King Cobra

Roller coaster in the United States
Watch the on-ride POV
King Cobra
Kings Island
Location Mason, Ohio, USA
Coordinates 39°20′42″N 84°15′57″W / 39.345070°N 84.265950°W / 39.345070; -84.265950
Park section Paramount Action Zone
Status Defunct
Operated April 22, 1984 to November 5, 2001
Cost $3,000,000 USD
Rider height 54 inch minimum
Replaced by Delirium
Statistics
Manufacturer Togo
Type Steel - Stand-Up
Riders per train 24
Hourly capacity 1250
Propulsion Chain lift hill
Height 95 feet
Drop 90 feet
Top speed 50 mph
Length 2219 feet
Inversions 1
Drop angle 53°
Duration 2:00
HELP

King Cobra was a steel stand-up roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, USA. Built by Togo, the ride operated from 1984 to 2001.[1]

History

King Cobra was announced in February 1983.[2] A prototype stand-up coaster was fully built and tested at Togo's facility in Japan. It was then disassembled, relocated to Kings Island, and constructed. King Cobra opened on April 22, 1984.[3] It was the first Togo roller coaster in the United States.

Like Shockwave at Kings Dominion, King Cobra started with a single drop which led into the ride's only inversion, a vertical loop, with the rest of the layout consisting of bunny hills, a downwards helix, twists, and turns.

King Cobra was temporarily closed on August 24, 1999 following an accident on Shockwave at Kings Dominion.[4]

After Togo shut their American offices down in 2001, replacement parts for King Cobra became much more scarce.[5] The ride also became uncomfortable and less popular towards the end of its service life.[6] The ride was closed that same year. After sitting in storage for a few years, it was scrapped in December 2006. The trains were originally stored inside the Flight of Fear ride building and briefly used as Halloween props, but were later relocated to Kings Dominion for use as spare parts on Shockwave.[7]

Design

Elements

Color scheme

Green track with yellow rails 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. The trains were painted green and had black restraints.

Incident

On August 8, 1984, less than four months after the coaster's opening, a train derailed, injuring eight people.[8] The incident was blamed on defective parts, and King Cobra reopened in early September following the parts' replacements.[9]

Images

References

  1. "A Blast From The Past – Kings Island's King Cobra". NewsPlusNotes.
  2. "Standing room only". The Cincinnati Post. 1983-02-22. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  3. "Kings Island opens new coaster, Park issues challenge". The Marion Star. 1984-06-17. p. 34. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
  4. "Kings Island shuts down second ride indefinitely". Dayton Daily News. August 25, 1999. p. 14. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  5. "Top 10 retired Kings Island rides we'll miss the most on National Roller Coaster Day".
  6. Kings Island 2
  7. "Kings Island History Twitter post". 2020-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  8. "5 Inspectors From Japan Check Cobra". The Cincinnati Enquirer. 1984-08-11. p. 31. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
  9. "1984 Was a Good Year for Kings Island, Despite Cobra Incident". The Star Press. 1984-09-09. p. 34. Retrieved 2021-10-24.

External links


Articles on Kings Island