Volcano: The Blast Coaster

Volcano: The Blast Coaster (often shortened to Volcano) was a launched inverted roller coaster at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. Designed by Werner Stengel and built by Intamin, it was the world's first inverted roller coaster to feature a linear induction motor (LIM) and was the only Intamin LIM-launched inverted coaster to complete a full circuit until the 2019 opening of Dueling Dragons at Guangzhou Sunac Land.[1] It opened to the public on August 3, 1998.[2] A portion of it was enclosed inside a man-made volcano. It permanently closed after the end of the 2018 season and was torn down early the next year.

Volcano: The Blast Coaster
Kings Dominion
LocationKings Dominion
Park sectionSafari Village
Coordinates37°50′21.7″N 77°26′24.6″W
StatusRemoved
Opening dateAugust 3, 1998 (1998-08-03)
Closing date2018 (2018)
CostUS$20 million
ReplacedSmurf Mountain
General statistics
TypeSteel – Inverted – Launched
ManufacturerIntamin
DesignerWerner Stengel
ModelSuspended Catapult Coaster
Lift/launch systemLIM Launch
Height155 ft (47 m)
Drop80 ft (24 m)
Length2,757 ft (840 m)
Speed70 mph (110 km/h)
Inversions4
Duration1:10
Max vertical angle90°
Acceleration0 to 70 mph
G-force4
Height restriction54–78 in (137–198 cm)
Trains3 trains with 4 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 16 riders per train.
Volcano: The Blast Coaster at RCDB
Pictures of Volcano: The Blast Coaster at RCDB

History

Volcano was designed around a dormant attraction originally known as The Lost World and later as Smurf Mountain. Declining popularity towards the end of the 1980s led to the removal of the mountain's last two rides in 1995 and cast doubt on the area's future.

Originally, Kings Dominion was planning to revitalize the mountain, by adding a new attraction based on the 1995 film Congo. However, when the film did poorly, the plans were cancelled.[3] Development of Volcano: The Blast Coaster would begin in 1996. Intamin would develop their own LIM launched inverted coaster to compete with Premier Rides. The company would introduce two new launched inverted coaster models: an Impulse Coaster (shuttle) and a Suspended Catapult Coaster (complete-circuit). At one point, there was an original concept for Volcano: The Blast Coaster. The coaster would feature a 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) LIM launch, a 140-foot (43 m) immelmann inversion with a 130-foot (40 m) drop, a horseshoe, two double heartline rolls and a helix. Instead of launching on the right side, riders would launch on the left side closer to Avalanche.[4] On July 22, 1997, Paramount Parks announced plans to revitalize the mountain by making it the future site of a new roller coaster.[5]

In August 1997, Volcano: The Blast Coaster, was announced. LIM technology was still somewhat new and the ride had many bugs in the launch system. This issue was not new to the park, having encountered similar problems with the nearby Flight of Fear. Volcano had a soft opening on August 3, 1998. The ride officially opened on August 15, 1998. During the 1998 season, the ride operated at half-capacity, with every other row loaded. In 1999, the bugs were fixed when a second launch was installed and Volcano was running at full capacity. In 2005 and 2010, Volcano's structure was given a fresh coat of paint. In 2014, Volcano's queue line was improved.

During the 2018 season, Volcano operated for the first few weeks before closing due to mechanical flaws. The ride was testing a few times, but it remained closed for the rest of the year. All ride operators were assigned to other rides. There were several holes in the mountain as more stress was put on the track.[6] Kings Dominion was planning to order a replacement part for the coaster, but to no avail. Behind the scenes, the park decided that the ride was unsalvageable and had reached the end of its service life.[7] Since Volcano was a prototype model, it could not be retracked or repaired.[8] The only way to fix it was to completely redo it from scratch, very similar to The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure.[9] This would require new track, a new mountain, new components and new other stuff. Fixing the ride was speculated to be far beyond the park's resources. The ride was so far beyond repair that the park was not able to give guests a final ride. Operating a ride while in disrepair could lead to an accident and severely endanger guests.

