Demon (Six Flags Great America)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Demon | |
 Red train navigating the first of two corkscrew loops. |
|
| Location | Six Flags Great America |
|---|---|
| Type | Steel |
| Status | Open |
| Opened | May 29, 1976 |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics |
| Model | Custom Looping Coaster |
| Lift/launch system | Chain Lift Hill |
| Height | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Drop | 90 ft (27 m) |
| Length | 2,130 ft (650 m) |
| Max speed | 45 mph (72 km/h) |
| Inversions | 4 |
| Duration | 1 min 21 s |
| Max vertical angle | 54° |
| Height restriction | 3 ft 6 in (110 cm) |
| The Demon at RCDB Pictures of The Demon at RCDB |
|
|
|
|
The Demon is a multi-looping roller coaster at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, IL with an identical twin at California's Great America in Santa Clara, CA. Both coasters opened in 1976 as Turn of the Century and were remodeled to the Demon in 1980.
Contents |
[edit] Turn of the Century
Turn of the Century opened with Marriott's Great America in 1976 and was designed by Arrow Development of California. It was painted white and was one of the first roller coasters to feature a double corkscrew.[1] It also featured two airtime hills after the first drop. The hills were well known for ejecting loose articles from the trains such as hats, sunglasses and stuffed animals.[1] The ride was custom-built for the park.
[edit] The Demon
After the 1979 season, Turn of the Century was heavily modified. The two airtime hills were removed and replaced with back to back loops and a lighted tunnel. Fake rock formations were built around the second loop and around the first half of the lift hill, with a third formation just before the corkscrews. The entire ride was painted black and was renamed The Demon. In addition to the re-design, the theme was changed as well. Fog machines were placed in the tunnels, blood red colored water fell out of the rock formation by the corkscrews and a unique logo was unveiled. The original trains were also modified. A three-dimensional logo was attached to the front car and flames were painted on the sides of each car.
The storyline of the ride's transformation heard in The Demon soundtrack is that the park accidentally missed three payments on the roller coaster, and that the Demon has repossessed the ride.
For a period in the 80s, the Demon in Gurnee, IL was branded with the Looney Tunes Tasmanian Devil character.
[edit] The Demon soundtrack
When the Demon first opened in 1980 the speakers placed throughout the ride's queue played the Demon's own soundtrack. The soundtrack included the infamous "Demon Song", which was specially written for Marriott's Great America and was also very memorable. Along with the song there were fake radio broadcasts, some about people who reported to have seen the demon, 1 report about a US Army captain named "Bucky McMacho" bombing the ride, and a few with people trying to lure the demon out of the ride in very strange ways.
Sometime in the 1980s or 1990s the song disappeared and was thought to have been lost forever. In mid-2005 the song resurfaced when it was posted on a Marriott's Great America fan site's discussion boards.[2] The song also resurfaced at Great America in Gurnee for the park's annual Fright Fest Halloween event. Waukegan News Sun reporter Dan Moran mentioned remembering the song back in the 1980s in an article about Fright Fest 2005. He also recalled how annoying the song would get when waiting more than an hour to ride. The soundtrack has become popular in the roller coaster enthusiast community. In 2007 the music went silent in the queue but was heard in the 1st tunnel before the lift. In 2008, the soundtrack returned to the queue but was not used in the 1st tunnel.
[edit] The Gurnee accident
A major incident on the roller coaster occurred on Saturday, April 18, 1998. Twenty-three riders were left stranded upside-down after the train in which they were riding came to an unexpected halt in the middle of a vertical loop. Firefighters used a cherry picker to bring the passengers to safety. Some riders were stuck for nearly three hours. Four passengers were taken to local hospitals out of precaution but released that afternoon.
Investigators concluded that the incident was caused by mechanical failure. A guide wheel that runs along the inside of the track separated from the axle of the last car. A mechanical safety system built into the wheel assembly engaged, preventing the train from derailing.
The roller coaster reopened shortly after the conclusion of the investigation.
[edit] Return of the Demon theming
For Six Flags Great America's Fright Fest event in 2005 almost all of the Demon's old theming returned. The original logo was placed back on the trains (although it was just a decal instead of the 3D logo), the fog returned in the tunnels, the Demon Song played in the queue again, red lights shined around the ride, and tiki torches were placed all around the ride.
A re-creation of the original sign was present at Fright Fest. Built from an oil barrel with red lights and fog, it was placed in the flower bed in front of the original sign.
On Great America's 2006 opening day, the Demon song was playing in the queue, the logo was still on the front of the trains, and the flames were still painted on the station. The mini drain pipe with the red eyes was not seen, though.
For 2007, the Demon logos on the front of the trains were updated. The decals of the original Marriott-era logo were replaced with new airbrushed similar logos. These ones however featured meaner looking demon eyes, flames, and fangs. The yellow train's logo has green lettering, eyes, and fangs while the black train uses red logo and eyes. In June 2007, the red train was placed back on the track. Its logo has red lettering, and eyes. The red train had been in rehab since late 2005 and had not been seen since. Also in June 2007, the Demon sign received new airbrush-painted flames on the DEMON letters and the flowers in front of the sign were re-arranged to look like flames. In July 2007, all of the signs in the queue were repainted to look more themed to the ride.
For Fright Fest that year, all of the theming returned to the ride as expected.
[edit] Current rides
Today both Demons continue to operate although not quite as popular as it once was making it easy to get a quick ride.
[edit] External links
- Turn of the Century Info
- Photo of the original Demon sign
- Demon info on SFGAm World
- Demon History on GREAT AMERICA parks
- Visit the Demon on Myspace
[edit] References
|
||||||||
