Corkscrew (Alton Towers)

Watch the on-ride POV
Load video YouTube YouTube might collect personal data. Privacy Policy

Corkscrew

Overview of Corkscrew

Alton Towers
Location	Alton, Staffordshire, England, UK
Coordinates	52°59′05″N 1°53′25″W / 52.984669°N 1.890374°W / 52.984669; -1.890374
Section	Ug Land
Status	Defunct
Operated	4 April 1980 to 9 November 2008
Cost	£1,250,000
Replaced by	Thirteen

Statistics

Manufacturer

Vekoma

Product

Corkscrew with Bayerncurve

Designer / calculations

Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH

Type

Steel

Hourly capacity

1,100

Propulsion

Chain lift hill

Height

22.9 metres

Drop

20.7 metres

Top speed

64.4 km/h

Length

731.5 metres

Inversions

2

Duration

1:15

G-Force

3.1

Rolling stock

Manufacturer

Vekoma (1990s - 2008)
Arrow Dynamics (1980-1990s)

Riders per train

24

Corkscrew was a steel roller coaster located in the Ug Land (now known as Dark Forest) area of Alton Towers in Alton, Staffordshire, England, UK. It was built by Vekoma and opened on 4 April 1980. Corkscrew was the first roller coaster at Alton Towers and the full-circuit roller coaster in the United Kingdom with two inversions.

History

Corkscrew opened on 4 April 1980, to much publicity. It was the first roller coaster at the park. During the first few months of operation, 5-6 hour waits were common, often forcing the park to close early to avoid being swamped by guests. In 1999, the ride was re-themed to fit in with the prehistoric theme of Ug Land.

At some point in the 1990s, the original trains (built by Arrow Dynamics) were replaced with new ones from Vekoma. In 2008, Alton Towers confirmed that the Corkscrew was to be dismantled to make way for the 2010 roller coaster Thirteen (then named Secret Weapon 6). Corkscrew closed on 9 November 2008, after a special event to honour the attraction.^[1]

When the Corkscrew was taken down, the double corkscrew inversions were retained. They were repainted blue with gold supports and now stand at the front of the park with a plaque to honor the ride.^[2] The front car from one of the trains was listed on eBay to raise money for charity and sold on 15 December 2008 for £7,200.^[3] The rest of the trains were sent to Heide Park for their Big Loop roller coaster. The remaining material was scrapped.

Design

Elements
Chain lift hill Twisted hill Double corkscrew Twisted hill Helix

The 'Bayerncurve' mentioned in the product name is essentially a helix which winds up and down as it turns.

Color scheme

Yellow track and green supports.

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. Corkscrew had a transfer track which could store one of the trains.

Incident

On 24 June 2001, the train stalled and failed to complete its circuit, stranding 28 riders 10 to 12 feet off the ground. All riders were brought down by ladder within 90 minutes.^[4]