Wildcat (Hersheypark)

This article is about the roller coaster currently located at Hersheypark. For Hersheypark's former roller coaster with the same name, see Wild Cat (Hersheypark).
Wildcat

Wildcat's first drop
Hersheypark
Coordinates 40°17′33″N 76°39′21″W / 40.29250°N 76.65583°W / 40.29250; -76.65583Coordinates: 40°17′33″N 76°39′21″W / 40.29250°N 76.65583°W / 40.29250; -76.65583
Status Operating
Opening date May 26, 1996
Cost US$5,000,000
General statistics
Type Wood
Manufacturer Great Coasters International
Designer Clair Hain and Mike Boodley
Height 106 ft (32 m)
Drop 85 ft (26 m)
Length 3,183 ft (970 m)
Speed 50 mph (80 km/h)
G-force 3.5
Height restriction 48 in (122 cm)
Wildcat at RCDB
Pictures of Wildcat at RCDB

Wildcat is a wooden roller coaster located at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The coaster opened on May 26, 1996, as the anchor attraction of the Midway America section of the park. Wildcat was the first coaster built by Great Coasters International, and initially ran with trains built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company until 2007 when they were replaced with GCI's Millennium Flyer trains.

History

The ride was named after Wild Cat (Hersheypark), Hersheypark's first roller coaster, which operated from 1923-1945.

Ride experience

Like many other GCI coasters, Wildcat contains a curved first drop to reduce chances of nausea. There is an on-ride camera located towards the end of the ride prior to the final brake run.

Characteristics

The ride was known for being extremely rough and painful while operating with the original trains. After the ride was retrofitted with Millennium Flyer trains, guests and enthusiasts alike noticed that the ride was less painful but retained its original roughness.

The Wildcat is located on a relatively large hill, causing it to appear much higher than it is in reality.[1]

In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), the Wildcat is dubbed the Scaredycat.

Rankings

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year19981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014
Ranking 11[2]12[3]17[4]22[5]25[6]28[7]28[8]32[9]43[10]38[11]45[12]45[13]-[14]-[15]-[16]-[17]-[18]

Images

References

  1. ↑ Randy Kraft (August 11, 1996). "Test Drive Hershey's New Coaster". Allentown Morning Call / Indiana, PA Gazette. p. E-5.
  2. ↑ "Top 25 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 1998. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Top 25 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 1999. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Top 25 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. August 2000. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Top 25 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Top 25 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 10–11B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 22–23B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 30–31B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  11. ↑ "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 December 26, 2014.
  12. ↑ "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 December 26, 2014.
  13. ↑ "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 December 26, 2014.
  14. ↑ "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 December 26, 2014.
  15. ↑ "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 December 26, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Top 50 wood roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  17. ↑ "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 December 26, 2014.
  18. ↑ "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2014.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/20/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.