Demon (Six Flags Great America)
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| The Demon | |
 Red train navigating the first of two corkscrew loops. |
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| Location | Six Flags Great America |
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| Type | Steel |
| Status | Open |
| Opened | May 29, 1976 |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics |
| Model | Custom Looping Coaster |
| Lift/launch system | Chain Lift Hill |
| Height | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Drop | 90 ft (27 m) |
| Length | 2,130 ft (650 m) |
| Max speed | 45 mph (72 km/h) |
| Inversions | 4 |
| Duration | 1 min 21 s |
| Max vertical angle | 54° |
| Capacity | 1300 riders per hour |
| Height restriction | 3 ft 6 in (107 cm) |
| The Demon at RCDB Pictures of The Demon at RCDB |
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The Demon is a multi-looping roller coaster at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, IL with an identical twin at California's Great America in Santa Clara, CA. Both coasters opened in 1976 as Turn of the Century and were heavily rethemed and renamed as The Demon in 1980.
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[edit] Turn of the Century
Turn of the Century opened with Marriott's Great America in 1976 and was designed by Arrow Development of Clearfield, Utah. It was painted white and was one of the first roller coasters to feature a double corkscrew.[1] It also featured two airtime hills after the first drop. The hills were infamous for ejecting loose articles from the trains such as hats, sunglasses and stuffed animals.[1] The ride was custom-built for both parks.
[edit] The Demon
After the 1979 season, Turn of the Century was heavily modified. The two airtime hills after the first drop were removed and replaced with a pair of back to back vertical loops and a lighted tunnel. Fake rock formations were built around the second loop and around the first half of the lift hill, with a third formation just before the corkscrews. The entire ride was painted black and was renamed The Demon. In addition to the re-design, the theme was changed as well. Fog machines were placed in the tunnels, blood red colored water fell out of the rock formation by the corkscrews and a unique logo was unveiled. The original trains were also modified. A three-dimensional logo was attached to the front car of each train and flames were painted on the sides of the cars.
The storyline of the ride's transformation heard in The Demon soundtrack is that the park accidentally missed three payments on the roller coaster, and that the Demon has repossessed the ride.
For a period in the 80s, the Demon at Six Flags Great America was branded with the Looney Tunes Tasmanian Devil character.
[edit] The Demon soundtrack
When the Demon first opened in 1980 the speakers placed throughout the ride's line played the Demon's own soundtrack. The soundtrack included the infamous "Demon Song", which was specially written for the Great America parks and was also very memorable. Along with the song there were fake radio broadcasts, some about people who reported to have seen the demon, 1 report about a US Army captain named "Bucky McMacho" bombing the ride, and a few with people trying to lure the demon out of the ride in very strange ways.
Sometime in the 1980s or 1990s the song disappeared and was thought to have been lost forever. Bits and pieces of the sound effects in the soundtrack, however, were still used in the first tunnel before the lift hill. In mid-2005 the original song resurfaced when it was posted on a Marriott's Great America fan site's discussion boards.[2] The song also resurfaced at Six Flags Great America for the park's annual Fright Fest Halloween event. Waukegan News Sun reporter Dan Moran mentioned remembering the song back in the 1980s in an article about Fright Fest 2005. He also recalled how annoying the song would get when waiting more than an hour to ride. The soundtrack has become popular in the roller coaster enthusiast community. In 2007 the music went silent in the line but was heard in the 1st tunnel before the lift. In 2008, the soundtrack returned to the line but was not used in the 1st tunnel. In 2009, the soundtrack remained in the queue and was added back to the 1st tunnel. It is also played on every half an hour over the main speakers during Fright Fest.
[edit] The Gurnee accident
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A major incident on the Six Flags Great America Demon roller coaster occurred on Saturday, April 18, 1998. Twenty-three riders were left stranded upside-down after the black train came to an unexpected halt in the middle of one of the vertical loops. Firefighters used a cherry picker to bring the passengers to safety. Some riders were stuck for nearly three hours. Four passengers were taken to local hospitals out of precaution but released that afternoon.
Investigators concluded that the incident was caused by mechanical failure. A guide wheel that runs along the inside of the track separated from the axle of the last car. A mechanical safety system built into the wheel assembly engaged, preventing the train from derailing.
The roller coaster reopened shortly after the conclusion of the investigation.
[edit] Theming Restoration
Most of the theming for the Demon in Illinois was removed over time due to numerous complaints about the ride being too "devilish". Theming elements that would be removed by 1990 included the drain pipe on the sign, 3D logos and flames on the trains, smoke and lighting effects, and the ride's soundtrack. Another major change made to the ride's theming was the lighted tunnel after the loops. The original lighting effect was a swirl around the train as it flew by, but vandals would sneak rocks on board and throw them at the lights above, shattering them and putting other guests in danger. This problem was solved by removing the top lights in the tunnel and the sequence was changed to a chaser light effect.
For Six Flags Great America's Fright Fest event in 2005 almost all of the Demon's original theming returned. Decals similar to the original logos were added to the noses of the trains, fog returned in the tunnels, the Demon Song played in the queue again, red lights shined around the ride, and tiki torches were placed all around the ride.
A re-creation of the original sign was present at Fright Fest. Built from an oil barrel with red lights and fog, it was placed in the flower bed in front of the original sign.
On the parks's 2006 opening day, the Demon song continued playing in the queue, the decals were still on the front of the trains, and the flames were still painted on the station. The rest of the theming is for Fright Fest Only.
For 2007, the Demon logos on the front of the trains were updated. The decals of the original Marriott-era logo were replaced with new airbrushed logos similar to the originals. The updated logos feature meaner looking demon eyes, flames, and on the yellow train, fangs. In June 2007, the red train was placed back on the track after an extensive rehab beginning late in the 2005 season.
Also in June 2007, the Demon sign received new airbrush-painted flames on the DEMON letters, and the flowers in front of the sign were re-arranged to look like flames. In July 2007, all of the signs in the queue were repainted to look more themed to the ride. New fencing was also built around the Demon sign hill to prevent young guests from climbing on the sign. In 2008, all theming returned from last year's Fright Fest but fog was put in every tunnel and in the queue. However, grey paint replaced the flames in the station in the last weekend of Fright Fest. For 2009, sound effects returned to the 1st tunnel but flames were not repainted on the station. After memorial day, Demon's black train was put back on track. It was given airbrushed flames on the sides of the front car with no red stripe.
[edit] Current rides
Today both Demons continue to operate although not quite as popular as it once was making it easy to get a quick ride. Demon usually runs with two trains, although it can run with three trains on busy days. The Demon at Six Flags Great America is much like its twin at California's Great America, but while as of 2008 the California version lacks the rocks around the second loop, and lights in the 2nd tunnel. The Illinois version still has the rock formation and lights in the 2nd tunnel.
[edit] External links
- Turn of the Century Info
- Photo of the original Demon sign
- Demon info on SFGAm World
- Demon History on GREAT AMERICA parks
- Visit the Demon on Myspace
[edit] References
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