Shockwave (Kings Dominion)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shockwave
The vertical loop element and station building
Location	Kings Dominion
Park section	The Grove
Type	Steel - Stand-up
Status	Operating
Opened	1986
Manufacturer	TOGO
Designer	TOGO
Model	stand-up
Track layout	custom
Height	95 ft (29 m)
Drop	84 ft (26 m)
Length	2,231 ft (680 m)
Max speed	50 mph (80 km/h)
Inversions	1
Duration	2:00
Max vertical angle	52°
Capacity	960 riders per hour
Max g-force	3.9
Height restriction	4 ft 6 in (140 cm)
Shockwave at RCDB Pictures of Shockwave at RCDB
Amusement Parks Portal

Shockwave is a stand-up roller coaster at Kings Dominion. Although not the first of its kind upon opening in 1986, closures elsewhere have since rendered it the oldest currently operating stand-up roller coaster in the United States.

[edit] History

the site on which Shockwave stands was formerly home to the Galaxie roller coaster, a small steel coaster of the S.B.C. Galaxi model. However, on September 11, 1983, an incident on the coaster resulted in the fatal injury of 13-year-old Daniel Watkins. The incident was used as the primary example of unsafe rides in local press coverage of the concurrent U.S. Senate hearings on amusement ride safety and regulation.^[1]^[2] Rather than reopen the attraction, Kings Dominion dismantled and sold it, to Myrtle Beach Pavilion where it continues to operate today as the Galaxi.

To replace the Galaxie, Kings Dominion recruited Japanese manufacturer TOGO to build a compact steel stand-up coaster. Shockwave opened in 1986, and has run continuously since. The station design is noted for the use of an unusual technique; the station floor is not level, instead tilting down toward the front. This eliminates the the need to propel dispatched trains onto the track circuit, instead relying on gravity to roll the train out of the station.

A train on the double-helix element

Though popular around its opening, the attraction is seen by many as a rough, uncomfortable and even painful ride (a consensus in fitting with TOGO's reputation). Despite this, the unique stand-up design an oldest-in-operation status have earned it a fanbase and level of popularity at the park which it maintains to this day.

Unfortunately the ride has been unable to avoid the association with death that plagued its predecessor. On August 23, 1999, 20-year-old Timothy Fan failed to follow safety instructions on Shockwave. He deliberately, but for an unknown reason, freed his body outside from the restraints, and resultingly flew from the train's final turn at speeds of 40mph. Fan sustained fatal head injury upon contact with a steel catwalk. Shockwave and two nearly-identical rides at other U.S. parks were immediately closed. The event was originally reported as "an accident [that] resulted in the death of one park visitor,"^[3] But investigation, bolstered by numerous witness accounts, quickly attributed the event to Fan's disregard of park safety rules. The roller coaster (and the other two TOGO coasters closed as precautions) were re-opened.^[4]

Less than one year after Fan's death, a 13-year-old boy, concerned that he was not properly fastened into his restraints, intentionally slipped out of them as the train was ascending the lift hill. He jumped onto the adjacent maintenance catwalk and escaped serious injury.^[5]

[edit] Theming

The attraction upon opening was painted in standard-scheme; dark hunter green supports and main rail, canary yellow running rails. The trains were painted blue with yellow restraints, and the station with natural-toned stain and paint. For the park's 25th anniversary in 2000, the entire ride was painted in non-standard scheme, neon colors. The superstructure and main rail were painted periwinkle, with the running rails alternating patches of aquamarine and orange. The trains were repainted orange, and the station in the same neon colors as the track.