Shockwave (Kings Dominion)

Roller coaster in the United States
Watch the on-ride POV
Shockwave
View of Shockwave
Kings Dominion
Location Doswell, Virginia, USA
Coordinates 37°50′19″N 77°26′41″W / 37.838666°N 77.444657°W / 37.838666; -77.444657
Park section Candy Apple Grove
Status Defunct
Operated March 23, 1986 to August 9, 2015
Cost $4,000,000
Replaced Galaxi
Replaced by Delirium
Statistics
Manufacturer Togo
Type Steel - Stand-Up
Riders per train 24
Hourly capacity 960
Propulsion Chain lift hill
Serial number 003
Height 95 feet
Top speed 50 mph
Length 2231 feet
Inversions 1
Duration 2:00
HELP
Entrance to Shockwave

Shockwave was a steel stand-up roller coaster located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia, USA. It was manufactured by Togo. The ride operated from 1986 to 2015.

History

After the closure of Galaxi in 1983, Kings Dominion hired Togo to build a compact stand-up coaster. Shockwave opened on March 23, 1986 at a cost of $4 million.[1]

The ride was repainted in 2000 in coordination with the park's 25th anniversary.

In 2001, Togo went bankrupt due to a lawsuit with the infamous twin roller coaster Windjammer Surf Racers at California's Knott's Berry Farm. Due to Togo's bankruptcy, replacement parts for Shockwave were harder to find, and the ride's lines were shrinking because of other attractions such as Intimidator 305, Dominator, and, at the time, Volcano The Blast Coaster.[2] On July 9, 2015, Kings Dominion announced that Shockwave would close permanently on August 9, 2015 after serving over 22 million riders.[3] On August 20, 2015, Kings Dominion announced that Shockwave would be replaced in 2016 by Delirium, a Mondial frisbee ride.[4] The ride was demolished for scrap metal in November 2015.[5] Shockwave was the last of three Togo stand-up roller coasters built in the North America to close, and is also the last Togo coaster in the U.S. to close, leaving just one Togo roller coaster in the U.S. left in operation, which is the Big Apple Coaster, a hypercoaster located at New York, New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Shockwave in 2012

Design

Elements

The ride had a vertical loop, the ride's only inversion, followed by a rise into a downward helix. Two airtime hills, separated by a 180 degree turn followed. The ride was very similar to King Cobra, which opened at Kings Island two years prior to Shockwave.

Color scheme

Green track and turquoise supports. The ride opened with blue supports and track, with the rails being yellow.

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.

Incident

On August 23, 1999, a 20-year-old man was killed after he fell from Shockwave. An investigation found that he had partially but intentionally taken off his restraint, and his disregard of the safety rules prompted his death.[6] A further investigation found the restraints to be working properly.

Images

References

  1. "Let the good times roll".
  2. "It's the last weekend for Kings Dominion's Shockwave roller coaster".
  3. Kings Dominion Announces the Retirement of Shockwave - NewsPlusNotes
  4. "Delirium thrill ride to replace Shockwave at Kings Dominion".
  5. "Kings Dominion Shares Shockwave Demolition Photos". NewsPlusNotes.
  6. "Kings Dominion victim partly removed restraint". The News Leader. August 27, 1999. p. 3. Retrieved April 24, 2021.

External links


Articles on Kings Dominion