Dragon (Adventureland)
The Dragon was an O.D. Hopkins steel roller coaster located at Adventureland in Altoona, Iowa, near Des Moines.
The Dragon | |
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The ride as it appeared in 2017 | |
Adventureland (Iowa) | |
Location | Adventureland (Iowa) |
Park section | Dragon Island |
Coordinates | 41°39′1.46″N 93°30′5.00″W |
Status | Removed |
Opening date | May 12, 1990 |
Closing date | September 29, 2019 |
Cost | $2.1 Million |
General statistics | |
Type | Steel |
Manufacturer | Hopkins Rides |
Model | Looping coaster |
Track layout | Out and Back |
Lift/launch system | Chain Lift Hill |
Height | 90 ft (27 m) |
Drop | 85 ft (26 m) |
Length | 2,620 ft (800 m) |
Speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) |
Inversions | 2 |
Duration | 2 minutes |
Max vertical angle | 45° |
Capacity | 800 riders per hour |
Acceleration | 4 |
G-force | 4.5 |
Height restriction | 42 in (107 cm) |
The Dragon at RCDB Pictures of The Dragon at RCDB |
The Dragon made its debut on May 12, 1990, during Adventureland's sixteenth full season. It cost an estimated $2.1 million to build The Dragon. It was Adventureland's only coaster with inversions until The Monster opened on June 4, 2016. On May 17, 2020, Adventureland began teasing a new attraction for the 2021 season named "The Dragon Slayer". At the same time, construction crews were seen on the property dismantling the Dragon. A few weeks later, track and supports resembling those commonly found on S&S 4D Free-Spins were spotted near where Dragon's helixes once stood.
Layout
The train traverses a few bunny hops and a 90-degree right turn as it coasts from the station to the lift. Cresting the lift, it makes a small dip, a roughly 90-degree turn to the right, and drop down and into the two back-to-back loops. Following the loops is a right turn into a figure eight segment and then some curves back to the station.