Big Bad Wolf (roller coaster) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Big Bad Wolf |
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The 99-foot (30 m) drop over the Rhine River.
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| Busch Gardens Williamsburg | |
| Location | Busch Gardens Williamsburg |
| Park section | Oktoberfest |
| Coordinates | 37°14′00.5″N 76°38′41.5″W / 37.233472°N 76.644861°W |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | June 15, 1984 |
| Closing date | September 7, 2009 |
| Cost | $6,000,000 |
| Replaced by | Verbolten |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Suspended |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics |
| Designer | Ron Toomer |
| Model | Suspended roller coaster |
| Track layout | Terrain |
| Height | 113 ft (34 m) |
| Drop | 99 ft (30 m) |
| Length | 2,800 ft (850 m) |
| Speed | 48 mph (77 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 3:00 |
| G-force | 4.0 |
| Height restriction | 42 in (107 cm) |
| Big Bad Wolf at RCDB | |
Big Bad Wolf was a super cool suspended roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg theme park. It was located in the Oktoberfest section of the park. This exciting ride was designed by a company called Arrow Dynamics.
The Big Bad Wolf first opened its tracks to riders on June 15, 1984. It thrilled guests for over 25 years! Sadly, the ride closed for good on September 7, 2009. Some parts of its old area, like the foundations and the line where people waited, were later used for a new roller coaster called Verbolten, which opened in 2012.
Contents
History of the Big Bad Wolf
Before the Big Bad Wolf was built, another roller coaster was planned for the park. It was called "Flying Coaster." About three-quarters of it was built, but it was never finished. The park then decided to work with Arrow Dynamics instead.
Arrow Dynamics had built a similar ride before, called The Bat. That ride had some issues. So, for the Big Bad Wolf, Arrow Dynamics made improvements. They added special banked turns and brakes above the trains. This made the ride much better and smoother.
Building the Ride
On November 10, 1983, Busch Gardens Williamsburg announced their new suspended coaster. They named it Big Bad Wolf. It was set to open in 1984. Another similar ride, XLR-8, was also opening at Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston, Texas around the same time.
The Big Bad Wolf was supposed to open in March. However, there was a small delay. It finally opened in June 1984. The XLR-8 coaster kept running until AstroWorld closed in 2005.
Why the Ride Closed
After 2002, it became harder to find spare parts for the Big Bad Wolf. The company that made it, Arrow Dynamics, had some business problems. Because of this, parts became very expensive.
The ride's exciting twists and turns also caused wear and tear on the trains and track. Keeping the Big Bad Wolf running would have cost millions of dollars. This was too much for the park to handle.
So, on July 24, 2009, the park announced that the Big Bad Wolf would retire. It officially closed on September 7, 2009. The park even donated one of the ride vehicles and some signs to the National Roller Coaster Museum. The area where the Big Bad Wolf stood was then cleared. This made space for the new Verbolten roller coaster, which opened in 2012.
For a while, guests waiting for another ride called Drachen Fire (which operated from 1992 to 1998) could see the Big Bad Wolf's village area. This viewing spot closed when Drachen Fire did. However, you could still see the Big Bad Wolf's final drop from the Rhinefield Bridge. Today, that bridge offers great views of Verbolten.
Ride Experience
Imagine you're about to ride! After a safety message, the train would leave the station. It would go through two small dips, then turn left and right. Next, it would climb the first lift hill. From the top, the train would zoom down the first drop.
The Bavarian Village
The ride would then swing through a pretend Bavarian village. It felt like you were just barely missing the houses and shops! The train made three big turns: left, then right, then left again. After the third turn, it went straight. Then, it zoomed into a helix (a spiral turn) through a wooded area next to the village.
The train would then enter a set of block brakes. These brakes would slow the train down a bit. After the brakes, the train turned right. Then, it started climbing a second lift hill.
The Big Drop
This second lift hill took you high above the park's pretend Rhine River. At the very top, about 100-foot (30 m) up, the ride turned left. Then came the most famous part! The train plunged down an 80-foot (24 m) drop. It felt like you were flying straight towards the river at 48 miles per hour (77 kilometres per hour)! Just before hitting the water, the train swooped sharply to the left, very close to the river.
When the ride first opened, there were mist machines. These made it seem like the train was even closer to the water! These machines were removed in the early 1990s. After the river swoop, the train made a big 180-degree turn upwards and to the right. Then, it went straight, letting the cars swing freely. Finally, a last 180-degree left turn led into the final brake run. This brought riders safely back to the station.
Trains
The Big Bad Wolf used three different trains. Each train had seven cars. Four riders could sit in each car. This meant that 28 people could ride on one train at a time!
Images for kids
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The 99-foot (30 m) drop over the Rhine River.
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Big Bad Wolf's last steep drop. At top, a trim brake was added halfway down this drop during its opening.
