Dorney Park
Allentown, Pennsylvania
By Nate Kohlrusch
October 6, 2001 (morning)
Note: I use the Griswold rating scale of �3 to +5, with 0 being slightly favorable
Six strangers...five amusement parks....three days. Sounds like a new
reality television show, doesn't it? And in a way it was. There were
arguments ("Josh, call your parents so they know we're coming into
town"), disappointments (CP, SFWoA, no cheese on a stick), fallen
companions (me Sunday morning), exciting times (raving on the coasters),
frightening encounters (Beast Lips - "Have you ever ridden Raptor?
When's lunch?"), but most importantly, lots and lots of fun. I'll try to
keep the inside jokes to a minimum, but you'll just have to bare with me.
;-)
The trip started Friday afternoon, when all of us finally got together at
Josh's house in Wadsworth, Ohio (near Akron). Four of us had spent the
night at Josh's, but "resting up for the trip" didn't happen after
spending all night painting "Coaster Con" on some rather expensive ($17!)
K-Mart escaped convict costumes. A few of us had met before, but most of
us were either complete strangers or had only talked online. But there
really wasn't much time to get to know each other, as we painted the last
"Coaster Con" costume, packed the van full of all our stuff (and I mean
full), and took off towards Cedar Point. The weather was a bit cool, and
it was drizzling but nothing that should affect coaster riding. Little
did we know nothing other than Iron Dragon, Power Tower, and a few flat rides would open all night. Thanks, Cedar Point.
After spending almost three hours at Cedar Point and hardly riding a darned thing because of the "rain" (see my Cedar Point review), we packed back into the car, all of us soaking wet and pissed off. So we were off to Allentown, where we planned to grab a few hours of
sleep at a hotel and make it to Dorney Park at 10am. Somehow George
managed to drive the entire distance, but we all helped to keep him
awake. Except for Corey, that is, who slept almost the entire way. :-)
More bonding occurred, Mary Brown made an appearance (see the Blair Witch
Project), and we had an awesome rave in the van. Y'all missed out.
We pulled into Allentown at about 4am (or so) and got a deal on a suite
at the Howard Johnson ($75!) right across from Dorney Park. And after a
little battle over what time to set the alarm clock for, we crashed
pretty hard until 8am. And, while we thought Talon looked sweet at
night, we were in for a ride in the morning.
I think even George was regretting setting the alarm clock for 8am the
next morning, but somehow we all managed to drag ourselves out of bed and
make it to the park on time. I know that visiting a new park helped to
energize me and the others who hadn't been there. And I think Talon was
enough to help the others along - but more on that in a bit.
THE PARK: General Impressions. +3
Though it wasn't what I was expecting, I was fairly impressed with Dorney
Park. It was a lot smaller than I thought it would be, but still had one
heck of a confusing layout (just how many ways are there to get to the
"lower level?"). Quite frankly, there are too many paths in this park
and I never felt like I was seeing it all. The place was certainly
clean, but the park needs to put a lot of work into landscaping; much of
the park just felt too empty (especially the entrance plaza and the area
between Laser and Steel Force). I imagine that the season had some part
in this (leaves are falling from the trees), but I still think the two
aforementioned areas could use some better landscaping. (Take a look at
this picture and you'll see what I mean - where are the trees?!). The middle
areas of the park felt just right - there was a nice mix of trees,
buildings, shrubs, and rides in the areas between Hercules and
Thunderhawk. It seemed painfully obvious which areas of the park were
new and which were older, and while I really enjoyed the blend of old and
new, I wish it could all blend together somehow. I also hear that Dorney
has a history of removing its older classic rides, which is cause for
immediate loss of a few points. Still, I had a nice time at the park.
The mix of flat rides, roller coasters, and family attractions was just
about right. We only spent a four hours at Dorney Park, but crowds were really
light and we got a few re-rides on the things we wanted to.
