Thunderhead (roller coaster)

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Thunderhead

Thunderhead's logo and two Golden Tickets for the Best Wooden Roller Coaster
Dollywood
Park section Timber Canyon
Coordinates 35°47′48″N 83°31′55″W / 35.79667°N 83.53194°W / 35.79667; -83.53194Coordinates: 35°47′48″N 83°31′55″W / 35.79667°N 83.53194°W / 35.79667; -83.53194
Status Operating
Opening date April 3, 2004 (2004-04-03)
Cost $7,000,000
($8.65 million in 2014 dollars[ 1])
General statistics
Type Wood
Manufacturer Great Coasters International
Designer Mike Boodley
Track layout Twister roller coaster
Lift/launch system Chain lift hill
Height 100 ft (30 m)
Drop 100 ft (30 m)
Length 3,230 ft (980 m)
Speed 55 mph (89 km/h)
Inversions 0
Duration 2:30
Max vertical angle 60°
Height restriction 48 in (122 cm)
Trains 2 trains with 12 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train.
Virtual queue
Q2Q available
Must transfer from wheelchair
Thunderhead at RCDB
Pictures of Thunderhead at RCDB

Thunderhead is a wooden roller coaster located at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The coaster, which was the anchor attraction of the new "Thunderhead Gap" section, opened on April 3, 2004, to much critical acclaim. Thunderhead boasts 22 turns and 32 crossovers , and utilizes GCI's Millennium Flyer trains, used on all GCI coasters since 1999. Thunderhead is also the first roller coaster to feature a station flyby.

History

The ride was named after Thunderhead Mountain, a peak within the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park that was heavily logged during the early 19th century.[citation needed] The mountain itself was named "Thunderhead" after a slang term in the American South for Cumulonimbus clouds.

Construction Data

  • 700,000 board feet of Southern Yellow Pine
  • 3600 yards of concrete
  • 250,000 bolts
  • 2,000,000 screws
  • 185,000 feet of steel rebar[1]

Rankings

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year2004200520062007200820092010201120122013
Ranking 6[2]1[3]1[4]2[5]2[6]5[7]5[8]5[9]4[10]5[11]
Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster
Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Ranking
5
2
7
3
11
11
NAPHA Survey: Favorite Wood Roller Coaster[12]
Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Ranking
-
4
4
3
3
3

Gallery

  • Thunderhead's second drop

  • Thunderhead's first airtime hill

  • Thunderhead's station fly-through

  • Thunderhead's drop after its station fly-through

External links

References

  1. ↑ Thunderhead (Dollywood) :: ThrillNetwork.com
  2. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2004. Archived from the original on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2013. 
  3. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 22–23B. September 2005. Retrieved September 8, 2013. 
  4. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 30–31B. September 2006. Retrieved September 8, 2013. 
  5. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 11 (6.2): 42–43. September 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2013. 
  6. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 12 (6.2): 42–43. September 2008. Retrieved September 8, 2013. 
  7. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 13 (6.2): 38–39. September 2009. Retrieved September 8, 2013. 
  8. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 14 (6.2): 38–39. September 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2013. 
  9. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 15 (6.2): 46–47. September 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2013. 
  10. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2013. 
  11. ↑ "2013 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 17 (6.2): 40–41. September 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013. 
  12. ↑ Surveys - National Amusement Park Historical Association
Attractions
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