Greezed Lightnin' (Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom)
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| Manufacturer | Schwarzkopf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Product | Shuttle Loop (Weight Drop) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Designer / calculations | Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Steel - Launched - Shuttle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track layout | Shuttle loop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Riders per train | 28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hourly capacity | 1300 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Propulsion | Weight drop launch from 0 mph - 57 mph in 6 s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 137.8 feet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top speed | 57 mph | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 863 feet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track inversions | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rider inversions | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drop angle | 70° | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 0:38 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Greezed Lightnin' was a Schwarzkopf launched shuttle roller coaster located at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
The ride previously operated at Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Over Georgia. It closed with the park in 2009 and was dismantled in July 2013.
History
The ride originally opened as Tidal Wave at Marriott's Great America in Gurnee, Illinois on May 6, 1978.[1] It was built in the Yankee Harbor area of the park. It closed in 1991 and was subsequently removed to make room for Batman The Ride.
It was then stored at Six Flags Over Mid-America from 1992 to 1994.[2][3]
The ride was later relocated to Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell, Georgia. There, it would be renamed Viper and reopened on April 29, 1995. The coaster was rethemed and featured extensive theming in its queue line including a man-made swamp, landscaping and a crashed jeep.[4] It was the only launched coaster at the park. The attraction closed on September 16, 2001 and was removed to make room for Superman Ultimate Flight. The ride's station remained standing and was used for park storage until 2019. Viper was then moved into storage at the park, remaining throughout the 2002 season.[5]
In November 2002, rumors began circulating that Viper would be rebuilt at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky for the 2003 season.[6] On December 8, 2002, Six Flags confirmed that the ride would reopen as Greezed Lightnin'. Construction was complete by April 2003. To make room for the ride, the Tin Lizzies ride track was shortened.[7][8]
The ride reopened at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom on April 25, 2003.[9]
The ride closed in 2009 along with Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom due to Six Flags' bankruptcy.[10]
When the reopening of Kentucky Kingdom was announced in 2014, it was determined that Greezed Lightnin' would be too costly to repair and reopen. The ride was later dismantled and scrapped in July 2013.[11][12][13] The station building was reused for Lightning Run, which opened in 2014 for the reopening of Kentucky Kingdom.[14] Components of the ride, including the weight drop launch and tower, remain in storage on the park's property.[15]
At Six Flags Great America, a gravestone displayed during Fright Fest pays tribute to the coaster. It reads "was rebuilt in Kentucky... wasn't so lucky".[16]
Design
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Greezed Lightnin' launched from the station to a top speed of 57 mph in a total of 6 seconds. Next, the train traveled through a vertical loop and up a 70° incline. At this point, the ride fell backwards through the entire design and past the station to another incline. After climbing and falling down that incline, the train slowly rolled into the station.
Color scheme
Green track and blue supports. The ride featured sand track and supports when operating at Six Flags Over Georgia, and blue track and supports at Six Flags Great America.
Trains
Single train with 7 cars. In each car, riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows, for a total of 28 riders per train.
Images
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Construction of Greezed Lightnin' -
The entrance sign -
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References
- ↑ "Tidal Wave hits Great America".
- ↑ "Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom Louisville, Kentucky Greezed Lightnin' Construction February 26, 2003". Negative-G.
- ↑ "Six Flags Great America". Theme Park Timelines.
- ↑ "Scream Machine (Nearby Notes)".
- ↑ Using Google Earth Pro's time travel tool, all of the following information can be observed.
- ↑ "Six Flags Parks F - L". Screamscape.
- ↑ "Six Flags Parks F - L". Screamscape.
- ↑ Change visible in historical satellite imagery on Google Earth Pro
- ↑ Kentucky Kingdom gets shuttle loop coaster - Amusement Today (Wayback archive)
- ↑ "Six Flags announces Kentucky Kingdom closure".
- ↑ Jackson, Sarah (2013-07-13). "Coasters coming down at Kentucky Kingdom". WAVE3. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
- ↑ "Kentucky Kingdom". Theme Park Review.
- ↑ "Kentucky Kingdom". Screamscape.
- ↑ "Kentucky Kingdom set to reopen this weekend".
- ↑ CivilianSatellite (2021-08-24). "Keys to the Kingdom 2 - Kentucky Kingdom - So Many Parks 84". YouTube. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ↑ Drabek, Paul B. (2012-10-06). "Six Flags Great America Theme Park". negative-g.com. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
External links
- Greezed Lightnin' on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
- Greezed Lightnin' on Coaster-Count.
- Greezed Lightnin' on sixflags.com.
| Tallest roller coaster tied with King Kobra White Lightnin' 1978 | ||
| Preceded by Giant Coaster |
Tallest roller coaster tied with King Kobra White Lightnin' 1978 |
Succeeded by Montezooma's Revenge |