The weather didn't look too good as we entered the park - very cold, and
very rainy, but that didn't stop us from heading straight for Talon
immediately after entering. There was absolutely no line, but the walk
over to the coaster and through the short queue allowed us to watch one
or two trains cycle through (practically empty). Knowing that I usually
prefer the backseat, and thinking that drop would be wonderfully wicked
on the left side, I took a seat in the far left back seat. The crew here
was efficient and very soon we were off and heading up the 135' tall
lift hill.
TALON - 2001 B&M Inverted coaster with 4 inversions. +4.5
As I thought, the back left is wicked on that first drop as you're
simultaneously thrown sideways and downwards, and then it's immediately
up and into the vertical loop, which produces some great G's - not quite
as many as on B:TR, but still nice. Up again and into the zero-G roll
over the station, which snaps better than any other inverted coaster I've
ridden. From there, you speed down into a little concrete trench before
being yanked up once again and into the Immelman, which tosses you to the
right just as you experience a nice float from the flip upside down. The G's
coming out of this element are great, and then you're sent into the
"inclined helix", which begins the only real slow point on the ride. But
it's not enough to really ruin anything, as soon you're quickly banked to
the left and then experience another nice float as the train pulls you
down a nice, straight drop. A quick turn to the right (and past the
camera) takes you into the flatspin, which feels more like a miniature
zero g-roll than a corkscrew (this thing *snaps*!). Finally you're
thrown into the infamous high-speed helix, which takes you completely
sideways and what feels like within arm�s reach of the woodchips below you.
The final dip and rise into the brakes is great too, providing just a
hint of airtime and bringing the ride to a nice close.
I liked Talon a
lot - right now it sits at about number eight on my top ten list (between
Batman: Knight Flight and Wild Thing). Despite what I had heard, though, Talon doesn't
come close to touching Fire Dragon or Batman: The Ride in intensity. However,
Talon is fast paced, smooth, and intense enough to please me. My only
real complaint is the section between the inclined helix and the dip
before the camera - most of Talon feels like the older, out of control
B&M rides, but this section of track is just too smooth, graceful, and
forceless to match up with the rest of the ride. Still, Talon is well
worth the trip to Dorney - and if we're getting one of these next year at
Valleyfair, I'm going to be a very, very happy guy.
After Talon, we decided to head towards the other big ride in the park,
Steel Force. On the way we passed the Wild Mouse, where the ops just
shook their heads at us - luckily they opened the ride later. Continuing
towards Steel Force, we were distracted by Hercules, and we decided to
ride and get it out of the way early.
HERCULES - 1989 Curtis D. Summers-designed wooden rollercoaster with PTC
trains. +/-0
I don't really have anything to say about this coaster other than "it
sucks." Dorney had a really annoying policy in effect in which they
blocked off the back half of their coasters. I would have liked to get a
backseat on Hercules, but I wasn't expecting anything from any seat.
After a little drop out of the station, the train meanders a bit before
heading up the large lift hill. After reaching the top, the train takes a
90-degree turn to the left and edges over the 157-foot first drop.
Unfortunately, the drop is completely ruined by a trim brake that grabs
so hard the train doesn't even begin to pick up any speed until about
half way down the drop. However, I was very thankful for the trim when
we slammed into the hard right-hand turn at the bottom. Although others
with me on the trip felt that Hercules was surprisingly smooth (compared to what
they had heard), I sat as near to the back as I could get and that turn
was just plain painful, as my back jack hammered against the seat
throughout the entire turn. From there, it's up again and into a few
hills that aren't effective in producing any airtime at all since the
speed of the ride is so killed by the trim brake on the large drop. And
as we rounded the last turn, I was really afraid we were going to valley
- the train barely made it through the turn at what felt like about 5mph.
While I don't think Dorney is that pressed for space, Hercules is a very
large waste of it.
