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Talon (roller coaster)

Coordinates: 40°34′44″N 75°31′48″W / 40.579°N 75.53°W / 40.579; -75.53
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Talon
Talon's steeply-banked, low-to-the-ground turn at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
LocationDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Coordinates40°34′44″N 75°31′48″W / 40.579°N 75.53°W / 40.579; -75.53
StatusOperating
Opening dateMay 5, 2001 (2001-05-05)
Cost$13,000,000 USD
General statistics
TypeSteel – Inverted
ManufacturerBolliger & Mabillard
DesignerWerner Stengel
ModelInverted Coaster
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height135 ft (41 m)
Drop120 ft (37 m)
Length3,110 ft (950 m)
Speed58 mph (93 km/h)
Inversions4
Duration2:00
Max vertical angle50°
Capacity1200 riders per hour
G-force4.5
Height restriction54 in (137 cm)
Trains2 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train.
Fast Lane available
Talon at RCDB

Talon: The Grip of Fear, or simply Talon, is an inverted roller coaster located at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Dorneyville, Pennsylvania. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) and designed by Werner Stengel at a cost of $13 million, Talon opened to the public in 2001 and was marketed as the tallest and longest inverted coaster in the Northeastern United States. It stands 135-foot (41 m) tall, reaches a maximum speed of 58 mph (93 km/h), and features four inversions.[1][2]

History

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On April 28, 2000, Dorney Park announced that a 135-foot-tall (41 m) inverted roller coaster with four inversions would be built for the 2001 season.[3] No further details were given until August 30, 2000, when Dorney Park fully announced the ride, including its name, Talon.[2] The ride would be the Northeast's longest inverted roller coaster and would be built on a portion of land set aside for a major attraction by Cedar Fair when they purchased the park in 1992.[4] Construction began on September 5, 2000[1][2] and continued through the winter.[5] The first parts of Talon to be put into place were the brake run and transfer track in October 2000.[6] The roller coaster was topped off on November 21, 2000, and the track was completed in early 2001.[7][8] After testing was completed, Talon opened on May 5, 2001.[9]

Experience

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Talon's first drop
Talon's Immelmann loop

After dispatching from the station, the train begins to climb the 135-foot (41 m) lift hill. Once at the top, the train goes through a pre-drop before making a sharp 120-foot (37 m) downward right turn. The train then enters a 98-foot (30 m) tall vertical loop. After exiting the loop, the train goes through a zero-gravity roll before dropping back to the ground and entering an Immelmann loop. The train then makes a full 360-degree upward right turn followed by a left turn leading into another drop. After the drop, the train makes a highly banked right turn into a flat spin. Next, the train makes a left turn extremely close to the ground, before entering a moment of airtime going into the brake run. After exiting the brake run, the train makes a right turn into a second, shorter set of brakes before entering the station.[9][10]

One cycle of the ride lasts about 2 minutes.[10]

Characteristics

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Trains

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Talon operates with two steel and fiberglass trains. Each train has eight cars that can seat four riders in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train.[9] The train structure is colored blue and turquoise, the seats are black, and the over-the-shoulder restraints are yellow.

Track

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The steel track of Talon is approximately 3,110 feet (950 m) long, the height of the lift is approximately 135 feet (41 m) high, and the entire track weighs just under 3,000,000 pounds (1,400,000 kg).[9][11] It was manufactured by Clermont Steel Fabricators located in Batavia, Ohio.[12] Unlike other B&M coasters, the track is filled with sand to reduce the noise produced by the trains.[9] The tracks are painted orange and yellow while the supports are blue.

Slogan & theme

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The ride's slogan is "The grip of fear." Its name, "Talon", comes from the claws found on birds of prey and mythical creatures. The ride is themed after birds of prey.

Awards

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Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters
Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Ranking –[13] –[14] –[15] 42[16] –[17] 40 (tie)[18] –[19] –[20] –[21] –[22] –[23] –[24] –[25] –[26]


Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best steel-Tracked Roller Coaster[27]
Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Ranking 27 35 32 27 46 48 87 67 66 66 No poll 94 91

References

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  1. ^ a b Solomon, Wendy (September 1, 2000). "Dorney Park To Break Ground On Inverted Roller Coaster South Whitehall". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "Dorney Park Announces the Addition of Talon". Dorney Park. April 28, 2000. Archived from the original on October 25, 2000. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  3. ^ "Dorney Park To Build New Coaster For 2001". Dorney Park. April 28, 2000. Archived from the original on October 15, 2000. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  4. ^ Barbieri, Kelly (September 11, 2000). "Dorney Park to debut Northeast's longest inverted coaster in 2001". Amusement Business. 112 (37): 54.
  5. ^ "Talon Plans". Dorney Park. Archived from the original on August 3, 2001. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  6. ^ "First Parts of Talon". Dorney Park. Archived from the original on June 20, 2001. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  7. ^ "Talon Construction Photos". Dorney Park. Archived from the original on June 8, 2001. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  8. ^ "Talon Topped Off". Dorney Park. Archived from the original on August 9, 2001. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  9. ^ a b c d e Marden, Duane. "Talon  (Dorney Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  10. ^ a b "Talon Front Seat on-ride HD POV Dorney Park". wwwCOASTERFORCEcom (YouTube). December 27, 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  11. ^ "Talon Facts". Dorney Park. Archived from the original on August 2, 2001. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  12. ^ Guido, Anna (November 7, 2005). "Steel plant's business on fast track". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on January 7, 2006. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  13. ^ "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  14. ^ "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  15. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  16. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 18–19B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007.
  17. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  18. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  19. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 36–37. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  20. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 36–37. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  21. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 32–33. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  22. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 34–35. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  23. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 38–39. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  24. ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 36–37. September 2012.
  25. ^ "2013 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 34–35. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  26. ^ "2014 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 46–47. September 2014.
  27. ^ Hawker, Mitch. "Steel Roller Coaster Poll 13 Year Results Table (1999–2013)". Best Roller Coaster Poll. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
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