Twisted Timbers

Twisted Timbers
Twisted Timbers' lift hill and sign
Kings Dominion
Park section Candy Apple Grove
Coordinates 37°50′10.81″N 77°26′44.29″W / 37.8363361°N 77.4456361°W / 37.8363361; -77.4456361
Status Operating
Soft opening date March 23, 2018 (2018-03-23)
Opening date March 24, 2018 (2018-03-24)
Replaced Hurler
General statistics
Type Steel
Manufacturer Rocky Mountain Construction
Designer Alan Schilke
Model I-Box
Track layout Triple out and back
Lift/launch system Chain lift hill
Height 111 ft (34 m)
Drop 109 ft (33 m)
Length 3,351 ft (1,021 m)
Speed 54 mph (87 km/h)
Inversions 3
Height restriction 48 in (122 cm)
Trains 2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Website Official website
Fast Lane Plus available
Wheelchair accessible
Must transfer from wheelchair
Twisted Timbers at RCDB
Pictures of Twisted Timbers at RCDB

Twisted Timbers, formerly known as Hurler, is a steel roller coaster located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), the ride opened to the public on March 24, 2018. Following the closure of Hurler in 2015, RMC was hired to refurbish the aging roller coaster. It was converted from wood to steel utilizing the company's I-Box track technology, allowing for more aggressive elements including three overbanked turns, three inversions, and twenty airtime moments. Twisted Timbers is also faster than its predecessor, reaching a maximum speed of 54 mph (87 km/h).[1]

History

In 2016, Kings Dominion began to tease that Hurler, a roller coaster which had been closed since 2015, would reopen in 2018. The park also alluded to an upcoming renovation and conversion by Rocky Mountain Construction with the message, "There's really more coming."[2]. On August 16, 2017, Kings Dominion confirmed Hurler would reemerge as Twisted Timbers and open to the public in 2018.[3] The official announcement came in a press release that featured promotional artwork for the ride as well as ride specifications.[4]

The park scheduled a soft opening on March 22, 2018, for media and members of the enthusiast group American Coaster Enthusiasts,[5] with a second soft opening scheduled the following day for season ticket holders. However, due to inclement weather on March 21, both planned soft openings were held on March 23.[6] The grand opening to the public was held on March 24, 2018.[7]

Construction

When Hurler closed in fall 2015, no signs of renovation were detected. However, on March 25, 2017, Rocky Mountain Construction track was spotted in a storage yard at the park.[8] Amateur drone footage taken four days later revealed that track removal on the old structure had begun.[9] On May 20, new wood and steel supports appeared on the old structure for the first time.[10] Exactly one month later, the park tweeted the first in a series of teasers which set the ride's announcement date for August 16.[11] On August 8, slightly over a week before the formal announcement and three days before ride details leaked onto social media,[12] the ride's lift hill, its highest point, was topped off.[13]

After a winter hiatus, the final track pieces and two custom trains were installed on February 17, 2018, with the signatures of the park's full-time employees placed on the final piece as an "Easter egg".[14] Kings Dominion tested the completed attraction for the first time on February 21.[15] On March 20, four days before the ride's scheduled grand opening, its two trains, one with a blue paint scheme and the other green, tested together.[16]

Characteristics

Twisted Timbers, previously known as Hurler, is located in the Candy Apple Grove section of Kings Dominion. The roller coaster takes riders to a height of 111 feet (34 m) before entering a barrel roll inversion and dropping them 109 feet (33 m) down the first hill. It reaches a maximum speed of 54 mph (87 km/h), features twenty airtime moments with three overbanked turns, and takes riders through two additional inversions including a cutback and zero-g roll.[17][18]

StatisticHurler[19]Twisted Timbers[17]
Years1994–20152018–present
ManufacturerInternational Coasters, Inc.Rocky Mountain Construction
TrackWoodSteel
Height83 ft (25 m)111 ft (34 m)
Length3,157 ft (962 m)3,351 ft (1,021 m)[20]
Speed50 mph (80 km/h)54 mph (87 km/h)
Inversions03

Incidents

On June 10th, 2018, a woman from Chesterfield, Virginia got hit in the forehead by a cellphone while riding Twisted Timbers. She was later taken to the hospital and received three stitches.[21]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Twisted Timbers | New Wooden Coaster | Kings Dominion". www.kingsdominion.com. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  2. ↑ http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-tr-rocky-mountain-cedar-point-kings-dominion-20161027-story.html
  3. ↑ Hylton, David. "Kings Dominion plans new coaster, winter event for 2018". Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  4. ↑ "New "Hybrid" Roller Coaster and Winterfest Holiday Event Coming to Kings Dominion in 2018". Cedar Fair. August 16, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Twisted Timbers Media Day - ACE Registration Kings Dominion". www.kingsdominion.com. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  6. ↑ "Watch Twisted Timbers Opening Ceremony". Facebook. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  7. ↑ "Opening Day 2018". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  8. ↑ Blanchard, Carter (2017-03-25). "Rocky Mountain Construction Track Spotted at Kings Dominion". Coaster Hub. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  9. ↑ John Kleindl (2017-03-29), RMC Hurler Update #2, retrieved 2017-08-16
  10. ↑ "KDFans.com". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  11. ↑ Dominion, Kings (2017-06-20). "816. Just remember... things aren't always what they seem.pic.twitter.com/L3tne13Mf1". @KingsDominionVA. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  12. ↑ "[SPOILERS] Possible Kings Dominion 2018 Leak • r/rollercoasters". reddit. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  13. ↑ Schnizer, Chris (2017-08-08). "Hurler is now topped off". Facebook. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  14. ↑ "Kings Dominion - It's official..." Facebook. 2018-02-17. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  15. ↑ "Twisted Timbers Test Run". Facebook. 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  16. ↑ John Kleindl (2018-03-20), Multiple Test Runs on Kings Dominion's Twisted Timbers, retrieved 2018-03-22
  17. 1 2 Marden, Duane. "Twisted Timbers  (Kings Dominion)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  18. ↑ Coming to Kings Dominion in 2018 -- Twisted Timbers. Kings Dominion. August 17, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  19. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Hurler  (Kings Dominion)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  20. ↑ "What's New for 2018!". Kings Dominion. 2017-08-23. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  21. ↑ "Woman injured by flying cell phone on roller coaster". Kmov St. Louis. June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
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