Twisted Twins

Twisted Twins

An overview of part of Twisted Twins when they were standing but not operating in 2009
Previously known as Twisted Sisters (1998—2001)
Kentucky Kingdom
Park sectionNorthwest Territory
Coordinates38°11′45″N 85°45′01″W / 38.19583°N 85.75028°WCoordinates: 38°11′45″N 85°45′01″W / 38.19583°N 85.75028°W
StatusSBNO
Opening dateJune 21, 1998
Cost$5 million
General Statistics
TypeWood – Dueling
ManufacturerCustom Coasters International
DesignerDennis McNulty, Larry Bill
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
 StellaLola
Height80 ft (24.4 m)80 ft (24.4 m)
Drop70 ft (21.3 m)70 ft (21.3 m)
Length3,000 ft (914.4 m)3,000 ft (914.4 m)
Speed55 mph (88.5 km/h)55 mph (88.5 km/h)
Inversions00
Duration2:122:12
Site Area174,240 sq ft (16,187 m2)
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
Trains2 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train.
Twisted Twins at RCDB
Pictures of Twisted Twins at RCDB

Twisted Twins is a wooden roller coaster at Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky. It is a double-tracked dueling roller coaster by Custom Coasters International whose two trains are nicknamed Lola and Stella.[1] The ride is currently standing but not operating with plans to renovate it in time for the park's 2016 season.

History

At the end of 1997, the rights to operate Kentucky Kingdom were sold by Themeparks LLC to Premier Parks for $64 million.[2] The new operators immediately announced that they would be adding Double Trouble, a $5 million dueling roller coaster, in April 1998.[3] On April 1, 1998, Premier Parks purchased Six Flags from Time Warner, and as such, in June 1998, Kentucky Kingdom became known as Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.[2][4] As part of the rebranding the park renamed Double Trouble to Twisted Sisters prior to its launch on June 21, 1998.[1][3][5]

Prior to the 2002 season, a member of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister threatened the park with legal action regarding the name of the ride. To avoid a lawsuit the park changed the ride's name to Twisted Twins.[1][5]

Twisted Twins operated under that name until the end of the 2007 season when the park closed the ride.[1] Although the ride remains standing but not operating,[1] the Gerstlauer trains were relocated to Six Flags St. Louis to be used as spart parts for The Boss, another Six Flags-owned Custom Coasters International ride with Gerstlauer trains.[6]

Amid a corporate bankruptcy, on February 4, 2010, Six Flags announced the park would cease operations immediately due to the rejection of an amended lease by the Kentucky State Fair Board.[7] From May 2010, many attempted to negotiate terms to reopen the park. The former operator of Kentucky Kingdom, Ed Hart, along with several other investors formed the Kentucky Kingdom Redevelopment Company who aimed to reopen the park as soon as possible.[8][9][10] However, after 16 months of negotiations the plans were abandoned.[11][12][13][14] The Koch Family, the owners of Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, also expressed their interest in redeveloping the park.[15][16] On February 23, 2012, the Kentucky Fair Board approved a lease agreement which would see the park operate as Bluegrass Boardwalk. The plans detailed the Twisted Twins, along with T2, would be removed due to their old age and for safety reasons.[17][18] However, within the month the plans began to unravel with the Koch family eventually withdrawing.[19]

On June 27, 2013, it was announced that Ed Hart's group had negotiated an agreement and would spend $36 million to reopen the park in May 2014. They also announced plans to upgrade Twisted Twins to "a much superior ride" due to open in 2016.[20][21]

Characteristics

Twisted Twins is made up of two roller coaster tracks that would depart from opposite ends of a single station. The two tracks would follow different paths, passing by each other four times.[22] Despite this, both tracks measure 3,000 feet (910 m) in length, stand 80 feet (24 m) tall, and feature top speeds of 55 miles per hour (89 km/h).[1] The ride was the only dueling roller coaster manufactured by Custom Coasters International, and was one of only two dual-tracked roller coasters manufactured by the company (Stampida at PortAventura is a racing roller coaster).[23][24] The ride was designed by Dennis McNulty and Larry Bill, a duo responsible for many of the company's roller coasters.[1][25][26] Construction of Twisted Twins was completed by Martin & Vleminckx.[1]

