Park section Scotland Opening date May 20, 1978 Manufacturer Arrow Dynamics Height 40 m Max speed 97 km/h | Status Operating Type Steel Designer Ron Toomer Height restriction 1.22 m | |
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Address 1 Busch Gardens Blvd, Williamsburg, VA 23185, USA Park Busch Gardens Williamsburg Similar Griffon, Alpengeist, Apollo's Chariot, Verbolten, Big Bad Wolf | ||
The Loch Ness Monster is a steel roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, noted at the time of its opening in 1978 as the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster, as well as the first coaster with two interlocking loops.
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The Loch Ness remains the only roller coaster with two interlocking loops — other similar designs having been dismantled. In addition to the loops, which link over one of the park's water features, the design includes a helix tunnel, two lift hills and a 114-foot (35 m) drop. The ride sits within the park's Scottish-themed Heatherdown, relates the legend of the Loch Ness monster and suggests the serpent inhabits its underwater caves.
The ride is classified as Coaster Landmark by American Coaster Enthusiasts and marked its 35th anniversary in 2013.
Layout
The ride begins with a pre-recorded welcome, departs the station and ascends a 130-foot (40 m) lift hill with a small, tight turn (with views of Griffon's lift hill and first drop) before descending 114-foot (35 m) to one of the park's water features, the so-called Rhine River. A large upward hill crosses over the park's 'Land of the Dragons', bringing the ride to the first of two interlocking loops, after which the ride accelerates through a descending, spiraling tunnel.
The train descends 2.75 spiraling revolutions before exiting the specially lit tunnel, subsequently ascending its second lift hill, making a wide turn and dropping into the second loop – ascending a last time before stopping. *The lights in the tunnel have not been turned on for years. Many of the current employees aren't even aware that there are lights in the tunnel yet many long time fans of the ride fondly recall them.
History
Busch Gardens Williamsburg opened in 1975 with one roller coaster, Glissade. In 1976, with the opening of the Oktoberfest portion of the park, two new rollercoasters were added; Das Kätzchen (German for "The Kitten"), a children's coaster, and its adult counterpart, Die Wildkatze. However, neither Glissade nor Die Wildkatze were considered major roller coasters. Then general manager John B. Roberts announced the plans to build an ambitious, major roller coaster for the park for the 1978 season. In his 1978 press release, Roberts boasted highly of the record breaking ride, stating "There has never been anything like it. For openers, it’s the tallest and fastest coaster-style ride with the steepest drop in the world... and the only one with interlocking loops. On top of that, part of it’s in total darkness.”
During construction, a section of track leading from the bottom of the second loop to the brake run before the station was incorrectly formed, bending left, instead of right. Workers heated the track to physically bend it to the correct position, resulting in a sharp bump, which remains perceptible to riders.
The ride was originally designed with four trains with six cars per train. Designers realized that promptly dispatching the trains would be problematic and revised the layout to three trains with seven cars per train. An extra fourth train is usually parked under the ride's main station.
The ride officially opened on May 20, 1978 and due to its popularity and historical significance — as the first coaster with interlocking loops, the tallest and fastest coaster at the time of its construction — the American Coaster Enthusiasts designated the Loch Ness Monster an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark on June 17, 2003.
For decades of its operation, the ride timed two trains to cross at the intersecting loops simultaneously, though this is no longer the case. Safety restraints and the operating system have been upgraded, and the original manually operated station brakes have been upgraded to a computer-controlled system.
For the 15th anniversary of the ride's opening, the parachuting Elvis impersonators known as the "flying Elvi" parachuted into Busch Gardens, subsequently riding the Loch Ness Monster in full costume.
Incidents
On June 13, 1989, a Loch Ness train collided with a downed tree. Just after two trains had left the station, operators learned of a rapidly approaching storm and began shutting down the ride, unaware of a downed tree crossing the tracks. The front train carried 25 passengers, with five receiving injuries, including a 16-year old who suffered a broken leg.
Riders on the front train feared a collision with the second train approaching from behind, which carried no passengers. The ride's safety systems intervened to prevent a collision. A subsequent $2 million lawsuit claimed a rider suffered internal injuries, the rider ultimately receiving $250,000.
In June 1992, two riders claimed the special misting water effect at ride's tunnel entrance was caustic and temporarily blinding — causing emotional distress. A park public relations manager testified the mist sprayed only water – and had been subsequently removed, independent of the suit, for unknown reason.