Rampage (roller coaster)

Rampage
Alabama Adventure
Coordinates 33°22′45″N 86°59′49″W / 33.37919°N 86.996902°WCoordinates: 33°22′45″N 86°59′49″W / 33.37919°N 86.996902°W
Status Testing
Opening date May 23, 1998
Closing date 2011
Cost US$4,300,000
General statistics
Type Wood
Manufacturer Custom Coasters International
Designer Larry Bill, Dennis McNulty
Track layout Terrain twister
Lift/launch system Chain lift hill
Height 120 ft (37 m)
Drop 102 ft (31 m)
Length 3,500 ft (1,100 m)
Speed 56 mph (90 km/h)
Duration 2:36
Capacity 900 riders per hour
Height restriction 48 in (122 cm)
Rampage at RCDB
Pictures of Rampage at RCDB

Rampage is a wooden roller coaster located at Alabama Splash Adventure in Bessemer, Alabama. It initially operated from May 23, 1998 to 2011. On March 15, 2014 shortly after an announcement of the parks purchase by the Koch family, it was announced that the coaster would be refurbished and reopened as the cornerstone of the reopening of the non-water park areas of the theme park.

History

Construction of the coaster would commence in the fall of 1997,[1] and the ride would celebrate its topping out ceremony on December 2, 1997.[2] The name Rampage was selected as the winner of a name that ride contest in December 1997.[3] The Rampage moniker was submitted by a local Pleasant Grove High School student Eric C. Avery with Scorpion's Tail and Jaguar coming in second and third place respectively.[3] The ride's opening would coincide with the opening of VisionLand on May 23, 1998.[4] The ride was received well and would be rated as the 3rd best wooden coaster and the 5th best overall coaster by Amusement Business in December 1998.[5]

After a successful first year, the parks's attendance would see a significant drop resulting in the shuttering of the coaster for the 2002 season.[6] Following the sale of the park to Southland Entertainment Group, Rampage would see a renovation by John Hinde Enterprises and reopen for the 2003 season.[7]

Rampage gave its last public ride in 2011, before in spring 2012, Alabama Adventure was sold to a new management that chose to focus only on the water park aspects of the park. In the spring of 2014 the now-named Splash Adventure park was sold theme park operator, the Koch family. The new owners announced a five year plan to re-open Alabama Adventure with a refurbished "Rampage" coaster as its centerpiece.[8]

Track layout

The ride features a 120-foot (37 m) lift hill with a 102-foot (31 m) first drop.[2] It reaches a top speed of 56-mile-per-hour (90 km/h).[2] The ride features 9 crossovers and 13 curves and was built for US$4.3 million.[9] The ride layout is largely based on Megafobia at Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom, which was also built by Custom Coasters.

Trains

Rampage currently operates with one trains from Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. The train is made up of six cars, with each car seating four people (twenty-four riders total).

When the ride opened one train was painted solid blue and the other solid maroon. Each had the VisionLand logo on the front of the train. When Southland took over in 2003 the trains received new paint jobs. The former blue train is now three shades of blue. The front two cars are dark blue, the middle two are blue, and the back two are light blue. There are airbrushed lightning bolts on the sides of the cars, with a monster eye and claw with the Rampage logo on the front of the train. The maroon train was painted with the first two cars red, the middle two orange, and the back two yellow. It has airbrushed flames on the sides and two red monsters eyes under the Rampage logo on the front.

For the 2008 season the park repainted the "fire" train solid red. The "lightning" train was also painted dark blue. During this season the park ran both trains on busy days for the first time since the 2005 season.

Trivia

Rampage opened the same day as another CCI coaster, Shivering Timbers at Michigan's Adventure.

See also

Awards

Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best wood-Tracked Roller Coaster[10]
Year1998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013
Ranking 48668811111314241915232126

References

  1. ↑ Pierce, Phil (September 21, 1997). "Visionland coming into focus". Birmingham News. p. 13A.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Pierce, Phil (December 3, 1997). "High, long and fast: VisionLand's roller coaster reached pinnacle". Birmingham News. p. 1A.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gordon, Robert K. (December 16, 1997). "VisionLand's roller coaster: 'Rampage'". Birmingham News. p. 1B.
  4. ↑ Williams, Roy L. (May 14, 1998). "State tourism expected to record $5 billion". Birmingham News. p. 1B.
  5. ↑ Pierce, Phil (December 15, 1998). "Rampage placed in top 5 coasters". Birmingham News. p. 1B.
  6. ↑ Gordon, Robert K. (May 31, 2002). "VisionLand water park gets money to open, Bankruptcy filing is planned for next week". Birmingham News. p. 1B.
  7. ↑ Tomberlin, Michael (March 1, 2003). "VisionLand targets May reopening". Birmingham News. p. 1B.
  8. ↑ Tomberlin, Michael (March 16, 2014). "Koch Family has five-year plan to take Splash Adventure to new heights". Birmingham News. p. 1A.
  9. ↑ Staff Reporters (July 26, 1998). "Rampage". Birmingham News. p. 1J.
  10. ↑ Hawker, Mitch. "Wooden Roller Coaster Poll 20 Year Results Table (1994–2013)". Best Roller Coaster Poll. Retrieved March 2, 2014.