Blazing Fury
| Blazing Fury | |
|---|---|
|
Blazing Fury Entrance in 2006 | |
| Dollywood | |
| Park section | Craftsman's Valley |
| Coordinates | 35°47′37″N 83°31′45″W / 35.793575°N 83.529117°WCoordinates: 35°47′37″N 83°31′45″W / 35.793575°N 83.529117°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | May 6, 1978 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Enclosed |
| Manufacturer | Herschend Family Entertainment |
| Designer | Herschend Enterprises |
| Lift/launch system | Trains are powered, propelling themselves on uphill sections. Trains then freely roll over drops. Tires embedded in the track also move trains through certain sections. |
| Height | 22 ft (6.7 m) |
| Length | 1,520 ft (460 m) |
| Speed | 31 mph (50 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 3:20 |
| Capacity | 1150 riders per hour |
| Height restriction | 42 in (107 cm) |
|
Q2Q available | |
 Must transfer from wheelchair | |
|
Blazing Fury at RCDB Pictures of Blazing Fury at RCDB | |
Blazing Fury is a steel enclosed roller coaster at the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It was built in-house by Silver Dollar City Tennessee in 1978, prior to the park becoming Dollywood. It was based upon Fire in the Hole, a similar indoor roller coaster at the original Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.
The coaster is themed around the story of an old mountain town set on fire by a group of Russians. Riders pass scenes of the residents trying to extinguish the flames; one is a hotel with a lady on the top deck about to jump off, before crossing a collapsing bridge, nearly getting run-over by a steam train, and wrecking into a dynamite storage shack. In the finale, the trains are sent hurtling over an eighteen-foot-high drop into a pool of water. This is used to brake the train. It was discovered that it could still do so without being full, and this allowed the park to keep the coaster open during the winter. During the 2010 off-season, magnetic brakes was installed, making the pool of water unnecessary and it was removed. Over the years, many of the coaster's props and theme elements have been removed, somewhat obscuring the storyline.
Ride Scene-By-Scene
The exterior of the coaster shows not as much of a firehouse theme as its sister, "Fire in the Hole", does. Its exterior resembles more of a small village built in front of a large rock formation/wall. This is actually the ride building. Guests walking towards the Tennessee Tornado may be able to see some of the steel beams sticking through the rock facade plus some decay and rotting of some of the roofs. The only changes to the exterior included a new sign in the mid-late 1990s along with the "Firemen's Luncheon" sign being changed to just "Firemen's Lunch" around 2010. Another notable change included the addition of the new Q2Q entrance, which covered up some windows in the main queue. This was installed for the 2011 season.
Guests enter the queue through the red building seen in the photo at the top of this page. It features an old horse-powered "Fire King" steam engine along with some themed posters. One might notice that some of the firemen seen in them are actually those in the ride itself. (i.e. Bull Bison "Hey Stan, the stables are on fire!")
Once boarding one of the trains (which changed from bright red in the early days to a more burned with black spots tone) guests depart and enter the first scene of the ride. A man and a woman are sitting in rocking chairs on the porch of their log cabin with guns in their laps. Other details on there include a rooster, a jug of moonshine, and apples.
The track continues past the porch to the countryside with a painting of a sunset in the background. This area includes trees, an abandoned carriage, a vulture, a wooden fence, and a swamp/bog-like area with grass, fog, and frogs.
After making a slight turn riders catch our first glimpse of the fire: a mine shaft in flames. However, we notice that it was already closed with wooden boards blocking the entrance. "Shaft Closed, Keep out, Danger!" At this point, the ride fails to present to us the cause of the fire. In "Fire in the Hole" the town is set ablaze by Baldknobbers. Perhaps Blazing Fury once showed the cause and removed it, or it was never shown.
Riders then enter the main town engulfed in flames. While Tom is trying to escape the tavern and inmates are trying to escape the jail, a man stands in front of his mule shed with a lantern and gun while a graveyard right beside him contains the grave keeper, an abandoned carriage in the background, and names of some of the ride's designers inscribed on the tombstones.
After passing several other buildings and the water tower, riders see the first real scene of the ride. Molly is trying to escape the burning hotel by jumping off the second floor into the firemen's net below. Molly: Luther John, hold that net still 'cause I gotta jump. Luther John: Now, now, Molly you be careful 'cause I got a weak back. Molly: Weak back or not Luther John, here I come!
Riders then enter a barn and pass the stables engulfed in flames. (At this point, the trains are going up a slight incline, but to riders they do not realize it.) The next scene's narration does not match what we see. A fireman has a hose shooting water over the track towards the outhouse which Stan comes out of. (No water is currently used). Fireman: Hey Stan, the stables are on fire. Stan: On fire! Somebody get a hose over here, quick! Fireman: We ain't got no hose, Stan. We better get a bucket.
The next scene is called the Chase Scene, where a woman is chasing a man in and out of the burning house while another man is sitting in a bathtub outside (for no apparent reason) A sign reads "Looking for a husband. Any size or shape. Woman: Come back here you big strong, handsome hunk of man. I wanna kiss on you some. Man: Kiss? It looks like you've been kissin' that steam train.
NOTE: The original version had the man in a barrel. This was confirmed in a 2012 ride-through where a barrel was set off in a corner with feet sticking out of it.
After making another incline, riders see the burning bridge in all of its glory. Danger! Bridge Out does not stop the trains as riders plunge down it. (Notice that the landscaping in front of it includes trees and a stream/waterfall.) Riders then find themselves in a train tunnel and pass a sign above. "Train Tunnel Exit. Do Not Enter! Danger!" A railroad crossing sign begins to ring and blink as riders hear a train coming with its whistle blowing. A light shines in front as riders plunge down another drop.
The final drop is into a dynamite shack. A man yells, "Fire in the hole!" as riders plunge into a pool of water. The pool was removed in 2011 and in 2012. A new braking system was added at that time. It would not work underwater, so the pool was drained from the attraction. It was noticed that the dynamite shack was not lit and there was no man yelling. A new scene could be planned in the future.
The train then arrives back at the station and riders exit.
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