Volcano: The Blast Coaster

Volcano: The Blast Coaster, or simply Volcano, was an inverted roller coaster located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. Designed by Werner Stengel, it was the first launched roller coaster manufactured by Intamin and the first of its kind in the world to be inverted. Its launch mechanism was based on linear induction motor (LIM) technology. After a series of delays, Volcano officially opened to the public on August 3, 1998. The ride's soft opening was held two days earlier on August 1.[1] A portion of the ride was enclosed inside a man-made volcano, which previously housed other attractions and was constructed in 1979. Volcano's final year of operation was in 2018, and in the off-season that followed, Kings Dominion made the sudden decision to retire the roller coaster.

Volcano: The Blast Coaster
Kings Dominion
Location	Kings Dominion
Park section	Safari Village
Coordinates	37°50′21.7″N 77°26′24.6″W
Status	Removed
Soft opening date	August 1, 1998
Opening date	August 3, 1998
Closing date	2018
Cost	$20 million
Replaced	Smurf Mountain
General statistics
Type	Steel – Inverted – Launched
Manufacturer	Intamin
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Suspended Catapult Coaster
Lift/launch system	LIM Launch
Height	155 ft (47 m)
Drop	80 ft (24 m)
Length	2,757 ft (840 m)
Speed	70 mph (110 km/h)
Inversions	4
Height restriction	54–78 in (137–198 cm)
Trains	3 trains with 4 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 16 riders per train.
Fast Lane only available
Volcano: The Blast Coaster at RCDB Pictures of Volcano: The Blast Coaster at RCDB

History

A man-made mountain, originally called The Lost World, was constructed at Kings Dominion in 1979. It was located in the Safari Village section of the park and featured three rides inside – a dark ride named Land of the Dooz, a flume ride named Voyage to Atlantis, and a Rotor flat ride from Chance Rides named Time Shaft.[2] Voyage to Atlantis was renamed Haunted River for the 1980 season. In 1984, Land of the Dooz was refurbished and rethemed to The Smurfs franchise, becoming known as Smurf Mountain. As popularity declined over the years, Smurf Mountain eventually closed permanently in 1993.[3] The other two attractions were closed after the 1994 season, and the mountain's entrance was sealed off, casting uncertainty on the enclosed area's future.[3]

Kings Dominion was acquired by Paramount Parks in 1993, and under new ownership, plans were made to renovate the mountain.[4] They considered adding a new attraction based on the upcoming 1995 film Congo from Paramount, but the theme was later abandoned after the film performed poorly at the box office.[4] In 1996, the park moved in another direction hiring Intamin to design a new roller coaster. The ride manufacturer set out to develop a launch coaster, the company's first, that would be powered by a linear induction motor (LIM). Another ride manufacturer, Premier Rides, had pioneered the concept two years earlier with the design of Flight of Fear at Kings Island. A second concept for the theme was then proposed by Shane's Amusement Attic.[3] The story focused on calling guests Lava Chasers, who were on a quest to explore the remnants of an ancient city inside a volcano.[3] Although the early ride design from this concept wasn't used, much of the proposed theme was retained.[3] Intamin came up with two launched models: an Impulse Coaster (shuttle) and a Suspended Catapult Coaster (complete-circuit). An early track design proposed by Intamin, much of which was later modified, featured a maximum speed of 75 mph (121 km/h), a 140-foot (43 m) Immelmann inversion with a 130-foot (40 m) drop, a horseshoe, two double heartline rolls, and a helix.[5]

Kings Dominion unveiled the name of the new ride, Volcano: The Blast Coaster, along with several ride specifications in a press release announcement on July 22, 1997.[6] At a cost of $20 million, the new ride would become the first launched roller coaster in the world to be inverted.[7][8] Upon completion, Volcano would also become the park's tenth roller coaster and Kings Dominion began marketing its collection of coasters as the largest on the East Coast.[9] Intamin based the prototype design on their Suspended Catapult Coaster model.[10] In order to begin construction, several holes had to be sliced into the mountain to begin the process of gutting the interior. The two attractions remaining inside – Haunted River and Time Shaft – were completely removed along with the remains of Smurf Mountain that had been idle for several years. Some of the biggest challenges included the installation of the coaster's climax, a 155-foot-tall (47 m) roll out inversion where the track exits the structure, and the mountain's peak itself, which had to be modified into a wide opening that resembled a volcano.[3]