A single train, manufactured by Gerstlauer, would run on each of the tracks. These two trains were named Stella and Lola, respectively.[27] Each train would seat 28 riders across seven cars configured in two rows of two.[1] These trains required riders to be of a minimum height of 48 inches (120 cm).[28]

Reception

In Mitch Hawker's worldwide Best Roller Coaster Poll, Stella and Lola are rated separately. Both rides peaked in their debut year at positions 41 and 37, respectively. Despite the rides having different rankings throughout their lifetime, they both have an average ranking of 107.[29]

Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best wood-Tracked Roller Coaster[29]
Year1998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013
Stella 415465828496115112124126132155148137138128
Lola 375366778399110109128125131151143143144134

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Marden, Duane. "Twisted Twins  (Kentucky Kingdom)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kleber, John E. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Louisville. University Press of Kentucky. p. 32. ISBN 0-8131-2100-0.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Whew! What a wild ride for Kentucky Kingdom". Louisville Morning Call (Advance Publications). November 24, 1997. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  4. ↑ O'Brien, Tim (November 2, 1998). "Premier Converts More To Six Flags". Amusement Business 110 (44): 3, 44.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cowen, Chris. "1999". Theme Park Timelines. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  6. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Boss  (Six Flags St. Louis)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Kentucky Kingdom Rejects Lease Park to Close". RCDB. February 4, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Kentucky Kingdom will not re-open until 2012". WDRB. October 28, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Kentucky Kingdom gets a new boss". Fox 41. May 28, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  10. ↑ "New Owner Approved For Kentucky Kingdom". News Channel 5. Associated Press. May 28, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  11. ↑ Karman, John R. (July 26, 2010). "Fair board strikes deal for Kentucky Kingdom property". Business First. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  12. ↑ Shafer, Sheldon S. (July 25, 2010). "Kentucky fair board OKs deal to get Six Flags land, rides". Courier Journal. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  13. ↑ Shafer, Sheldon (August 24, 2011). "Kentucky Kingdom gets boost". Courier-Journal. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  14. ↑ Karman, John (November 4, 2011). "Company sues state to recoup Kentucky Kingdom investment". Business First. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  15. ↑ Gazaway, Charles (January 16, 2012). "Holiday World owners involved in Kentucky Kingdom talks". Wave 3 News. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  16. ↑ Smith, Heather (February 7, 2012). "Holiday World family forms new company to explore Kentucky Kingdom options". Wave 3 News. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  17. ↑ Brown, Joey (February 23, 2012). "Kentucky Kingdom reopening as Bluegrass Boardwalk in May 2013". Wave 3 News. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  18. ↑ Gazaway, Charles. "Tentative opening date for Bluegrass Boardwalk". Wave3.com. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  19. ↑ Green, Marcus (June 15, 2012). "Bluegrass Boardwalk drops plan to reopen Kentucky Kingdom". Courier Journal (Gannett Company). Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Kentucky Kingdom operators announce expansion plans for amusement park reopening in 2014". Washington Post (The Washington Post Company). Associated Press. June 28, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  21. ↑ Shafer, Sheldon S. (June 27, 2013). "Kentucky Kingdom operator promises 'bigger, better, wetter' park in 2014". The Courier-Journal. Gannett Company. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  22. ↑ O'Brien, Tim (May 4, 1998). "Park preview '98". Amusement Business 110 (18): 17–18, 20.
  23. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Search Results". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  24. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Stampida  (PortAventura)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  25. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Search Results  (Dennis McNulty)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  26. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Search Results  (Larry Bill)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  27. ↑ "Twisted Twins". Ultimate Rollercoaster. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  28. ↑ "Twisted Twins". Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. Archived from the original on November 18, 2007. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Hawker, Mitch. "Wooden Roller Coaster Poll 20 Year Results Table (1994–2013)". Best Roller Coaster Poll. Retrieved August 23, 2013.

External links