Thunderhead (roller coaster)

Coordinates: 35°47′48″N 83°31′55″W / 35.79667°N 83.53194°W / 35.79667; -83.53194
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Thunderhead
Thunderhead's logo and two Golden Tickets for the Best Wooden Roller Coaster
Dollywood
LocationDollywood
Park sectionTimber Canyon
Coordinates35°47′48″N 83°31′55″W / 35.79667°N 83.53194°W / 35.79667; -83.53194
StatusOperating
Opening dateApril 3, 2004 (2004-04-03)
Cost$7 million
General statistics
TypeWood
ManufacturerGreat Coasters International
DesignerMike Boodley
Track layoutTwister roller coaster
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height100.4 ft (30.6 m)
Drop100 ft (30 m)
Length3,230 ft (980 m)
Speed53.7 mph (86.4 km/h)
Inversions0
Duration2:30
Max vertical angle60°
Height restriction48–76 in (122–193 cm)
Trains12 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train.
TimeSaver Pass available
Must transfer from wheelchair
Thunderhead at RCDB

Thunderhead is a wooden roller coaster located at Dollywood amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Manufactured by Great Coasters International, the ride opened on April 3, 2004, as the anchor attraction of a new section added to the park that season called Thunderhead Gap. Thunderhead features 22 turns and 32 crossovers,[1] and utilizes GCI's Millennium Flyer trains, which have been used on all GCI coasters since 1999.

History[edit]

On June 26, 2003, Dollywood unveiled plans for a third coaster addition to the park called Thunderhead for the 2004 season, following Tennessee Tornado, which opened in 1999.[2] Thunderhead officially opened to the public on April 3, 2004.[3]

The ride was named after Thunderhead Mountain, a peak within the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park that was heavily logged during the early 19th century.[citation needed] Thunderhead is a slang term in the American South for Cumulonimbus clouds.[citation needed]

Ride experience[edit]

The train exits the station and turns right. From there, it makes its way through a left turn and climbs the 100.4-foot (30.6 m) chain lift hill. Upon reaching the top, the train drops 100 feet (30 m) to the right at 53.7 miles per hour (86.4 km/h). Riders go through a right-handed banked turn after the drop. This is followed by a left-handed curve. Next, the train approaches a right turn, heading towards an on-ride camera, which takes photos of the riders. After a 180-degree right turn, riders go through a fly-through station element while traveling 40 miles per hour (64 km/h). The train makes a loud noise as it travels 8 feet (2.4 m) above the station. It then goes through a left-handed curve. A smaller airtime hill leads to a 270-degree helix. Riders then go through a right turn and a left turn before hitting the brakes. The train slowly turns 90 degrees to the right, passing by the transfer track. This is followed by a 180-degree left turn that leads back to the station, where riders exit the train.

Construction data[edit]

  • 700,000 board feet of Southern Yellow Pine
  • 3600 yards of concrete
  • 250,000 bolts
  • 2,000,000 screws
  • 185,000 feet of steel rebar[4]

Rankings[edit]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023
Ranking 6[5] 1[6] 1[7] 2[8] 2[9] 5[10] 5[11] 5[12] 4[13] 5[14] 5[15] 5[16] 7[17] 8[18] 10[19] 11[20] 10[21] 10[22] 4[23]
NAPHA Survey: Favorite Wood Roller Coaster[24]
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Ranking
4
4
3
3
3

Gallery[edit]

  • Thunderhead's second drop
    Thunderhead's second drop
  • Thunderhead's first airtime hill
    Thunderhead's first airtime hill
  • Thunderhead's station fly-through
    Thunderhead's station fly-through
  • Thunderhead's drop after its station fly-through
    Thunderhead's drop after its station fly-through

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Thunderhead (Dollywood) :: ThrillNetwork.com". Archived from the original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
  2. ^ "New Wooden Coaster To Roll Into Dollywood For 2004 Season". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  3. ^ Marden, Duane. "Thunderhead  (Dollywood)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  4. ^ "Thunderhead (Dollywood) :: ThrillNetwork.com". Archived from the original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
  5. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  6. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 22–23B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  7. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 30–31B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  8. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 42–43. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  9. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 42–43. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  10. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 38–39. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  11. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 38–39. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  12. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 46–47. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  13. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  14. ^ "2013 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 40–41. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  15. ^ "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  16. ^ "2015 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 45–46. September 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  17. ^ "2016 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  18. ^ "2017 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  19. ^ "2018 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  20. ^ "2019 Top 50 Wood Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  21. ^ "2021 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2021. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  22. ^ "2022 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2022. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  23. ^ "2023 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Amusement Today. 27 (6.2): 71–72. September 2023. Archived from the original on September 10, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  24. ^ "Member Survey". napha.org.
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