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Scorpion Express

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Coordinates: 51°20′58″N 0°19′05″W / 51.349435°N 0.318012°W / 51.349435; -0.318012
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Scorpion Express
Previously known as Runaway Train
Chessington World of Adventures
LocationChessington World of Adventures
Park sectionMexicana
Coordinates51°20′58″N 0°19′05″W / 51.349435°N 0.318012°W / 51.349435; -0.318012
StatusClosed
Opening date7 June 1987 as Runaway Train
19 March 2014 as Scorpion Express
Closing dateJuly 2022
General statistics
TypeSteel – Powered
ManufacturerMack Rides
ModelBlauer Enzian
Height4.7 m (15 ft)
Length259 m (850 ft)
Speed22.4 mph (36.0 km/h)
Inversions0
Duration105 seconds
Capacity700 riders per hour
Height restriction90 cm (2 ft 11 in)
TrainsSingle train with 10 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 40 riders per train.
Reserve and Ride available
Disabled access Wheelchair accessible
Must transfer from wheelchair
Scorpion Express at RCDB

Scorpion Express (originally the Runaway Train) was a mine train themed powered roller coaster at Chessington World of Adventures in Greater London, England. It opened with the theme park in 1987 as the Runaway Train. The original ride was closed in 2012 for refurbishment and reopened on 14 March 2014, with the same track layout but new name and theming. Scorpion Express is set in a small mining village, featuring an animated metalwork scorpion. Scorpion Express closed in July 2022 following an incident,[1] and, as of September 2024, it was revealed in the future planning proposals for the park that it would not return.[2]

History

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The Runaway Train in 2010

This Mack Blauer Enzian family coaster opened as the Runaway Mine Train in 1987 and operated for over twenty-five years.[3] It had an Old Western theme, and featured an extensively themed area and queue, primarily designed by John Wardley, taking guests above buildings, around a lake and down into a small mine.

The coaster was originally designed to travel in and out of a cave feature, which enclosed half the track and hid much of the structure, creating an interacting rocky landscape. However, due to its semi-temporary construction and prolonged lack of maintenance over the years,[citation needed] the cave feature was removed in late 2012 and the ride closed.

Boiler feature in the queue

In 2013, the area surrounding the Runaway Train was boarded off with notices up saying that the ride would be "Re-launching in 2014". Over the closed season, the animatronic scorpion was installed after 208 hours of off-site construction.[4] During this downtime, the ride had all its original cave design, landscaping and theming features removed, now placing the track completely in the open and the queue on flat ground.

The ride was complete on time to open for the park's Annual Passholder Preview Days when it soft-opened. The ride officially launched on Wednesday 19 March after having slight alterations and theming adjustments.

Advertising

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During the resort's annual February Half-Term event – African Adventures – advertising for the ride was placed on large billboards at the zoo entrance and on the back of the gate maps. At the same time a mini site for the ride was launched on the park's website, which showed the concept art for the attraction among other details. During this time, it was also announced that the ride would feature fire, water and smoke effects, as well as an animated scorpion.

Days after the ride's soft opening, adverts for the attraction were broadcast across British television. Several other media stunts including newspaper articles about the ride appeared at this time. None of the footage used in the Scorpion Express TV adverts was from the actual ride, instead shots of a bigger (but similarly themed) family coaster at Heide Park, and computer-generated clips, were used to advertise the ride.[5]

Scorpion Express received mixed response since its launch in 2014, largely to do with its minimal theme featured compared to how the ride was originally designed. However, it remained a popular family attraction as it had since opening in 1987.

Fire and closure

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Scorpion Express closed indefinitely following an incident in July 2022. Whilst no official announcements have been made by the park confirming any details about the incident, reports about the ride indicate that a fire broke out on the ride vehicle, damaging it.[1] Despite a glimmer of hope for a reopening in early 2023,[6] the ride did not reopen.[7]

As of June 2024, even though the ride no longer appears on any maps or other promotional material for the park, the 'Ride Availability' page of the official website still lists Scorpion Express as 'Closed until further notice'.[2] It is currently unknown if Scorpion Express will ever reopen, but it's unlikely to happen.

Description

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The ride's premise revolves around a town named Scorpion Valley, which has supposedly been overrun with scorpions after an explosion caused the gold mine to collapse and all the residents fled the town, according to text and posters stuck up in the switchback queue line. The Town Governor has supposedly left behind a giant, mechanical steam-powered scorpion fashioned from scrap metal from the debris of the explosion, in an attempt to guard the gold from chancing looters.

Queue

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Vinyl posters in the queue for Scorpion Express display the ride's backstory.

The new ride in Mexicana starts with a long winding queue. At the start of the queue, a radio station can be heard playing in the background, notices from the Governor of Scorpion Valley are pinned up in the queue, which reveal the ride's backstory. Riders then enter and queue in a dark, mine-themed building where live scorpions feature. Upon exiting, riders go over a bridge, before arriving at the station.

Ride

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The ride takes guests on a train journey through an abandoned mining town, across deserts and near to the mine itself. It features animatronic scenery, smoke, fire and water effects. The height minimum is 90 cm, while guests with a torso +51 inches are not able to ride. Riders under 110 cm must be accompanied by a person aged 16 or over.[8] The layout is a basic figure of 8 loop with a straight piece of track at the back and consists of several helixes, some of which go over and under the queue line, which itself snakes around the ride. The ride makes at least two laps of the circuit, and more on off peak days. An on-ride photo is taken immediately before the train returns to enter the station for the first time.

[edit]
  • The Runaway Train tracks
    The Runaway Train tracks
  • The Runaway Train tunnel
    The Runaway Train tunnel
  • Ride entrance
    Ride entrance
  • Scorpion Valley theming
    Scorpion Valley theming
  • Ride in 2015
    Ride in 2015
  • Scattered mine theming
    Scattered mine theming
  • Loading platform
    Loading platform

References

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  1. ^ a b "Scorpion Express Closed For Essential Maintenance | Theme Park Guide". themeparkguide.co.uk. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2024. A few weeks ago, it was believed that Scorpion Express at Chessington has a minor incident and caught fire, since then the ride has remained closed. The ride vehicles have since been removed and the exposed train can be seen in the photos below.
  2. ^ a b "Ride Availability | Chessington World of Adventure Resorts". Chessington World of Adventures. Retrieved 6 June 2024. Scorpion Express | Closed until further notice
  3. ^ "Runaway Train - Chessington World of Adventures (Chessington, Surrey, England, UK)". RCDB. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  4. ^ "The sting of the Scorpion at Chessington World of Adventures - Jacintaz3". 8 April 2014.
  5. ^ Chessington World of Adventures Resort (24 March 2014). "Chessington 2014 Scorpion Express TV Advert" – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "Scorpion Express Returns To The Track | Theme Park Guide". themeparkguide.co.uk. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  7. ^ Jared (3 July 2023). "Goodbye Scorpion Express? • Speculation • Chessington Buzz". Chessington Buzz. Retrieved 6 June 2024. At the end of July 2022, reports of an incident began to surface. People claimed that the ride had caught fire. ... The ride is sadly still closed.
  8. ^ "Mexicana". Chessington World of Adventures. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
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