Jump to content

Kentucky Rumbler

Edit links
Coordinates: 37°01′21″N 86°24′06″W / 37.02250°N 86.40167°W / 37.02250; -86.40167
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 216.99.180.224 (talk) at 17:27, 30 April 2018 (→Awards). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Kentucky Rumbler
Ride entrance
Beech Bend Park
LocationBeech Bend Park
Coordinates37°01′21″N 86°24′06″W / 37.02250°N 86.40167°W / 37.02250; -86.40167
StatusOperating
Opening dateMay 6, 2006
Cost$4,600,000
General statistics
TypeWood – Twister
ManufacturerGreat Coasters International
ModelTwister
Height96 ft (29 m)
Drop80 ft (24 m)
Length2,827 ft (862 m)
Speed47 mph (76 km/h)
Inversions0
Capacity480 riders per hour
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
TrainsSingle train with 12 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train.
Kentucky Rumbler at RCDB

Kentucky Rumbler is a wooden roller coaster at Beech Bend Park in Warren County, Kentucky. It has a drop of 80 feet and a height of 96 feet. The ride was a significant addition to Beech Bend Park because before the Kentucky Rumbler was built, the park didn't have a signature unique ride, and even today it is still the most popular ride in the park.

Voted the 5th best new ride in 2006 by Amusement Today, the Kentucky Rumbler broke records and set others when it opened.

History

Beech Bend Park seemed to blossom as the new Millennium arrived. Between 2000 and 2005 many improvements were made and many additions were added to the park. By the end of 2005 there were 40 rides including the new coaster the Wild Mouse, 500 campground spaces with modern amenities, renovated racing facilities, a water park,and large picnic pavilions.

The Jones family started talking about adding a wooden roller coaster to their park years before the Kentucky Rumbler was built. When Dallas Jones decided that the time was right he contacted Great Coasters International. He was impressed by GCI's more park friendly, hands on approach to doing business than other wooden roller coaster manufacturers.

Great Coasters International offers well built rides with minimal maintenance for any park, a very smooth ride for the guests, and service after the installation of the ride. GCII is also a firm dedicated to preserving the old fashioned fun a wooden coaster offers.

Vice President of Sales & Design Jeff Pike started working for GCII straight out of college, under the tutelage of Mike Boodley. Jeff soon proved himself as a very talented and creative designer. The Kentucky Rumbler was Jeff's first solo design. Jeff described how much fun it was to recreate part of the Rye Aeroplane in the Kentucky Rumbler design during the press conference when the park announced The Kentucky Rumbler. The Rye Aeroplane is a long-defunct coaster that was built in the city of Rye, New York. It served as the inspiration for parts of the ride but mainly the first drop, the Kentucky Rumbler's first Drop is a Mirror Image of the Aeroplane Coasters.

The highlights of the ride including an unprecedented three station fly-bys, still a world record today, and an exciting aeroplane style first drop show-off Jeff's creativeness, and pay homage to the classic rides of the past.

On October 28, 2005 Beech Bend Park officially named their new wooden roller coaster “The Kentucky Rumbler” and stated it would roar out of the station for the first time on May 6, 2006. Derek Sailors from Surfside Beach, South Carolina, was the winner of the contest to name the ride. Beech Bend received thousands of entries for the contest from all over the world.

The Kentucky Rumbler opened in 2006 to great reviews. At speeds of almost 50 miles per hour, the ride features 30 track crossovers, a record setting 3 station fly-bys, and twelve airtime hills. It is very smooth despite its twists and turns. The Kentucky Rumbler was ranked in the Top Five New Rides in the World by Amusement Today magazine, for 2006.

Beech Bend Park's cost for the Kentucky Rumbler was 4.6 million dollars. It is a wooden twister (bobs) coaster with a capacity of 480 guests per hour.

It has one vintage style 24 passenger Millennium Flyer train, made up of 12 cars, that each seat 2 riders.

The maximum height is 96 feet with a first drop of 80.2 feet. The coaster reaches speeds up to 50 mph, and a Ride Time of Approximately 90 seconds. The Track Length is 2,827 feet.

The Kentucky Rumbler was constructed with 80,000 bolts and 1.5 million nails.

On May 25, 2014 Beech Bend Park dedicated The Kentucky Rumbler to all members of the American Coaster Enthusiasts.

Awards

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Ranking 20[1] 13[2] 13[3] 17[4] 16[5] 16[6] 22[7] 21[8] 20[9] 33[10] 48[11] 49[12]
Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009
Ranking
16
18
20
27

References

  1. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 30–31B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  2. ^ "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 24, 2015.
  3. ^ "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 24, 2015.
  4. ^ "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 24, 2015.
  5. ^ "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 24, 2015.
  6. ^ "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 24, 2015.
  7. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  8. ^ "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 24, 2015.
  9. ^ "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  10. ^ "2015 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 45–46. September 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  11. ^ "2016 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  12. ^ "2017 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kentucky_Rumbler&oldid=839006297"