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| Builder | Dinn Corporation | ||||||||||||||
| Designer / calculations | Curtis D. Summers | ||||||||||||||
| Type | Wooden - Terrain | ||||||||||||||
| Propulsion | Chain lift hill | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 95 feet | ||||||||||||||
| Drop | 151 feet | ||||||||||||||
| Top speed | 65 mph | ||||||||||||||
| Length | 4000 feet | ||||||||||||||
| Inversions | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Drop angle | 55° | ||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2:15 | ||||||||||||||
| G-Force | 2.9 | ||||||||||||||
| Rolling stock | |||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters | ||||||||||||||
| Riders per train | 24 | ||||||||||||||
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Hercules was a wooden roller coaster located at Dorney Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA. It operated from May 6, 1989 to September 1, 2003. The ride was built by Dinn Corporation and designed by Curtis D. Summers.
History
On July 15, 1988, Dorney Park announced that they would be installing a new wooden roller coaster.[1]
When Hercules opened on May 6, 1989, it was advertised as being the "World's Tallest Wooden Roller Coaster". This was not true, but it did have the tallest drop on a wooden roller coaster.[2] Following the opening of Mean Streak at Cedar Point in May 1991, Dorney Park disputed Cedar Point's claim that Mean Streak had the tallest drop on a wooden roller coaster. The park claimed that Hercules had a 157 foot tall drop, 2 feet taller than Mean Streak's. Designer Curtis D. Summers subsequently said Hercules' drop was actually 151 feet tall and thus Mean Streak would indeed have the tallest drop on a wooden roller coaster at 155 feet when it opened in 1991.[3]
The ride closed September 1, 2003 after years of dwindling popularity, and guests surveys showed the coaster to be the lowest rated in the park.[4] Hercules also stretched to the park's boundaries, which sometimes annoyed the nearby neighbors. Deconstruction began in November of 2003, and by 2004, the coaster was all gone. However, five concrete footers can be seen in the lake as of right now, where its scenic banked turn once sat.[5]
In Greek mythology, Hercules slays the beast Hydra. However, Hydra The Revenge, a Bolliger & Mabillard floorless roller coaster replaced Hercules in 2005.[6]
Design
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The ride had a terrain track layout.
Trains
2 trains with 6 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows, for a total of 24 riders per train. The trains were built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Inc.
References
- ↑ "Dorney Park's new coaster 'major-league thrill machine'". Pottsville Republican.
- ↑ A Blast From The Past - Dorney's Hercules - NewsPlusNotes
- ↑ "Travel". The Morning Call.
- ↑ Dorney To Replace Hercules - Coaster Globe (Wayback Archive)
- ↑ "Hercules Photo Blog". Dorney Park.
- ↑ "Wild roller coaster will be Dorney's newest ride ** While not the park's fastest or steepest, Hydra will have many twists and turns".
External links
- Hercules on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
| Tallest wooden roller coaster drop May 1989 - May 1991 | ||
| Preceded by American Eagle |
Tallest wooden roller coaster drop May 1989 - May 1991 |
Succeeded by Mean Streak |
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