Kentucky Rumbler

Kentucky Rumbler

Ride entrance
Beech Bend Park
Coordinates 37°01′21″N 86°24′06″W / 37.02250°N 86.40167°W / 37.02250; -86.40167Coordinates: 37°01′21″N 86°24′06″W / 37.02250°N 86.40167°W / 37.02250; -86.40167
Status Operating
Opening date May 6, 2006
Cost $4,600,000
General statistics
Type Wood Twister
Manufacturer Great Coasters International
Model Twister
Height 96 ft (29 m)
Drop 80 ft (24 m)
Length 2,827 ft (862 m)
Speed 47 mph (76 km/h)
Inversions 0
Capacity 480 riders per hour
Height restriction 48 in (122 cm)
Trains Single train with 12 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train.
Kentucky Rumbler at RCDB
Pictures of Kentucky Rumbler at RCDB

Kentucky Rumbler is a wooden roller coaster at Beech Bend Park in Warren County, Kentucky. It has a drop of 96 feet and a height of 80 feet. The ride was a great addition to Beech Bend Park because before the Kentucky Rumbler was built, the park didn't have a signature unique ride, and even today it is still the most popular ride in the park.

Voted the 5th best new ride in 2006 by Amusement Today, the Kentucky Rumbler broke records and set others when it opened.

History

Beech Bend Park seemed to blossom as the new Millennium arrived. Between 2000 and 2005 many improvements were made and many additions were added to the park. By the end of 2005 there were 40 rides including the new coaster the Wild Mouse, 500 campground spaces with modern amenities, renovated racing facilities, a water park,and large picnic pavilions.

The Jones family started taking about adding a wooden roller coaster to their park years before the Kentucky Rumbler was built. When Dallas Jones decided that the time was right he contacted Great Coasters International. He was impressed by GCI's more park friendly, hands on approach to doing business than other wooden roller coaster manufacturers.

Great Coasters International offers well built rides with minimal maintenance for any park, a very smooth ride for the guests, and service after the installation of the ride. GCII is also a firm dedicated to preserving the old fashion fun a wooden coaster offers.

Now Vice President of Sales & Design Jeff Pike started working for GCII straight out of college, under the tutelage of Mike Boodley. Jeff soon proved himself as a very talented and creative designer. The Kentucky Rumbler was Jeff's first solo design. Jeff described how much fun it was to recreate part of the Rye Aeroplane in the Kentucky Rumbler design during the press conference on when the park released the name The Kentucky Rumbler. The Rye Aeroplane coaster is a long-defunct coaster that was built in the city of Rye, New York. It served as the inspiration for parts of the ride but mainly the first drop, the Kentucky Rumbler's first Drop is a Mirror Image of the Aeroplane Coasters.

The highlights of the ride including an unprecedented three station fly-bys, still A world record even till today, and an exciting aeroplane style first drop show-off Jeff's creativeness and pay homage to the classic rides of the past.

On October 28, 2005 Beech Bend Park officially named their new wooden roller coaster “The Kentucky Rumbler” and they stated that it will roar out of the station for the first time on May 6, 2006. Derek Sailors from Surfside Beach, South Carolina, was the winner of the contest to name the ride. Beech Bend received thousands of entries for the contest from all over the world.

The Kentucky Rumbler opened in 2006 to great reviews. At speeds of almost 50 miles per hour, the ride features 30 track crossovers, record setting 3 station fly-bys and it delivers tremendous airtime. It is very smooth despite its constant lateral G's along its never ending twists and turns. The Kentucky Rumbler was ranked in the Top Five New Rides in the World by Amusement Today magazine, for 2006.

Beech Bend Park's Investment building the Kentucky Rumbler was $4.6 million. It is a Wooden Twister Coaster with the Capacity of 480 guests per hour.

The Kentucky Rumbler Features, a world record setting 3 station fly-bys, record setting 30 crossovers, and 12 airtime moments.It has one 24 passenger Millennium Flyer train, made up of 12 cars, that each seat 2 riders.

The Max Height is 96 feet with a First Drop height of 80.2 feet. The coaster reaches speeds up to 50 mph. It has a Ride Time of Approximately 90 seconds. The Track Length is 2,827 feet.

The Kentucky Rumbler was constructed with 80,000 bolts and 1.5 million nails

On May 25, 2014 Beech Bend Park dedicated The Kentucky Rumbler to all members of the American Coaster Enthusiasts.

Awards

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year2006200720082009201020112012201320142015
Ranking 20[1]13[2]13[3]17[4]16[5]16[6]22[7]21[8]20[9]33[10]
Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009
Ranking
16
18
20
27

References

  1. "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 3031B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  2. "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 11 (6.2): 4243. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  3. "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 12 (6.2): 4243. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  4. "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 13 (6.2): 3839. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  5. "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 14 (6.2): 3839. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  6. "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 15 (6.2): 4647. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  7. "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 16 (6.2): 4647. September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  8. "2013 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 17 (6.2): 4041. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  9. "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 18 (6.2): 3839. September 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  10. "2015 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 19 (6.2): 4546. September 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
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