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| Manufacturer | Rocky Mountain Construction | ||||||||||
| Product | Topper Track | ||||||||||
| Type | Wooden - Launched - Terrain | ||||||||||
| Riders per train | 24 | ||||||||||
| Propulsion | Chain lift hill (originally LSM lift hill) | ||||||||||
| Height | 80 feet | ||||||||||
| Elevation change | 206 feet | ||||||||||
| Drop | 165 feet | ||||||||||
| Top speed | 73 mph | ||||||||||
| Length | 3800 feet | ||||||||||
| Inversions | 0 | ||||||||||
| Drop angle | 73° | ||||||||||
| G-Force | 3.5 | ||||||||||
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Lightning Rod is a wooden roller coaster located at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, USA. When the ride opened on June 13, 2016, is was the world's first launched wooden coaster and the world's fastest wooden coaster. It was also a prototype launched Topper Track coaster by Rocky Mountain Construction. The launch was replaced when a traditional chain lift in 2024.
History
Lightning Rod was revealed at an event featuring Dolly Parton on August 7, 2015.[1] Shortly before the attraction's scheduled March 19, 2016 opening, it was announced to be delayed due to launch system problems.[2] It started technical rehearsals with guests on May 23, 2016 before officially opening on June 13.[3]
In July 2018, Lightning Rod was shut down for an extended period of time. The ride reopened on October 10 after changes were made to the lead car.[4]
In September 2020, Lightning Rod was closed for the remainder of the year. The following month, during a question-and-answer session at an enthusiasts' event, a park representative revealed that some of Lightning Rod's track would be replaced with steel I-Box Track in an attempt to improve its reliability. The layout was not changed.[5][6] In total, 2,160 feet of the ride's track was replaced with I-Box Track during the refurbishment. The ride reopened for the first time with the new I-Box Track on March 12, 2021.
In September 2023, the park announced the removal of the ride's LSM launch due to consistent reliability issues and downtime. It reopened in 2024 season with a standard chain lift hill.[7]
Design
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Trains
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 are based on hot rods.
Images
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A hot rod model -
The welding shop area in the queue line -
The highest point of the ride -
The over-banked curve -
The final turnaround -
The LSM lift hill -
The station -
The original train -
The train without the lead car
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_2016_02.jpg)
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References
- ↑ "Dollywood To Add World's Fastest Wooden Roller Coaster for 2016 — $22 Million 'Lightning Rod'".
- ↑ "Dollywood's Lightning Rod Opening Delayed". Coaster101. March 16, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ↑ Niles, Robert (June 13, 2016). "Lightning Rod opens officially at Dollywood". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ↑ "Lightning Rod Reopens at Dollywood After Months of Downtime". Coaster101. October 11, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ↑ "Lightning Rod at Dollywood Receiving New Track in 2021". Coaster101. November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ↑ Ozana, Rus (November 14, 2020). "Lightning Rod Update". American Coaster Enthusiasts. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ↑ "Dollywood's Lightning Rod Launch to Become Traditional Chain Lift in 2024". Coaster101. 2023-09-12. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
External links
- Lightning Rod on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
| Fastest wooden roller coaster June 13, 2016 - present | ||
| Preceded by Goliath |
Fastest wooden roller coaster June 13, 2016 - present |
Succeeded by None |
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