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Here are some of the coasters, and what
we think of them, at Dorney Park.
- Originally named Colossus, then Lazer, the currently-named Laser is actually
a portable roller coaster. Built by Anton Schwarzkopf and held down by giant
tanks of water, this tight and fast steel packs quite a punch into its tiny
layout. Two vertical loops and a series of tight turns produce such high
g-forces that Jon nearly blacks out almost every time we ride this. But in a
good way. This is a very fun ride, but you can't select a seat: you have to
take the first available row, based on your position in the queue.
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- The Yellow Coaster, as it was sometimes called, was originally built in 1923.
Although, like many old woodies, it has been modified a bit over the years,
this coaster is still a wonderful ride. Its first drop doesn't lead immediately
into the second hill; instead, the train hugs the ground for a while before
suddenly rising up, sharply, into the first turnaround. The track continues to
twist and turn in unexpected ways. Various sources describe the layout as a
double out-and-back or a figure-eight, but the course doesn't fit neatly in a
category. That's part of what makes this ride fun; you never really know what's
going to hit you next.
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- Towering over ThunderHawk is Steel Force. The first drop of this bright red
monster goes down 205 feet and the train tops 75 miles per hour! But even at
the speeds this train reaches, it still takes 3 minutes to cover the mile of
track.
Steel Force is nearly identical to Cedar Point's Magnum
XL-200, but is noticeably smoother. It also has a different turnaround;
Steel Force has a high-speed spiral that curls around nearly two full
revolutions - while dropping - pushing you back into your seat with a lot of
force before starting the return trip. Another excellent part of Steel Force
comes right after the turnaround. The train begins the return trip by rising up
onto a block brake on a section of flat, straight track (the brake is hardly
ever on). At the end of this flat run, the train drops suddenly
and sharply. It leaves you, literally, hanging in mid-air, and then continues
on into a series of 3 air-time-filled bunny hops.
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- Wild Mouse
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A typical Wild Mouse coaster with no giant lift hill, no inversions, or other
unusual features. What it does have is single-car trains that carry up to four
people around a quick series of drops, dips, hills, and sharp curves that makes
this an exciting high-speed ride.
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- It's difficult to choose a single "favorite" coaster, especially since
different coaster styles are difficult to compare. But we'll call Talon our
favorite steel looper. Like our former favorite ride,
Batman, Talon is an inverted coaster by the master Swiss coaster makers
B&M. And like all B&Ms, it's smooth and fun. It's also got a great mix of
inversions, plenty of powerful forces, and noticeable airtime during it's long
and brakeless run. Although it doesn't leave us dizzy, it does leave us wanting
more.
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- Hydra
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- Despite its pedigree (it's another
B&M), Hyrdra just doesn’t deliver a top-flight experience. It's by no means a
bad coaster, just a little dull. Although it looks extreme with its multiple
inversions and floorless, open-car design, the ride itself is a little bit
mild. It's not very tall, never builds up great speed, and delivers precious
little air (although, to be fair, our only rides were on a cold fall morning).
It's probably a good "family" coaster that even younger kids can enjoy.
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There were other coasters at this park
that have since been removed. Some are described below.
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How it was:
When Hercules was built in 1989, it held the record for, we think, largest drop
on a wooden coaster in the world. It achieved this by taking advantage of the
local topography.
The lift hill on this giant woodie was impressive enough - it reached 95 feet
high. But the rest of the track was hidden by trees, so what came after the
lift was a bit of a mystery. Well, when the train crested the lift hill you
finally realized what all the excitement was about. The coaster was built on
the side of a hill, so that even though we'd gone up 95 feet, there's then a
drop of 157 feet down the side of the hill toward a lake.
Jon was lucky enough to ride this during its second season and remembers the
ride this way:
As the train went down that huge (at that time) hill, it picked up speed the
whole way. About two-thirds of the way down, I remember thinking, "Wow, this
should be over by now." But of course, we kept plunging and picking up speed
the rest of the way. I also noticed, at about the same time, that the curve in
the track at the bottom of the hill (about 180 degrees, skimming the surface of
the lake) seemed way too sharp to be navigated at the 60+ mph we were going. It
actually scared me a bit, until we entered the curve itself and I finally
noticed how sharply banked the track was and realized we were going to live. We
flew through the curve, up into the next hill, and on to the rest of the
course. It was a high-powered and intense ride.
By the time the ride was torn down in 2003, it had changed:
This was one of the worst roller coasters still standing at that time. At the
top of the first hill, there was a brake that didn't let go until the back end
of the train had completely crested the lift. As a result, the train simply
meandered through the course with barely enough momentum to finish, let alone
create an enjoyable ride. The banked curves were clearly designed to handle
trips with higher speeds, so you tilted way over when you trundled through the
curves. At least, when it was so slow, it was not as rough as it had been in
previous years.
In Greek mythology, Hercules vanquished the nine-headed serpent Hydra. In
Dorney Park, Hyrdra survives and obtains his revenge. Hydra now stands on the
spot where Hercules used to run. You can still see some of the footers for the
old wooden coaster out in the lake.
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