Shockwave (Kings Dominion)

Shockwave
The vertical loop element and station building
Location	Kings Dominion
Park section	The Grove
Coordinates	37°50′19″N 77°26′41″W
Status	Operating
Opened	1986
Type	Steel - Stand-up
Manufacturer	TOGO
Designer	TOGO
Model	stand-up
Track layout	custom
Height	95 ft (29 m)
Drop	84 ft (26 m)
Length	2,231 ft (680 m)
Max speed	50 mph (80 km/h)
Inversions	1
Duration	2:00
Max vertical angle	52°
Capacity	960 riders per hour
Max G force	3.9
Height restriction	4 ft 6 in (137 cm)
Shockwave at RCDB
Pictures of Shockwave at RCDB
Amusement Parks Portal

Shockwave is a stand-up roller coaster at Kings Dominion. Although not the first of its kind upon opening in 1986, closures elsewhere have since rendered it the oldest currently operating stand-up roller coaster in the United States.

History

The site on which Shockwave stands was formerly home to the Galaxie roller coaster, a small steel coaster of the S.D.C. Galaxi model. However, on September 11, 1983, an incident on the coaster resulted in the fatal injury of 13-year-old Daniel Watkins. The incident was used as the primary example of unsafe rides in local press coverage of the concurrent U.S. Senate hearings on amusement ride safety and regulation. Rather than reopen the attraction, Kings Dominion dismantled and sold it, to Myrtle Beach Pavilion where it operated until 2006 as the Galaxi.

To replace the Galaxie, Kings Dominion recruited Japanese manufacturer TOGO to build a compact steel stand-up coaster. Shockwave opened in 1986, and has run continuously since. The station design is noted for the use of an unusual technique; the station floor is not level, instead tilting down toward the front. This eliminates the need to propel dispatched trains onto the track circuit, instead relying on gravity to roll the train out of the station. The tilt of the station is easily seen in photos such as this one.

A train on the double-helix element

Though popular around its opening, the attraction is seen by many as a rough, uncomfortable and even painful ride. Despite this, its unique stand-up design and oldest-in-operation status have earned it a fanbase and level of popularity at the park which it maintains to this day.

Theming

The trains were painted blue with yellow restraints, and the station with natural-toned stain and paint. For the park's 25th anniversary in 2000, the entire ride was painted in non-standard scheme, neon colors. The superstructure and main rail were painted periwinkle, with the running rails alternating patches of aquamarine and orange. The trains were repainted orange, and the station in the same neon colors as the track. In 2011, they repainted Shockwave green for the tracks and teal for the supports.

Incidents

Main article: Incidents at Cedar Fair parks

On the evening of August 23, 1999, a 20-year-old man was thrown from the train's final turn at speeds of 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) sustaining a fatal head injury upon contact with a steel walkway. Shockwave and two similar rides at other Paramount amusement parks were immediately closed. The event was originally reported as "an accident [that] resulted in the death of one park visitor," but further investigation proved otherwise. Bolstered by numerous eyewitness accounts, the cause was later attributed to the victim's disregard of park safety rules as he was seen intentionally freeing himself from restraints. In addition, an inspection found the safety restraints to be working properly at the time of the accident. Shockwave was reopened three days later on August 26, 1999.

Less than one year after the 1999 death, a 13-year-old boy, concerned that he was not properly fastened into his restraints, intentionally slipped out of them as the train was ascending the lift hill. He jumped onto the adjacent maintenance catwalk and escaped serious injury.