Rampage (roller coaster) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rampage |
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| Alabama Splash Adventure | |
| Location | Alabama Splash Adventure |
| Coordinates | 33°22′45″N 86°59′49″W / 33.37919°N 86.996902°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | May 23, 1998 |
| Cost | $4,300,000 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Wood |
| Manufacturer | Custom Coasters International |
| Designer | Larry Bill, Dennis McNulty |
| Track layout | Terrain twister |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 120 ft (37 m) |
| Drop | 102 ft (31 m) |
| Length | 3,500 ft (1,100 m) |
| Speed | 56 mph (90 km/h) |
| Duration | 2:36 |
| Capacity | 900 riders per hour |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| Rampage at RCDB | |
Rampage is a thrilling wooden roller coaster at Alabama Splash Adventure in Bessemer, Alabama. It was built by Custom Coasters International and first opened on May 23, 1998. In 2014, new owners took over the park. They decided to fix up Rampage, and it reopened for riders in 2015.
How Rampage Was Built
Building Rampage started in the fall of 1997. The coaster's highest point was finished on December 2, 1997. The name Rampage was chosen from a contest in December 1997. A student from Pleasant Grove High School named Eric C. Avery suggested the winning name. Other names like Scorpion's Tail and Jaguar were also popular.
Rampage opened on the same day as the park, VisionLand, on May 23, 1998. People really liked Rampage. In December 1998, it was even called the 3rd best wooden coaster in the world. It was also ranked the 5th best roller coaster overall.
After a great first year, fewer people visited the park. Because of this, Rampage closed for the 2002 season. The park was then sold to a new group called Southland Entertainment. They fixed up Rampage, and it reopened in 2003.
Rampage closed again in 2011 and stayed closed for four years. In 2012, the park was sold, and the new owners focused only on the water park. But in 2014, Koch Family Parks bought the park. They planned to reopen Alabama Splash Adventure with Rampage as a main attraction. The ride officially reopened on May 23, 2015.
Ride Features
Rampage has a lift hill that takes you up 120-foot (37 m). Then, you drop 102-foot (31 m) down! The coaster reaches a top speed of 56-mile-per-hour (90 km/h). The track has 9 crossovers and 13 curves. Building Rampage cost about US$4.3 million. Its design is similar to another wooden coaster called Megafobia in Wales, which was also built by Custom Coasters.
The Trains
Rampage currently uses one train made by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. This train has six cars. Each car can hold four people, so a total of twenty-four riders can go at once.
When Rampage first opened, it had two trains. One was solid blue, and the other was solid maroon. Both had the VisionLand logo on the front. In 2003, when Southland took over, the trains got new paint jobs. The blue train was painted with three shades of blue, getting lighter towards the back. It had airbrushed lightning bolts and a monster eye on the front. The maroon train was painted red, orange, and yellow. It had airbrushed flames and two red monster eyes on the front.
For the 2008 season, the "fire" train was painted solid red. The "lightning" train was painted dark blue. During this time, the park used both trains on busy days for the first time since 2005.
After reopening in 2015, the single train was painted red. It has a red Rampage logo on the front car.
Fun Facts
Rampage opened on the very same day as another roller coaster built by the same company, CCI. That coaster is called Shivering Timbers and it's located at Michigan's Adventure.