Thankfully, Hercules didn't hurt me enough to cause any lasting pain, so
we continued on our way to Steel Force. Of course, we were again
distracted - this time by Woodstock Express (a Zamperla kiddie coaster
identical to Holiday World's "Howler"). I don't consider this a coaster
for the count, but it was still quite funny to see the entire train
filled with adults (six cars, six enthusiasts). I laughed the first time,
through, as I realized this ride has an on-ride camera! I've never seen
that on a kiddie coaster before, and it was too bad it couldn't capture
the whole train with all six of us in it.
After Woodstock, we headed over to the nearby Dominator (S&S triple tower
with one space shot, one turbo drop, and one unoccupied tower).
I really
enjoyed Dominator a lot; the turbo drop felt a bit stronger than Power
Tower and the space shot gave a much nicer pop of air than Cedar Point's (due to
the shorter height of Dorney's tower). We also grabbed a quick ride on
the Whip next door, which gave a nice long and fast ride. Kennywood's is
the only other I've been on, and I couldn't tell the difference. Maybe I
could if there wasn't a year in between visits.
After the Whip, we finally made it all the way to the other side of the
park for Steel Force. I was pretty excited for this ride because I'm a
big fan of its older brother (Wild Thing). Those of us who had ridden
it had differing opinions, which basically consisted of comparing it to
Magnum (Corey: "Magnum is great, Steel Force is crap." Brian: "Steel
Force is what Magnum wants to be."). So after all that, I hopped into
the back seat (my favorite on Wild Thing) and we were heading up the
200-foot lift hill.
STEEL FORCE - 1997 Morgan out and back hypercoaster. +3.5
There was a nice pullover on the first drop followed by some strong
positive g's at the bottom. Unfortunately, the second hill killed the
ride for me - there was no airtime and all sense of speed was lost
because it's just too darned tall. The entrance to the turnaround is a
bit awkward, but the turnaround itself is great and the G's get pretty
strong at the bottom. From there it's up and into the block brake where
a few trims lightly grab the train. The back run is fun, with each hill
giving a nice float, and I especially enjoyed the little double up into
the brakes. Though the first ride of the day wasn't too great, the ride
warmed up a lot over the next couple of hours and by the end I was
spending much of the ride out of my seat. Still, I put it a notch below
Wild Thing; a combination of the two would be great (maybe Mamba?), but
as is Wild Thing is a bit better. The second hill on Steel Force is
crappy, and really ruins the flow of the ride for me. The turnaround was
a bit stronger on the G's than Wild Thing, but overall I prefer the
figure eight on Valleyfair's coaster. Finally, Steel Force has the
better back run but its tunnels can't compare to the one on Wild Thing.
Steel Force is still a nice ride, though - nothing intense, nothing
forceful, but just plain fun (though I'd be fine calling it a "family
hypercoaster). In any case it's much, much better than Magnum (eat
some cheese on a stick, Corey).
Brian left us to go meet a friend before our second Steel Force ride, but
we met up with them a bit later. We took a couple rides on Steel Force,
then headed over to Laser. Again, there was no wait and we were on in no
time.
LASER - 1986 Schwarzkopf double loop. +5
For its size, age, and style, this ride is perfect. It's probably the
most forceful small ride I've ever ridden, if not the most forceful ride
period. I like the new paint job - much better than the older pictures
I've seen online. Anyway, on with the ride! After a very, very slow
lift (it takes more than a minute to climb 93 feet!), you're sent
spiraling down a sharply banked right-hand drop. There are massive
positive G's at the bottom, which continue all the way through the
back-to-back vertical loops - forces galore! Then you're slammed into a
tight left-hand upwards helix, bursting through the middle of the second
vertical loop, which is followed by an even tighter right-hand downwards
helix. You hit the brakes with lots of excess speed and finally get some
time to adjust to not moving (are those stars I see??!). I would like to
ride this ride all day, but there's no way I could (and this thing gets
faster as the day goes on!). The only ride that makes me gray out like
this is the horrendous Six Flags Great America Shockwave! Riding this coaster really made
me sad that we're losing more and more Schwarzkopf masterpieces each
year. Hopefully some company will one day have the balls to create more
rides like Laser, because I think we've all had enough with the forceless
rides.
