Gold Rush (Family Park)
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| Manufacturer | Zierer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Product | Four Man Bob | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Designer / calculations | Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Steel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Riders per train | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hourly capacity | 520 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Propulsion | Tire propelled lift Chain lift hill | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6.5 metres | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Inversions | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gold Rush is a steel roller coaster built by German manufacturer Zierer currently located at Family Park in Monts, Centre-Val de Loire, France.
History
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The ride debuted under German travelling showman Ludewigt in 1975. For the 1983 season the ride moved to Traumlandpark, although this may have been on loan from Ludewigt. It operated for a relatively short time at the park, closing following an accident in June 1983.
At the end of the 1983 season the ride was acquired by John Broome who opened it at his relatively new venture at Trentham Gardens in Staffordshire as 4 Man Bob for the 1984 season. The ride had red track with white supports.
Following the discovery of subsidence at Trentham Gardens, the ride (along with a number of others) was relocated to Alton Towers. It opened from 1985 to 1990 and was located in the 'Talbot Street' section of the park and was replaced by the Tri-Star.
The ride was relocated to Pleasure Island Family Theme Park as Four Man Bob. It operated there from 1993 to 1995 and was later replaced by the Crazy Loop.
The ride was relocated to Flamingo Land as Flying Trapeze. It opened in 1996 replacing the Century 2000. On 12 August 2001, Flamingo Land confirmed that the ride was being removed after the season. It closed in November 2001 and was subsequently replaced by the Cliff Hanger as part of the new Professor Bubbles Seaside Adventure area.[1]
After it was removed, Bembom Rides purchased this ride from Flamingo Land and completely overhauled it. The electric systems were entirely renewed, and brought up to date by Gerstlauer of Germany, the brake system was sent back to Zierer to be revamped at their workshop and the track and supports were completely revamped, blasted and painted brown. This brought them back to factory condition. The cars were stripped down, refurbished and rebuilt to resemble a Mine Cart. A new safety lap-bar system was also added. After this, the ride was subjected to strict tests and examinations by TUV and considered safe.
The ride subsequently operated at Grove Land as Thunderbolt from July 2002 to 2003.[2][3] The ride was originally announced to open as Tornado in April 2002, but this was later changed.
The ride was relocated to Loudoun Castle where it lay in storage until 2009. It was then setup and operated as Gold Rush during 2010, but the park closed permanently at the end of the season in September 2010.[4] Gold Rush would be put up for sale. It would remain in situ following its closure, awaiting a buyer. The ride would remain standing but not operating until 2017 when a buyer was found.
The ride was sold to Family Park in France and reopened on 1 July 2020, retaining the Gold Rush name.
Design
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Colour scheme
Light brown track and dark brown supports.
Trains
Single cars. Riders are arranged inline in 3 rows, for a total of 3 riders per car.
Incident
On 6 July 2020 at around 11am, a 63-year-old park employee was struck and killed while working on the roller coaster.[5]
References
- ↑ "Flamingo Land to Remove Roller Coaster". Joyland Books.
- ↑ "Grove Land". South Wales Guardian. 1 August 2002. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ↑ "Tornado Roller Coaster to Open in Wales in 2002". Joyland Books. 2002-04-29. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
- ↑ "Loudoun Castle – end of an era". Park World.
- ↑ "Sorigny : un employé décède dans un accident survenu à Family Park". La Nouvelle Republic.
External links
- Images of the ride on NFCA Digital.
- Gold Rush on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
