| Vampire | |
| Vampire's seconds lift hill and drop. | |
| Location | Chessington World of Adventures |
|---|---|
| Park section | Transylvania |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | April 11, 1990 |
| Type | Steel - Suspended |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics |
| Designer | John Wardley |
| Model | Suspended |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift |
| Height | 70 ft (21 m) |
| Length | 2,200 ft (670 m) |
| Max speed | 45 mph (72 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Height restriction | 3 ft 7 in (109 cm) |
| Vampire at RCDB | |
| Pictures of Vampire at RCDB | |
| Amusement Parks Portal | |
Vampire is an Arrow suspended swinging roller coaster at Chessington World of Adventures theme park in London, England. It opened in 1990 in the new Transylvania area, and was designed by John Wardley. It originally featured bat-themed trains, which were later replaced with floor less models. The trains hang from the track, and swing freely as the roller coaster completes the course. It has two lift hills, featuring many dives and turns throughout. Towards the end, the ride has a sudden drop into a sharp banked curve through a tunnel before entering the break run.
The ride station is heavily themed as a very gothic abbey, using dim lighting and dramatic music. The queueline takes riders through a graveyard, before heading through a crypt and dark corridor which leads to the loading platform. Of particular note is the animatronic organist within the station which 'plays' a large pipe organ along to the theme music.
As Vampire started to age, it suffered from numerous breakdowns and maintenance problems. The manufacturer, Arrow Dynamics, had gone bankrupt since the ride had been built, meaning little could be done to rectify these issues. Vampire was closed for the latter half of the 2000 season, and at the time this was thought to be permanent. However, instead of removal, the decision was taken to modify the ride so that it could use a new type of suspended coaster train, therefore increasing its popularity.
The track was to remain unchanged because modifying this would require planning permission, which was unlikely to be granted. Since the ride consisted of the suspended swinging model, with tight corners, any new trains would also have to be able to swing (reducing lateral Gs). This led to the development of swinging suspended floorless coaster trains, manufactured by Vekoma, which are still in use today. The modified ride opened in 2001, under the same name as the previous incarnation. The new trains give riders a completely different ride experience.