After Laser, we grabbed a quick ride on the Dragon Coaster (again, not a
counter for me) and were disappointed they wouldn't let us on the Little
Laser (who made this?). Jeremy thought he spotted a Burger King in the
park, but it turns out it was just a kiddie playground and not a Burger King
playpit. Bummer. (Okay, bad joke, but I though it was hilarious).
Next, we decided to hop on the nearby Thunderhawk before meeting up with
Brian. Dorney's annoying policy was in effect here, so I couldn't get
the backseat that I wanted. It really pissed me off here, though,
because the back half wasn't even blocked off - the op told me after I
had sat down. Grrrr... So I took a seat near the front with the rest of
the gang.
THUNDERHAWK - 1923 Herb Schmeck (and the PTC) figure eight/out & back
woodie with 3-bench PTC trains. +2
This coaster looks like it has a lot of potential, but unfortunately it has
been ruined by a few trim brakes. I don't know if the ride has ever been
reprofiled (besides the layout change in 1930), but it sure feels like
it has been in places. One drop and climb in particular sticks out in my
mind where the track is banked the entire stretch in preparation for an
upcoming turn that just doesn't feel natural; rather, it feels just like
the work of a reprofile. The ride begins with an odd run out to the lift
in a concrete trench. The first drop curves to the left and gives a nice
pop of air. The second hill is long and but low to the ground and gives
some decent floating air. Then it's up into the first turnaround, then
down, and up again into the second turnaround. There's another drop (I
believe this is the unusually banked one) and up again into the third
turnaround. The problem with all these drops and climbs into turnarounds
is that there's little to no air in the front. The back may give some
here, though I wouldn't know it (thanks, Dorney!). Finally you drop out
of the last turnaround and into what looks like a nice, fast, and hilly
return run. But then a trim brake latches onto the train, slowing it to
a crawl and destroying any and all airtime that should be present on the
return run. As I said in the beginning, there is certainly a lot of
potential here but Dorney has ruined it with trims (is there another one
earlier on?). It's even worse because Dorney lacks a good wooden
coaster, and Thunderhawk could be it (with some work).
As we exited Thunderhawk, it was time to get rid of our coats, as the
rain had stopped a while ago and the sun had started warming the air
nicely. We met up with Brian at some point, though I don't remember
exactly when (yes, it was a loong weekend). On the way to the park
entrance we passed the wild mouse which was finally open, meaning this
would round out all the coasters for us. So after a brief wait (less
than five minutes) we all paired up and took a ride.
WILD MOUSE - 2000 Maurer Sohne wild mouse. +2
The rating may be a bit misleading - this ride is in no way unpleasant.
But it's just not fun to me, either - I've never been a fan of wild mice.
This particular one was braked pretty heavily, which is fine by me,
because it saves a lot of the slamming back and forth (and later up and
down). Are there people out there who actually really, really enjoy wild
mice? I'd like to think there are better small coasters out there.
After the wild mouse we hit up Talon a bit more, then went out to the car
to shed our jackets and grab our cameras. We split for the rest of the
day at this point - Corey, Jeremy, and Josh went to take Talon pictures
while George, Brian, Brian's friend (sorry - I'm really not that bad with
names!), and I went to grab some lunch. I caught a few more rides on
Steel Force and Laser, and some nice final rides on Talon. The weather
turned beautiful - a bit cool, but it was sunny enough to keep everyone
comfortable. Overall I had a great time at Dorney and will probably make
it back there next year.
All together, it was a fantastic trip, and I couldn't have asked for a
better group of guys to spend the time with. Beware....a reunion in 2002 is coming. ;-)
Thanks to George and Brian for doing the driving during the trip, as we
would have been screwed without you.
Thanks to Josh (and parents) for the place to stay Thursday and Sunday
nights.
...and thanks to all five of you (Josh, Jeremy, Brian, George, and Corey)
for a great time. See ya' next year!
-Nate
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