trailblazer's listing on the Roller Coaster Database