Hercules

Hercules was a wooden roller coaster at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It was manufactured by the Dinn Corporation and designed by engineer Curtis D. Summers for the 1989 season. The attraction was conceived as a major landmark ride for Dorney Park and used the park's hillside terrain to create a very large drop without requiring an exceptionally tall lift hill. When it opened on May 6, 1989, Hercules featured a 151-foot drop and reached a reported top speed of approximately 65 miles per hour. That drop was promoted as the longest on a wooden roller coaster, surpassing the previous record associated with American Eagle at Six Flags Great America. The ride's layout began with a station departure, an initial descent and turn, a lift hill, and a long hillside plunge that sent the train into a heavily banked turn extending over the park's lake. The track then climbed through a triple-up and continued through a series of smaller drops, turns, and a final braking section. Its design attempted to combine a dramatic record-setting first drop with the natural elevation change of the site. The attraction was also notable as one of the early major wooden coasters produced by the Dinn Corporation and designed by Summers. Hercules experienced operational and engineering difficulties from its early days. During testing, trains sometimes struggled to clear the top of the triple-up. The original Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters trains also exhibited pronounced lateral movement, a behavior later associated by enthusiasts with the so-called Dinn shuffle. The high-speed turn at the bottom of the first drop placed substantial forces on the train and track, leading to changes in banking, repeated retracking, and structural reinforcement. The original trains were eventually replaced by articulating trains, and a trim brake was added near the top of the major drop to reduce speed. Further changes followed in 1994. The triple-up was converted into a lower double-up, the drop beneath the station was reduced, and the trim brake was adjusted to moderate the ride's speed. These modifications addressed some of the attraction's ride and maintenance challenges, but Hercules' popularity declined over time. The coaster closed after its final operating season on September 1, 2003. Dorney Park announced two days later that it would be replaced by a new steel coaster planned for 2005. The former Hercules site became the location of Hydra the Revenge, while some concrete footings remained visible in the park's rear area. Hercules also became involved in a dispute over wooden-coaster height records. Dorney Park had reportedly negotiated a provision restricting the Dinn Corporation from building a larger coaster for a specified period. After Dinn became involved in the construction of Texas Giant for Six Flags Over Texas, the two park operators disputed which attraction could claim the world's tallest wooden coaster distinction. The litigation was settled privately on the scheduled trial date. Hercules retained the distinction associated with the world's tallest or longest drop, while Texas Giant was promoted using its taller overall structure. In historical terms, Hercules is remembered as an ambitious but technically difficult wooden coaster whose record-setting profile and terrain-based layout made it an important attraction in the late-1980s wooden-coaster revival.

Dorney Park began planning a major wooden roller coaster in the 1980s under chairman and chief executive Harris Weinstein. Engineer Curtis D. Summers surveyed the site in 1987 and developed a layout that exploited the park's hillside terrain. On July 15, 1988, the park publicly announced that a new wooden coaster would be added for the 1989 season. The attraction was planned for an area toward the back of the park near the lake, where the change in elevation could support a very deep drop from a relatively modest lift hill. The name Hercules, referencing the Greek mythological hero, was revealed in March 1989. The first test riders experienced the coaster on April 14, followed by a media preview on May 4 and the public opening on May 6. The completed ride was manufactured by the Dinn Corporation and designed by Summers. Its signature feature was a 151-foot drop reached from a lift hill approximately 95 feet high. By using the hillside, the design produced a drop substantially deeper than the lift structure itself. The train then entered a fast, highly banked turn that extended over the lake before climbing back toward the station area. The attraction presented substantial operating challenges. During testing, trains could lose momentum while climbing the triple-up after the first major valley. The original PTC trains, which used six four-seat cars connected with trailer-style couplings, also developed noticeable side-to-side oscillation. Enthusiasts later referred to this behavior as the Dinn shuffle. The forces in the first major turn contributed to continuing track and wheel-contact concerns. The banking was altered, the ride was repeatedly retracked and reinforced, and the original trains were eventually replaced by articulating equipment. A trim brake was added near the top of the major drop by approximately the fifth operating year. Cedar Fair, then the park's owner, commissioned further work in 1994 from John F. Pierce Associates. The triple-up was changed to a double-up and lowered, the under-station drop was made smaller, and the braking arrangement was adjusted to reduce speed. Martin & Vleminckx carried out multiple retracking projects during the ride's life. Although these interventions kept the coaster operating, its popularity declined after the modifications and ridership weakened. Hercules closed on September 1, 2003. Dorney Park announced on September 3 that it would be replaced by a new steel coaster scheduled for 2005. The replacement, Hydra the Revenge, occupies the former Hercules site. A number of concrete footings survived after demolition and could still be seen in parts of the park. The coaster also figured in a legal disagreement involving the advertising of wooden-coaster height records. Dorney Park believed a contractual restriction with Dinn prevented the company from building a larger competing coaster for a defined period. When Dinn worked on Texas Giant for Six Flags Over Texas, the parks disputed the appropriate record claims. The case reached federal court but was settled privately on the day scheduled for trial. The settlement allowed Hercules to be associated with the record for the tallest or longest drop, while Texas Giant used the taller overall structure as its distinction. Hercules is therefore significant both as an ambitious terrain-based wooden coaster and as an example of the design, maintenance, and marketing difficulties faced by some large Dinn-built rides.

• 2003

  Ride closes permanently

  [1]Hercules (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  Hercules ended operation on September 1 and was later replaced by Hydra the Revenge.

• 1994

  Major layout modifications completed

  [1]Hercules (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  The triple-up and other sections were lowered or shortened, while braking changes reduced the ride's speed.

• 1989

  Hercules name revealed and ride opens

  [1]Hercules (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  The name was revealed in March, testing began in April, and the attraction opened to the public on May 6 with a 151-foot drop.

• 1988

  Dorney Park announces the new coaster

  [1]Hercules (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  The park announced on July 15 that a major wooden roller coaster would open for the 1989 season.

• 1987

  Site survey and preliminary design begin

  [1]Hercules (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org

  Engineer Curtis D. Summers surveyed Dorney Park's proposed site and began developing the layout for the new wooden coaster.

A record-oriented, world-class wooden thrill ride designed as a signature attraction for Dorney Park.

• Roller coaster · 1989

  Hercules wooden roller coaster

  A large wooden roller coaster manufactured by the Dinn Corporation and designed by Curtis D. Summers. Its hillside layout used a roughly 95-foot lift hill to create a 151-foot drop, followed by a fast banked turn over Dorney Park's lake, a climb through the central hills, and a sequence of smaller drops and turns. The ride underwent multiple train, track, braking, and layout changes before closing permanently in 2003.

• 2003

  Replace Hercules with a steel coasterStrategy

  Background

  After years of declining popularity and repeated maintenance work, Dorney Park decided to retire the wooden coaster.

  Action taken

  The park closed Hercules after the 2003 season and announced a replacement steel coaster for the former site.

  Aftermath

  Hydra the Revenge subsequently occupied the site.

  Source

• 1994

  Reduce speed and alter the central hillsGeneration change

  Background

  Hercules experienced momentum problems, pronounced train movement, and continuing maintenance demands in its original configuration.

  Action taken

  The operator contracted John F. Pierce Associates to convert the triple-up into a lower double-up, reduce the under-station drop, and modify the trim-brake arrangement.

  Aftermath

  The changes moderated the ride, but the coaster continued to decline in popularity and eventually closed in 2003.

  Source

1. 1Hercules (roller coaster)en.wikipedia.org