The new coaster was plagued with a variety of technical issues long before it opened. At the time, LIM technology was still fairly new to the industry and Intamin's system was initially buggy.[11] Kings Dominion understood the challenge, having faced similar obstacles with the nearby Flight of Fear coaster.[12] Originally, Volcano only featured one LIM launch at the beginning of the ride.[3] The trains failed to exit the volcano consistently during early testing, often rolling back down to the launch area in what is typically referred to as a rollback.[3] Although Volcano's design accounted for rollbacks and allowed them to occur safely, the frequency of the problem led to multiple delays of the ride's grand opening.[3] After several months of postponing, Volcano: The Blast Coaster eventually opened to the public on August 3, 1998.[10] During its first year of operation, the park opted to run the trains at half capacity as a temporary solution, reducing the weight and the number of rollbacks. For the 1999 season, a second set of LIMs were added further along the launch track. This supplied the added boost needed to crest the 155-foot (47 m) roll out inversion on a consistent basis.[3]

In addition to being the first of its kind to use an LIM launch system, Volcano opened as the fastest inverted roller coaster in the world, reaching a maximum speed of 70 mph (110 km/h).[13] The previous record holder, Alpengeist at the nearby Busch Gardens Williamsburg, featured a top speed of 67 mph (108 km/h) and opened a year earlier in 1997.[13][14] Volcano featured a roll out at 155 feet (47 m), making it the tallest inversion on any roller coaster.[15]

Modifications

In 2014, the queue line was upgraded with a new loading station to help increase the riders per hour. Guests would now climb down the former Fast Lane entrance staircase to access the new station. The new Fast Lane entrance was located in the Expedition Gear gift shop, where guests exited the ride. Several wooden logs were attached to a black gate in the switchback area to separate the entrance and exit paths. This area received some new television screens as well. Plus, the unloading side of the station had fake rockwork.[16][17]

The station in later years

During the 2018 season, Volcano operated for the first few weeks before closing due to mechanical flaws. The ride was testing a few times, but it remained closed for the rest of the year. All ride operators were assigned to other attractions. There were several holes in the mountain as more stress was put on the track.[18] Kings Dominion was planning to order a replacement part for the coaster, but behind the scenes, the park decided that the ride was unsalvageable and had reached the end of its service life.[3]

On February 8, 2019, Kings Dominion officially announced the permanent closure of Volcano, citing issues with reliability, rider capacity, and overall customer satisfaction.[19][20] Many fans were shocked and devastated at the announcement.[20][21] At the start of the 2019 season, visitors paid tribute to the ride by turning its entrance into a makeshift memorial.[22] By May of the same year, the entire attraction was swiftly demolished, including the volcano structure.[23] A section of track, a ride vehicle and signage were later donated to the National Roller Coaster Museum.[24]

Ride experience

Volcano: The Blast Coaster in action

The fire effects

Volcano's layout simulated the path of a volcanic eruption. Upon boarding one of three trains at the base of the mountain, riders made a slow turn left out of the station. The train then moved into its first of two launch tracks, which accelerated the train to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h).[8] During the first launch, the on-ride camera took photos of the riders. After making a sweeping 200-degree turn behind the mountain, the train entered the second launch tunnel, followed by a vertical section ending in a "roll out" element. The "roll out", similar to a sidewinder, was a vertical section of track followed by a quarter loop to bring the train completely upside down, then a loose half-corkscrew. According to Roller Coaster DataBase, the roll out element was unique to Volcano.[25] The highest point of the roll out is 155 feet (47 m) above ground level, which made it the highest inversion at Kings Dominion, taller than Dominator's 135-foot (41 m) vertical loop. After the roll out, the train made a sweeping turn around the mountain followed by a heartline roll in midair. The train made another turnaround and passed through a second heartline roll, which was embedded into the side of the mountain. After another turnaround and a third heartline roll, the train made a turning 80-foot (24 m) drop into the final brake run. After a left turn, the train returned to the station.[26]

Incidents

On June 23, 2006, the roller coaster experienced a launch failure when a train carrying 15 passengers stalled and rolled back slightly. Some were stranded for more than two hours. One rider reported hearing a loud pop and getting hit in the chin with flying debris.[27][28][29]

Records

When it opened in 1998, Volcano: The Blast Coaster set a world record for having the highest inversion on a roller coaster at 155 feet (47 m). The record was held until GateKeeper opened at Cedar Point in 2013, featuring an inversion at a height of 170 feet (52 m).[30] Volcano also opened as the fastest inverted coaster in the world, reaching a maximum speed of 70 mph (110 km/h).[13] The speed was matched by Superman: Ultimate Escape at Geauga Lake in 2000 and also by Vertical Velocity at Six Flags Great America in 2001.[31][32] Wicked Twister broke the record when it opened at Cedar Point in 2002, featuring a top speed of 72 mph (116 km/h).[33]

