Scorpion Express facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Scorpion Express |
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| Previously known as Runaway Train | |
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| Chessington World of Adventures | |
| Location | Chessington World of Adventures |
| Park section | Mexicana |
| Coordinates | 51°20′58″N 0°19′05″W / 51.349435°N 0.318012°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | 7 June 1987 as Runaway Train 19 March 2014 as Scorpion Express |
| Cost | GB£300,000 (equivalent to £608,129 in 2021) |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Powered |
| Manufacturer | Mack Rides |
| Model | Blauer Enzian |
| Height | 4.7 m (15 ft) |
| Length | 259 m (850 ft) |
| Speed | 22.4 mph (36.0 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 105 seconds |
| Capacity | 700 riders per hour |
| Height restriction | 90 cm (2 ft 11 in) |
| Trains | Single train with 10 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 40 riders per train. |
 Fastrack available |
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 Wheelchair accessible |
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| Scorpion Express at RCDB | |
Scorpion Express (originally called Runaway Train) is an exciting mine train themed roller coaster. You can find it at Chessington World of Adventures in Greater London, England. It first opened with the theme park way back in 1987 as the Runaway Train. The original ride closed in 2012 for a big update. It then reopened on March 14, 2014, with the same track but a brand new name and cool new look. Scorpion Express is set in a small mining village and features an awesome moving metal scorpion!
Contents
The Story of Scorpion Express
This fun family coaster was built by a company called Mack Rides. It opened as the Runaway Train in 1987 and ran for over twenty-five years. The ride had an Old Western theme. It featured a detailed area and queue line, mostly designed by John Wardley. Guests would travel above buildings, around a lake, and even into a small mine.
The coaster was first designed to go in and out of a cave. This cave covered half the track and hid much of the ride's structure. It made the area look like a rocky landscape. However, because it was built to be somewhat temporary and wasn't kept up over the years, the cave was removed in late 2012. The ride then closed for a while.
In 2013, the area around the Runaway Train was blocked off. Signs said the ride would be "Re-launching in 2014." During the park's closed season, the moving scorpion was put in place. It took 208 hours to build it off-site! During this time, all the old cave design, landscaping, and theme features were removed. Now, the track is completely out in the open, and the queue line is on flat ground.
The ride was finished in time for the park's Annual Passholder Preview Days. It had a "soft opening" then. The ride officially launched on Wednesday, March 19, after some small changes and theme adjustments.
How Scorpion Express Was Advertised
During the park's February Half-Term event, called African Adventures, adverts for the ride appeared. They were on large billboards at the zoo entrance and on the back of park maps. At the same time, a mini-website for the ride was launched. It showed concept art for the attraction and other details. It was also announced that the ride would have fire, water, and smoke effects, plus the moving scorpion.
Days after the ride's soft opening, TV adverts for the attraction were shown across British television. Other media stunts, like newspaper articles about the ride, also appeared. Interestingly, none of the video used in the Scorpion Express TV adverts was from the actual ride. Instead, they used shots of a bigger family coaster from Heide Park and computer-made clips to advertise it.
Scorpion Express got mixed reactions after it launched in 2014. This was mainly because its new theme seemed less detailed than the original design. However, it remained a popular family attraction, just as it had been since it first opened in 1987.
What to Expect on Scorpion Express
The ride's story is about a town called Scorpion Valley. The story says that scorpions have taken over the town after an explosion caused the gold mine to collapse. All the people living there supposedly ran away. According to text and posters in the queue line, the Town Governor left behind a giant, mechanical, steam-powered scorpion. It's made from scrap metal from the explosion. Its job is to guard the gold from anyone trying to steal it!
The Queue Line
The new ride in the Mexicana area starts with a long, winding queue line. At the beginning, you can hear a radio station playing in the background. Notices from the Governor of Scorpion Valley are pinned up in the queue. These signs tell you the ride's exciting backstory. Riders then enter a dark, mine-themed building where you can see live scorpions! After exiting this building, riders go over a bridge before arriving at the station where they board the train.
The Ride Experience
The ride takes guests on a train journey through an abandoned mining town. You'll travel across deserts and get close to the mine itself. It features moving scenery, smoke, fire, and water effects. To ride, you need to be at least 90 cm tall. Guests with a torso larger than 51 inches cannot ride. Riders under 110 cm must be with a person aged 16 or older. The track layout is a basic figure-of-8 loop with a straight section at the back. It has several helixes, which are spiral turns. Some of these go over and under the queue line, which winds around the ride. The ride usually goes around the circuit at least two times, and sometimes more on quieter days. A photo of you on the ride is taken just before the train returns to the station for the first time.
Gallery
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The Runaway Train tracks
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The Runaway Train tunnel
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Ride entrance
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Scorpion Valley theming
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Ride in 2015
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Scattered mine theming
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Loading platform
