Van Helsing's Factory

Van Helsing's Factory is a steel enclosed roller coaster at the Movie Park Germany amusement park in Bottrop, Germany. The Gerstlauer dark ride opened in June 2011 as a replacement for the defunct Gremlin Invasion ride.

Van Helsing's Factory
The exterior of Van Helsing's Factory is themed as an abandoned 1950s American garage.
Movie Park Germany
Location	Movie Park Germany
Park section	Streets of New York
Coordinates	51.622099°N 6.975234°E / 51.622099; 6.975234
Status	Operating
Opening date	18 June 2011 (2011-06-18)
Cost	€5 million
Replaced	Gremlin Invasion
General statistics
Type	Steel – Enclosed
Manufacturer	Gerstlauer
Model	Bobsled Coaster
Lift/launch system	1 chain lift hill and 1 drive tire lift hill[1]
Height	8 m (26 ft)
Length	400 m (1,300 ft)
Speed	36 km/h (22 mph)
Site Area	3,000 m^2 (32,000 sq ft)
Inversions	0
Duration	1:50
Capacity	848 riders per hour
G-force	4
Height restriction	120 cm (3 ft 11 in)
Trains	9 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 36 riders per train.
Van Helsing's Factory at RCDB Pictures of Van Helsing's Factory at RCDB

History

On 30 June 1996, Warner Bros. Movie World Germany opened with a dark ride named Gremlin Invasion, modelled after the Australian Warner Bros. Movie World's Warner Bros. Classics & Great Gremlins Adventure.[2][3] On 3 April 2004, Warner Bros. Movie World Germany was acquired by StarParks.[4] This acquisition resulted in various Warner Bros.-licensed properties being removed from the park including DC Comics, Gremlins and Looney Tunes.[4] The following year, Movie Park Germany opened with Gremlin Invasion remaining closed.[5]

Wouter Dekkers (2014)

On 17 May 2010, the park was acquired by Parques Reunidos.[1] The former Gremlins show building and surrounding area was recognised by the park and its new owners as a negative part of Movie Park Germany.[1] Due to the popularity of the park's Halloween events,[5] Wouter Dekkers, Movie Park Germany's general manager, pitched the idea of a roller coaster with a horror theme to the new owners just one month after the acquisition.[1] Parques Reunidos ultimately approved the ride, investing €5 million to design and build the ride.[1] Within the month, a contract with German-based roller coaster firm Gerstlauer was signed.[1] Movie Park Germany also worked with P&P Projects, Threshold Animation Studios and TAA Industries to develop the ride's storyline and theming.[1] After just under a year construction Van Helsing's Factory officially opened to the public on 18 June 2011.[2][5]

Characteristics

Van Helsing's Factory is a Gerstlauer Bobsled Coaster, characterised by single cars and sharp turns similar to that of a Wild Mouse.[2][6][7] Each of the ride's nine cars seats four people in two rows.[2]

The ride has a total length of 400 metres (1,300 ft).[8] Riders reach heights of up to 8 metres (26 ft) and speeds of up to 36 kilometres per hour (22 mph).[8] The roller coaster is enclosed in a 3,000-square-metre (32,000 sq ft) building.[5] The track itself is situated on a base frame with two anchor points as opposed to a conventional roller coaster with foundations.[1][6] This frame measures 51 by 54 metres (167 by 177 ft).[8] The track is filled with sand, allowing for a comparatively quiet ride.[1]

Van Helsing's Factory is themed after the fictional Abraham Van Helsing, originally from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. Movie Park Germany chose this theme due to the lack of intellectual property restrictions on the work.[1] The outside of the building is themed to a 1950s American garage.[5] The inside of the show building is themed to the factory where Van Helsing prepares his cars for vampire hunting.[1]

Ride experience

One of the highly themed cars used on Van Helsing's Factory at the station

Riders enter Van Helsing's Factory from the Streets of New York section of Movie Park Germany.[9] The outside of the building is themed to a 1950s American garage[5] with the storyline taking place in the 1960s.[9] The queue line and pre-shows inform guests that they are touring Van Helsing's Factory.[1] Once riders reach the station they are recruited on a vampire hunt and must board one of Van Helsing's cars.[1]

After being dispatched the ride slowly moves around a series of turns before ascending the 8-metre (26 ft) chain lift hill.[8] The ride drops down a spiraling turn to the right before crossing under the first lift hill.[8] It then goes through a banked turnaround before navigating through several Wild Mouse-style unbanked turns.[8] A second lift hill follows, however, this hill is propelled by drive tires allowing for the cars to accelerate whilst climbing the hill.[1] A number of left hand turns follow this lift hill before the cars enter the final brake run.[8] The cars then return to the station where riders are informed that their mission is complete.[1][8]

See also

• Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster, Warner Bros. Movie World Australia's replacement for their Gremlins ride

References

1. "Val Helsing's Factory". Park World Online. Datateam Business Media Limited. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
2. Marden, Duane. "Van Helsing's Factory  (Movie Park Germany)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
3. Fiekers, Patrick. "Movie Park Germany eröffnet neue Indoor-Attraktion im Juni 2011" (in German). Digitalvd. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
4. "Germany's Movie World to change in 2005" (Press release). StarParks. 31 August 2004. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
5. "Van Helsing's Factory" (PDF). Euro Amusement Professional. Probst Verlag (4). July–August 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
6. "Bobsled Coaster". Gerstlauer. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
7. "New Projects". Gerstlauer. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
8. "Van Helsing's Factory". Gerstlauer. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
9. "Van Helsing's Factory". Movie Park Germany. Retrieved 13 January 2013.

External links

• Official website
• Van Helsing's Factory at the Roller Coaster DataBase