On February 8, 2019, Kings Dominion announced that Volcano would never reopen. The entire volcano structure, which had been built in 1979, was demolished in May 2019.[10][11]

Ride experience
Volcano: The Blast Coaster in action
The fire effects

Volcano's layout simulated the path of a volcanic eruption. Upon boarding one of two trains at the base of the mountain, riders made a slow turn left out of the station. The train then moved into its first of two launch tracks, which accelerated the train to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h).[12] After making a sweeping 200-degree turn behind the mountain, the train entered the second launch tunnel, followed by a vertical section ending in a "roll out" element. The "roll out", similar to a sidewinder, was a vertical section of track followed by a quarter loop to bring the train completely upside down, then a loose half-corkscrew. According to Roller Coaster DataBase, the roll out element was unique to Volcano.[13] The highest point of the roll out is 155 feet (47 m) above ground level, which made it the highest inversion at Kings Dominion, taller than Dominator's 135-foot (41 m) vertical loop. After the roll-out, the train made a sweeping turn around the mountain followed by a heartline roll in midair. The train made another turnaround and passed through a second heartline roll, which was embedded into the side of the mountain. After another turnaround and a third heartline roll, the train made a turning 80-foot (24 m) drop into the final brake run.[14]

Incidents

On June 23, 2006, the roller coaster experienced a launch failure when a train carrying 15 passengers stalled and rolled back slightly. Some were stranded for more than two hours. One rider reported hearing a loud pop and getting hit in the chin with flying debris.[15][16][17]

Records

Volcano: The Blast Coaster once held the record of the highest inversion in the world at 155 feet (47 m). In May 2013, GateKeeper at Cedar Point took the record with an inversion that stands at 170 feet (52 m).[18]

Rankings
Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters
Year20012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014
Ranking 25[19]28[20]28[21]23[22]23[23]25[24]28[25]33[26]41[27]35[28]29 (tie)[29]40[30]39[31]49 (tie)[32]

References
  1. Marden, Duane. "Dueling Dragons / 双龙飞舞  (Guangzhou Sunac Land)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  2. "Volcano: The Blast Coaster | Kings Dominion". www.kingsdominion.com.
  3. "Volcano Blast Coaster - COASTER-net".
  4. ""Long Lost proposed Kings Dominion coaster rediscovered"". Coasternation.
  5. "Paramount's Kings Dominion to introduce its tenth roller coaster in 1998". Paramount's Kings Dominion. July 22, 1997. Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  6. "Construction and Deconstruction".
  7. "VOLCANO: An Expedition Into the Explosive Story of "The Blast Coaster"".
  8. "Volcano: The Blast Coaster - Wikimapia".
  9. "10 Incredible Roller Coasters You'll Never Get To Ride Ever Again".
  10. Staff (February 9, 2019). "Kings Dominion to remove Volcano: The Blast Coaster". WTVR. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  11. Tyree, Elizabeth (February 9, 2019). "Kings Dominion announces decision to remove Volcano: The Blast Coaster". WSET. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  12. Kraft, Randy (August 30, 1998). "Kings Dominion's New `Volcano' Coaster Is A Real Blast". The Morning Call. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  13. "Roller Coaster Search Results". Archived from the original on 2008-05-06. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
  14. "Volcano: the Blast Coaster, Kings Dominion". COASTER-net.com.
  15. "Launch failure on Kings Dominion's Volcano strands 15, hurts 2". June 24, 2006. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  16. "Two injured on Volcano Ride". The Free Lance Star. 2006-06-24. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  17. Dennen, Rusty (2007-12-30). "Fredericksburg.com - Two injured on Volcano ride". fredericksburg.com. Archived from the original on 2007-12-30. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  18. "GateKeeper is breaking more records". Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  19. "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  20. "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  21. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  22. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 18–19B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  23. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  24. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  25. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 36–37. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  26. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 36–37. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  27. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 32–33. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  28. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 34–35. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  29. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 38–39. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  30. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 36–37. September 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  31. "2013 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 34–35. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  32. "2014 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 46–47. September 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
Preceded by
Viper		 World's tallest roller coaster inversion
August 1998–May 2013		 Succeeded by
GateKeeper
Preceded by
Alpengeist		 World's fastest inverted roller coaster
August 1998–May 2002		 Succeeded by
Wicked Twister
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