Loch Ness Monster (roller coaster)

Loch Ness Monster
The interlocking vertical loops
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Location	Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Park section	Scotland
Coordinates	37°14′03″N 76°38′46″W / 37.234277°N 76.646°W / 37.234277; -76.646Coordinates: 37°14′03″N 76°38′46″W / 37.234277°N 76.646°W / 37.234277; -76.646
Status	Operating
Opening date	June 6, 1978 (1978-06-06)
Cost	$5 million[1]
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Arrow Development
Designer	Ron Toomer
Model	Custom Looping Coaster
Track layout	Terrain
Lift/launch system	Two chain lift hills
Height	130 ft (40 m)
Drop	114 ft (35 m)
Length	3,240 ft (990 m)
Speed	60 mph (97 km/h)
Inversions	2
Duration	2:10
Max vertical angle	55°
Capacity	800 riders per hour
G-force	3.5
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)
Loch Ness Monster at RCDB Pictures of Loch Ness Monster at RCDB

Loch Ness Monster is a steel roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.^[2] It was the first coaster in the world to feature two interlocking loops. The ride is classified as a Coaster Landmark by American Coaster Enthusiasts.^[3]

The Loch Ness is the only remaining roller coaster with two interlocking loops.^[4] In addition to the interlocking loops, located over one of the park's water features, the design includes a helix tunnel, two lift hills and a 114-foot (35 m) drop. The ride sits within the park's Scottish hamlet, Heatherdowns, and relates the legend of the Loch Ness Monster, suggesting the serpent inhabits its underwater caves.

History[]

Construction[]

Busch Gardens Williamsburg opened in 1975 with only one roller coaster, Glissade. In 1976, with the opening of the Oktoberfest portion of the park, two new roller coasters were added; Das Kätzchen (German for "The Kitten"), a children's coaster, and its adult counterpart, Die Wildkatze.^[5] However, neither Glissade nor Die Wildkatze were considered major roller coasters. Then general manager John B. Roberts announced the plans to build an ambitious, major roller coaster for the park for the 1978 season. In his 1978 press release, Roberts boasted highly of the record breaking ride, stating "There has never been anything like it. For openers, it's the tallest and fastest coaster-style ride with the steepest drop in the world... and the only one with interlocking loops. On top of that, part of it's in total darkness."^[6]

On July 27, 1977, Busch Gardens Williamsburg announced that Loch Ness Monster would be coming in 1978. It would be located in the center of the park in the Scotland themed area. Loch Ness Monster was going to be the first major roller coaster at the park, as well as the park's first roller coaster with inversions.^[7] During construction, a section of track leading from the bottom of the second loop to the brake run before the station was incorrectly formed, bending left, instead of right. Workers heated the track to physically bend it to the correct position, resulting in a sharp bump, which remains noticeable to riders.^[4]

The ride was originally designed with four trains with six cars per train. Designers realized that 4 train operations would often result in backups throughout the ride experience and revised the layout to three trains with seven cars per train.^[4] In 2016, the roller coaster opened with 2 train operations, where previously it ran a maximum of 3 trains on the busiest days of the season. This change was a result of several factors, and coincided with similar changes in the operation of other roller coasters in the park, including Alpengeist and Verbolten.

Operation[]

The ride officially opened to the public on June 6, 1978. Its popularity and historical significance as the world's first coaster with interlocking loops, as well as being the tallest and fastest coaster when it was built, has been recognized by American Coaster Enthusiasts, which designated Loch Ness Monster a Coaster Landmark on June 17, 2003.^[3]

For decades, the ride experience included two trains passing through the intersecting loops simultaneously, though this is no longer the case. The ride, upon opening, ran with four trains. Sometime later, it was decided that it ran best with three trains. By 2014, the park reduced the number of trains from three to two. As a result, the ride no longer duels in the loops, as the two trains are not dispatched at the same time.^[4]

For the ride's 15th anniversary in 1993, parachuting Elvis impersonators known as the "flying Elvi" parachuted into Busch Gardens, and then rode the Loch Ness Monster in full costume.^[8] New trains from S&S Worldwide were installed on Loch Ness Monster for its 40th anniversary.^{[citation needed]}

Ride experience[]

Interlocking loops of the Loch Ness Monster with Griffon on the left.

Queue[]

Guests enter the Loch Ness Expedition crew member area, where they see some submarines and diving suits. On the way, there are some loch lure barrels and a swimming tank. Guests see the Press Tent, where the crew assignments show which team has their work experience. The Communication Center can be seen in the line with the warning sign saying "Upon A Sighting Of Nessie." There will be some Red Crew props, such as boxes. Several props are found in the tent, including beds, a dining table, clothes, Dutch ovens and cooking materials. Then, guests head into the station, where they board the train.^[9]

Layout[]

The ride begins by departing the station as the train makes a slight left turn. After a right turn, it starts climbing a 130-foot (40 m) chain lift hill with a small, tight turn (with views of Griffon's lift hill and first drop) before descending 114 feet (35 m) toward the park's Rhine River. A large upward hill crosses over the park's 'Land of the Dragons'. After a left turn, the train enters an 82-foot (25 m) vertical loop, which is the first of two interlocking loops.^[10] This loop is followed by a right turn that leads into the mid-course brake run, followed by a descending, spiraling tunnel. The train descends 2.75 spiraling revolutions in the tunnel. By the time the train exits the tunnel, it climbs a second chain lift hill. The train turns right before dropping into a 57-foot (17 m) vertical loop, which is the second of the two interlocking loops.^[10] This is followed by the on-ride camera, which takes photos of the riders. After making a right turn, the train stops at the final brake run and returns to the station.^[11]

For years, there were special effects in the tunnel section of the ride, including lights, mist, and a mural of the Loch Ness Monster. These effects have not operated for years, and the mural has since been removed from the tunnel wall. In 2018, Busch Gardens restored the effects except for the mist and mural.

Incidents[]

On June 13, 1989, a Loch Ness train collided with a downed tree. Just after two trains had left the station, operators learned of a rapidly approaching storm and began shutting down the ride, unaware of a downed tree crossing the tracks. The front train carried 25 passengers, with five receiving injuries, including a 16-year old who suffered a broken leg. Though the occupied first train was stopped in an area of the ride not intended for stopping, the ride's safety systems intervened to prevent a collision when the unoccupied second train stopped on the second lift hill.^[12] A subsequent $2 million lawsuit claimed a rider suffered internal injuries, the rider ultimately receiving $250,000.^[13]

In June 1992, two riders claimed the special misting water effect at ride's tunnel entrance was caustic and temporarily blinding — causing emotional distress. A park public relations manager testified the mist sprayed only water – and had been subsequently removed, independent of the suit, for unknown reasons.^[13]

References[]

External links[]

• Loch Ness Monster: Detailed Review
• POV Video of Loch Ness Monster