Volcano: The Blast Coaster, Mr. Freeze, Superman: Ultimate Escape and Speed – The Ride were the second fastest launched coasters upon opening.[34][35][36] All four coasters lost this record when Hypersonic XLC opened in March 2001.[37] Plus, Volcano held the record for fastest roller coaster in Virginia before it was taken by Apollo's Chariot, a Bolliger & Mabillard hypercoaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg that featured a max speed of 73 mph (117 km/h).[38]

Rankings

Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters

Year	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Ranking	25[39]	28[40]	28[41]	23[42]	23[43]	25[44]	28[45]	33[46]	41[47]	35[48]	29 (tie)[49]	40[50]	39[51]	49 (tie)[52]

References

1. "VOLCANO OPENS WITH RAVE REVIEWS". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
2. "Kings Dominion: A Doozy on the Loose - The Washington Post".
3. "VOLCANO: An Expedition Into the Explosive Story of "The Blast Coaster"".
4. "Volcano Blast Coaster - COASTER-net".
5. "Original Designs of Volcano: The Blast Coaster Rediscovered". Coasternation.
6. "Paramounts Kings Dominion to introduce its tenth roller coaster in 1998". Paramount's Kings Dominion. July 22, 1997. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
7. Macdonald, Brady (July 1, 2015). "Top 10 roller coasters at Virginia's Kings Dominion". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
8. Kraft, Randy (August 30, 1998). "Kings Dominion's New 'Volcano' Coaster a Real Blast". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
9. "Visit Virginia's Only Active Volcano". The Charlotte Observer. April 19, 1998. Retrieved December 15, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Marden, Duane. "Volcano, The Blast Coaster  (Kings Dominion)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
11. "Coaster: Still out in the cold". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. June 29, 1997. Retrieved October 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Square D solves a Roller Coaster's Voltage Sag Problem". Schnieder Electric. Archived from the original on September 23, 2006. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
13. Curran, Colleen (February 10, 2019). "Kings Dominion Will Remove Volcano: The Blast Coaster". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
14. Marden, Duane. "Alpengeist  (Busch Gardens Williamsburg)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
15. "Volcano: The Blast Coaster to be removed from Kings Dominion".
16. "Exclusive #KD40 Celebration Preview Day".
17. "Opening Day Photo Update".
18. "Construction and Deconstruction".
19. "Park Update". Kings Dominion.
20. Tyree, Elizabeth (February 9, 2019). "Kings Dominion announces decision to remove Volcano: The Blast Coaster". WSET. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
21. Staff (February 9, 2019). "Kings Dominion to remove Volcano: The Blast Coaster". WTVR. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
22. "Theme Park Review - Photo TR: Opening Day at Kings Dominion".
23. "Kings Dominion's "Volcano" is Almost Completely Gone!".
24. "National Roller Coaster Museum Facebook post".
25. "Roller Coaster Search Results". Archived from the original on 2008-05-06. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
26. "Volcano: The Blast Coaster Pivothead POV Kings Dominion". YouTube. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
27. "Launch failure on Kings Dominion's Volcano strands 15, hurts 2". June 24, 2006. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
28. "Two injured on Volcano Ride". The Free Lance Star. 2006-06-24. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
29. Dennen, Rusty (2007-12-30). "Fredericksburg.com - Two injured on Volcano ride". fredericksburg.com. Archived from the original on 2007-12-30. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
30. "GateKeeper is breaking more records". Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
31. Marden, Duane. "Possessed  (Geauga Lake)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
32. Marden, Duane. "Vertical Velocity  (Six Flags Great America)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
33. Marden, Duane. "Wicked Twister  (Cedar Point)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
34. Marden, Duane. "Mr. Freeze  (Six Flags St. Louis)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
35. Marden, Duane. "Mr. Freeze  (Six Flags Over Texas)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
36. Marden, Duane. "Speed - The Ride  (Nascar Café)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
37. Marden, Duane. "Hypersonic XLC  (Kings Dominion)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
38. Marden, Duane. "Apollo's Chariot  (Busch Gardens Williamsburg)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
39. "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
40. "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
41. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
42. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 18–19B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
43. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
44. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
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46. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 36–37. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
47. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 32–33. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
48. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 34–35. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
49. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 38–39. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
50. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 36–37. September 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
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External links

• Official website
• Volcano, The Blast Coaster at RCDB