Nemesis

Roller coaster
Click here to watch the on-ride POV
Nemesis
Nemesis (Alton Towers) 2017 01.jpg
Nemesis' vertical loop
Alton Towers
Location Alton, Staffordshire, England, UK
Park section Forbidden Valley
Status Standing but not operating
Operated 19 March 1994 to 6 November 2022
Cost £10,000,000
Rider height 140 cm minimum
Statistics
Manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard
Product Inverted Coaster
Designer / calculations Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH, John Wardley
Type Steel - Inverted - Terrain
Riders per train 32
Hourly capacity 1400
Propulsion Chain lift hill
Height 13 metres
Drop 31.7 metres
Top speed 80.5 km/h
Length 716 metres
Inversions 4
Drop angle 40°
Duration 1:20
G-Force 3.5
HELP
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Nemesis is a steel inverted terrain roller coaster located at Alton Towers in Alton, Staffordshire, England, UK. Built by Bolliger & Mabillard, it opened in 1994 and was the first inverted roller coaster outside of North America. It is also the first Bolliger & Mabillard coaster outside of North America.

History

Nemesis in 1994

There were originally two other plans for Nemesis (called Secret Weapon 1 and Secret Weapon 2). The first was scrapped due to height restrictions and the second was an Arrow Dynamics pipeline roller coaster. John Wardley, designer of Nemesis, rode a prototype but found it to have a lack of energy. This is when Nemesis, or Secret Weapon 3 as it was then known, was designed.

Nemesis opened on 19 March 1994.

The opening in 1994 of The Big One, Nemesis and Shockwave at Drayton Manor resulted in 1994 being celebrated by United Kingdom's parks and fans as the "Year of the Rollercoaster".[1]

In January 2022, Alton Towers submitted plans for renovation works to the local council. This included replacement of the track from the top of the lift hill to the start of the brake run and the replacement of the majority of supports.[2] On 21 September 2022, the park announced that Nemesis would close on 6 November with social media posts reading "By order of the Phalanx, Nemesis is closing. You have until November 6 to ride. Please make your way to Alton Towers Resort in an orderly fashion." Nemesis is expected to reopen in 2024.[3]

Design

Elements

Nemesis features four inversions which twist around the ground, trees and the 'river of blood'. The entire ride is built partially into the ground to keep it below the treeline. Nemesis has a pre-drop, a feature employed by the ride manufacturer to reduce strain on the lift hill.

Colour scheme

When the ride first opened, Nemesis' track was painted an off-cream color and its supports were painted black. When it was repainted in 2016, the track became white with a rust effect.[4]

Trains

2 trains with 8 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 4 across in a single row, for a total of 32 riders per train.

Related rides

A sister roller coaster was built at Thorpe Park, named Nemesis Inferno in 2003, another B&M inverted coaster themed around a volcano. There was also another ride called Nemesis: Sub Terra which was built in 2012. This was an ABC Rides indoor drop tower themed around a military compound owned by the Phalanx, the organisation who captured the Nemesis creature. Many special effects were used, with the drop tower only being a small part of the entire experience. The ride closed in 2015 and currently remains standing but not operating.

Images

References

External links

  • Nemesis on the Roller Coaster DataBase.


Articles on Alton Towers
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