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| Viper and Rolling Thunder in 2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Manufacturer | Togo | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Product | Sit-Down Looping Coaster | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Steel | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Riders per train | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Propulsion | Chain lift hill | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 88.6 feet | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Drop | 85 feet | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Top speed | 48 mph | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 1670 feet | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Inversions | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2:24 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| HELP | |||||||||||||||||||||
Viper was a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, USA. Purchased from Togo's Ohio testing facility, it opened in 1995 and was closed in 2004, then demolished in 2005. The station building is now used by El Toro, an Intamin wooden roller coaster. The ride was located in the Frontier Adventures themed area.
History
In 1990, Six Flags Great Adventure had five roller coasters, but this number had been reduced to three by the end of 1992 due to Six Flags' ride rotation program. The opening of Batman The Ride in 1993 brought the number of roller coasters to four. Due to Ultra Twister being fairly popular, it was decided that Togo would design and manufacture a similar ride for the spot in which Ultra Twister once stood.[1]
In 1993, a prototype sit-down looper was built at Togo's Ohio Testing Facility. Six Flags immediately purchased it and sent it to their Great Adventure park.[2]
The coaster was originally going to be based on the 1992 film Unforgiven starring Clint Eastwood, but the name was considered to be too dark, so Six Flags decided to instead choose Viper for a better name.[2] Six Flags executives requested to put more steel rings on the track to give the ride more of a snake-like appearance.
Construction started in the fall of 1994, and after many delays, Viper opened on June 2, 1995, following a press preview the previous day.[3][4] Viper was situated on a three-acre plot designed to look like a desolate south-western ghost town, where Viper could strike at any moment.[2] The ride had coiled metal around the majority of the track, similar to that of Togo's pipeline roller coasters. The ride was accompanied by a shop known as the "Casa de Viper."
Decline
By 1996, Viper would end up suffering from a plethora of maintenance issues and plummeting guest satisfaction, partly because the ride was purchased directly from a testing facility. As time went on, the coaster would get rough and bumpy. Many riders disliked the lap bar combined with the uncomfortable pull-down restraints and would often set these restraints too low or too high.[citation needed] The ride's popularity began to decline, and lines became shorter. In addition, the ride's steel rings had to be constantly re-welded as the trains put excessive stress on the track. The heartline roll was said to be the only smooth part throughout the whole layout.
In 1998, Viper barely operated, as spare parts were hard to obtain. This was because Togo faced financial problems with Windjammer Surf Racers at Knott's Berry Farm.
Over the years, the ghost town theming's weathered look began to fade away over time, showing the modern building materials used to construct it. In 1999, Medusa, the world's first floorless coaster, opened adjacent to the ride. Viper's reputation could not be improved, despite the foot traffic towards Medusa.
Viper stayed closed for the entire 2001 season, as changes were being made to the ride.[2]
On March 29, 2002, Viper reopened after some modifications on the track and trains. However, the ride continued to be rough, and frequently experienced mechanical issues. It operated with one train during normal operations.
By 2004, Viper was considered to be obsolete among guests. That year, Six Flags could not repair the ride's problems, so the ride closed on Labor Day.
In 2005, Viper was demolished. This was due to fading popularity and large down-times among other reasons. The station building was reused for El Toro and the rest of Viper and its queue line was scrapped.
Design
| Elements |
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Ride experience
As the train moved out of the station, riders made a left turn and headed up the chain lift hill hill. When riders reached the top, the train made a left turn and plunged down an 85 foot drop.[5] Riders were then rolled upside down through a 65 foot dive loop. The train then made a left turn. After this, riders approached a heartline roll. A left turn was followed by the final brake run.
Color scheme
Blue track and supports. The rings where red.
Trains
3 trains with 4 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows, for a total of 16 riders per train. The trains resembled a snake and were colored light-green and orange.
References
- ↑ "A Blast From The Past - Viper At Six Flags Great Adventure". NewsPlusNotes.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Viper". GreatAdventureHistory.
- ↑ "Viper photograph". The Courier-News.
- ↑ Arnold, Laurence (1995-06-02). "Six Flags Great Adventure's Viper roller coaster a rattler". Asbury Park Press. p. 13.
- ↑ "Viper - Six Flags Great Adventure - Roller Coasters".
External links
- Viper on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
- Viper on Coaster-Count.
- Viper on the park's website
