Hydra the Revenge

Hydra the Revenge
Hydra's first drop
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Coordinates	40°34′52″N 75°31′57″W / 40.5810°N 75.5325°W / 40.5810; -75.5325Coordinates: 40°34′52″N 75°31′57″W / 40.5810°N 75.5325°W / 40.5810; -75.5325
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 7, 2005
Cost	$13,000,000 USD
Replaced	Hercules
General statistics
Type	Steel – Floorless Coaster
Manufacturer	Bolliger & Mabillard
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Floorless Coaster
Track layout	Twister
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	95 ft (29 m)
Drop	105 ft (32 m)
Length	3,198 ft (975 m)
Speed	53 mph (85 km/h)
Inversions	7
Duration	2:35
Max vertical angle	68°
Capacity	1,245 riders per hour
Height restriction	54 in (137 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train.
Fast Lane available
Hydra the Revenge at RCDB Pictures of Hydra the Revenge at RCDB

Hydra the Revenge (simply known as Hydra) is a steel Floorless Coaster at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania (USA). It is the only Floorless Coaster in Pennsylvania and was built where the former wooden roller coaster Hercules once stood, which was closed and demolished at the end of the park's 2003 season. Its name comes from the Greek Mythology story where Hercules battled Hydra.

History

Hercules was a wooden roller coaster that sat in the current location of Hydra the Revenge. In 2003, the coaster was closed and demolished.^[1] On September 14, 2004, the $13 million Hydra the Revenge was announced.^[2][3] Construction began in the spring of 2004 and continued through the winter.^[4] Hydra the Revenge was topped off (highest piece the lift hill) on August 20, 2004 and the entire track layout was completed on December 4, 2004.^[4] The first cars for the coaster arrived at Dorney Park on December 10, 2004 and the first ride with people on a train took place on March 24, 2005.^[4] The roller coaster officially opened to the public on May 7, 2005.^[5][6]

Backstory

The name of the roller coaster comes from the story of Hercules in Greek Mythology. According to the story, Hercules had to perform twelve labours. After defeating the Nemean lion for the first labour, the second was to defeat the Hydra, a nine-headed creature with eight serpentine heads that would regrow each time they were cut off, including one that was immortal. Dorney Park altered the remainder of the story- after Hercules managed to defeat the Hydra initially, he buried the immortal head stuck under a stone, with the intention of sealing it for all time. Years later however, the head slowly grew back, resurrecting the Hydra and taking its revenge on Hercules by killing him; hence why the Hydra roller coaster sits where Hercules once did.^[5][6][7]

Experience

Hydra the Revenge's heartline roll

Once the floor drops and the front gate opens, the train is dispatched leading straight into the first element, a heartline roll. Upon exiting the roll, the train makes a 180 degree right turn and begins to climb the 95-foot (29 m) lift hill. Once at the top, the train drops down 105 feet (32 m) at a 68 degree angle. Then, the train makes a slight right turn into a 62-foot (19 m) inclined diving loop before going through a zero-gravity roll. Next, immediately after the roll, the train enters the first of two corkscrew's. After exiting the corkscrew, the train then goes through a cobra roll. After an upward left turn, followed by a downard right turn, the train goes over an airtime hill before entering the second corkscrew. The train then makes a banked right turn, then a left turn which leads into the brake run. Once back at the station, after the floors come back up and the front gate closes, the riders unload and the next ones load.^[3][5][8]

One cycle of the ride lasts about 2 minutes and 35 seconds.^[5]

Characteristics

Trains

Hydra the Revenge operates with two steel and fiberglass trains. Each train has eight cars that can seat four riders in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train.^[5] Each train has two shades of green and pink on the bottom section while the seats and over-the-shoulder restraints are also pink.

Track

The steel track of Hydra the Revenge is approximately 3,198 feet (975 m) long, the height of the lift is approximately 95 feet (29 m) high, and the entire track weighs about 1,368,000 pounds (621,000 kg).^[3][5] It was manufactured by Clermont Steel Fabricators located in Batavia, Ohio.^[9] The track has two shades of green while the supports are turquoise.

Reception

Jeremy Thompson from Roller Coaster Philosophy said that roller was okay and wasn't sure if he liked the total ride experience, "The ride itself is okay, but I’m not sure if I really loved the whole experience." He also mentioned that the layout of Hydra the Revenge was interesting, "Still, it’s got a more interesting layout."^[10] A group of roller coaster enthusiasts also came to the conclusion that the ride wasn't the best but still good, "The general consensus is that it's a good, but not quite great, ride that's perfect for family-oriented Dorney."^[11]

Awards

1. ^ No Steel Roller Coaster Poll was held in 2011.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hydra the Revenge.

• Hydra the Revenge's official page