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| Overview of Corkscrew | |||||||||||||||
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| 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 | ||||||||||||||
| Rolling stock | |||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Vekoma (1990s - 2008) Arrow Dynamics (1980-1990s) | ||||||||||||||
| Riders per train | 24 | ||||||||||||||
| HELP | |||||||||||||||
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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 full-circuit roller coaster in the United Kingdom with two inversions and the first major attraction at the park. The ride was the park's first roller coaster as well.
History
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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 ceased operation on 9 November 2008, after a special event to honor 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 ride's remaining material was scrapped.
Design
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The 'Bayerncurve' mentioned in the model 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.
Images
The Corkscrew, honored at the park entrance
The start of the double-corkscrew element
Corkscrew in 1993
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References
- ↑ "All aboard for the last Corkscrew". https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/oct/26/alton-towers-corkscrew.
- ↑ "We track down the iconic roller coasters of Alton Towers from yesteryear". https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/track-down-iconic-roller-coasters-17107547.
- ↑ "Alton Towers Resort auctions Corkscrew carriage on eBay". https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/alton-towers-resort-auctions-corkscrew-236565.
External links
| The category Corkscrew (Alton Towers) contains additional media. |
- Corkscrew on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
| Articles on Alton Towers | |||||||||
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