Prowler (roller coaster)

Prowler

Prowler with car asecending
Worlds of Fun
Park section Africa
Coordinates 39°10′28″N 94°29′01″W / 39.174400°N 94.483691°WCoordinates: 39°10′28″N 94°29′01″W / 39.174400°N 94.483691°W
Status Operating
Opening date May 2, 2009
Cost $8 million
General statistics
Type Wood
Manufacturer Great Coasters International
Model Custom
Track layout Terrain Wood Twister Out and Back
Lift/launch system Chain Lift
Height 102.3 ft (31.2 m)
Drop 85.9 ft (26.2 m)
Length 3,074 ft (937 m)
Speed 51.2 mph (82.4 km/h)
Inversions 0
Duration 2 min 30 sec
Capacity 850 riders per hour
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.
Fast Lane available
Prowler at RCDB
Pictures of Prowler at RCDB

Prowler is a wooden roller coaster at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. It was built by Great Coasters International and opened May 2, 2009 at an estimated cost of 8 million USD.[1]

The ride

Prowler is the second wooden roller coaster to be built at Worlds of Fun with the first one being Timber Wolf. The ride reaches an unspecified height of 85 feet, into a spiral drop which swoops into a ravine and through the woods at the top speed of 51 MPH.[1] The ride is located in the Africa section of the park behind the Zulu Ride.[1] Prowler has an estimated capacity of 850 riders per hour. It is the third ride to occupy that current spot at the park that the ride is operating in; originally home to the Safari Adventure, and the Python Plunge (later renamed The Plunge). The lot was vacant from the Plunge's close in 1999 to the Prowler's opening in 2009.[2] The ride's layout (darting in and out of the woods) and promotional material (logo and tagline) makes reference to the famous wooden coaster The Beast at Kings Island, another Cedar Fair park near Cincinnati, Ohio.

Trains

Two "Millennium Flyer trains" with 12 cars per train. Riders are arranged two across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train.

The Hype

Before the announcement of the new ride, there were teasers put out by the park. These teasers included placing a mysterious large storage crate at the front of the park, which was 'delivered' by the "International Wildlife Organization" or the "IWO".[3] More details of the package kept coming out through the blog and videos came out [4][5][6] as the IWO storyline continued until the main announcement of the ride on September 1, 2008.[1]

Rankings

Prowler was voted Best New Ride of 2009 - Amusement Park in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards.[7]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year20092010201120122013
Ranking 8[8]12[9]10[10]13[11]12[12]
Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best wood-Tracked Roller Coaster[13]
Year20092010201120122013
Ranking 612111722

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Worlds of Fun Announces a new king of the jungle for 2009: Prowler Roller Coaster RCDB September 1, 2008
  2. ↑ [worldsoffun.org Timeline of Worlds of Fun]
  3. ↑ Confidential Delivery Hot Air Blog with Brandon Stanley July 6, 2008
  4. ↑ Worlds of Fun Delivery IWO YouTube.com
  5. ↑ Worlds of Fun IWO Press Conference YouTube.com
  6. ↑ Worlds of Fun IWO Beast Footage YouTube.com
  7. ↑ 2009 Golden Ticket Awards
  8. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 13 (6.2): 38–39. September 2009. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 14 (6.2): 38–39. September 2010. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 15 (6.2): 46–47. September 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  12. ↑ "2013 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 17 (6.2): 40–41. September 2013. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  13. ↑ Hawker, Mitch. "Wooden Roller Coaster Poll 20 Year Results Table (1994–2013)". Best Roller Coaster Poll. Retrieved March 2, 2014.

External links