Nemesis

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roller coaster
Nemesis
Nemesis' vertical loop.
Alton Towers Location Alton, Staffordshire, England, UK Park section Forbidden Valley Status Operating since March 19, 1994 Cost aprox. £10,000,000
Statistics
Manufacturer	Bolliger & Mabillard
Designer / calculations	John Wardley
Type	Steel - Inverted
Model / product	Inverted Coaster
Riders per train	32
Hourly capacity	1,400
Propulsion	Chain lift hill
Height42 feet Drop104 feet Top speed50 mph Length2,349 feet Inversions4 Steepest drop40° Duration1:20 G-force4G
HELP

Nemesis is a steel inverted roller coaster located at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England, UK. Built by Bolliger & Mabillard, it opened in 1994 and was the first inverted roller coaster outside of North America.

Design

Elements
Corkscrew Zero-g roll Vertical loop Corkscrew

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

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.

Trivia

The opening in 1994 of Big One, Nemesis and Shock Wave at Drayton Manor resulted in 1994 being celebrated by UK parks and fans as the "Year of the Rollercoaster".

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 a 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.

A sister roller coaster was built at Thorpe Park, named Nemesis Inferno, another B&M inverted coaster themed around a volcano. There is also another ride, called Nemesis: Sub Terra built in 2012. This is an ABC rides dark tower drop themed around the Nemesis creature's egg. Many special effects are used, with the tower drop element only being a small part of the entire experience.

Reception

Golden Ticket Awards: Best Steel Coaster
Year	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Ranking	14	19	18	7	17	16	16	14	13	20	18	12	16	20

Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Steel
Year	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	Ref.
Ranking	{{{1994}}}	{{{1995}}}	{{{1996}}}	{{{1997}}}	{{{1998}}}	5	No poll	5	9	6	9	4	3	6	6	7	5	No poll	12	9	{{{2014}}}
{{{track2}}}	{{{1994-2}}}	{{{1995-2}}}	{{{1996-2}}}	{{{1997-2}}}	{{{1998-2}}}	{{{1999-2}}}	{{{2000-2}}}	{{{2001-2}}}	{{{2002-2}}}	{{{2003-2}}}	{{{2004-2}}}	{{{2005-2}}}	{{{2006-2}}}	{{{2007-2}}}	{{{2008-2}}}	{{{2009-2}}}	{{{2010-2}}}	No poll	{{{2012-2}}}	{{{2013-2}}}	{{{2014-2}}}

Gallery

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  A heavily-banked curve.

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  The train topping the zero-g roll.