Defunctland: The History of Drachen Fire at Busch Gardens Williamsburg
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- Check Out ElToroRyan's History of Drachen Fire for more info and an alternate origins/correction to this coaster's history!
• Problematic Roller Coa...
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Defunctland makes its first trip to Busch Gardens with the coaster catastrophe, Drachen Fire.
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Music: "Shamanistic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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"Western Streets" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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"Unlight" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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"Magic Forest" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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For the record, Busch Gardens Williamsburg is a GORGEOUS park. It also has great rides, but the European theme is also very pleasant just to walk around.
Been there many mant many times since I was a kid back in the 1990s. It is indeed a gorgeous place. Especially the Budwiser Clydsdales!!
I went for the first time in 2021. The ticket price and 3 1/2 hour drive was enough to make me stick with Kings Dominion.
@@zakunick1 But you choose to do the 3 1/2 drive and you knew how much it cost beforehand, so why did you bother knowing it was going to piss you off?
@@pmc8451 Because I had never been, and wanted to see if the price and drive were worth it for me.
@@pmc8451 Well, he wanted something to complain about on the internet.
I gotta say, I'm really glad that Busch Gardens hasn't knocked down the Loch Ness Monster. I got the 40th Anniversary shot glass just last summer.
Also, RIP Big Bad Wolf.
Catherine McClain I agree I love those classic loops and usually can ride it over and over
Yeah, I hate the BBW is gone, but Verbolten is a worthy replacement.
The last time I rode it was on the 35th anniversary, and I saw a pov video recently and noticed that in the cave they added lights and sound for the 40th anniversary. I still haven't seen the picture of Nessie that was originally in the cave.
I hope they never take down loch ness monster, it's such an iconic coaster.
Catherine McClain big bad wolf was the best ride there, next to Loch Ness
I live in Indiana and we aren't known for our amusement parks but there was a very infamous park that is defunct known as Old Indiana Amusement Park. It was shutdown due to a death and some bogus ride inspections. You should definitely research it and possibly one day do a Defunctland episode on it. Awesome Channel.
JOSAMAROO 1 Wow, that's a good suggestion. I hope they read your comment. Did you go there when you were younger?
JOSAMAROO 1 i live in Indiana too woah
fellow hoosier! have never heard of this though, i’ll have to research it
Of these seven, www.onlyinyourstate.com/indiana/7-places-from-the-past , Old Indiana Amusement Park is the one that began in the boom of new parks of the early 1970s, and died with one of those early 1970s parks. (Opryland)
JOSAMAROO 1 I live in Indiana, and people come from surrounding states to visit Holiday World in Santa Claus!
I love how that dude thought to compare a size of a theme park to one of the bloodiest and significant events in human history.
Pretty sure that's Bill from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Well I just saw Bill and Ted and that sounds about right. I’m too lazy to check though.
It's Bill from Bill and Ted, he doesn't have the greatest grasp on history.
Michael Eisner?
It wasn't an event, you should probably learn some actual history so you don't sound so stupid when not attending Democrat functions.
The old ads are my favorite part of these.
Haha same! They had such drama to them
i know im late but whats the source of ur pfp?
@@tmcyt3037 kuruminha
@@Emiliapocalypse Paul Frees' narration just can't be beat.
I miss when coasters had lore, now you only get a few that actually have a store to them
“Williamsburg, VA near Washington D.C.”
Yeah just a measly two and a half hours away lol.
Two and a half? Did you just teleport through Fredericksburg?
exactly what i was thinking. nova traffic says at least 4 hours lmao
It's like 4+ hours. In another state, on roads with low speed limits. Kings dominion and the md six flags are both hours closer, lol
@@evekurocieru If you take Route 17, you might avoid that interstate traffic and cut it down to 3 hours
LOL
Wow! A defunctland coaster I actually rode! Drachen Fire was a mean ride. It's not even that you left it injured, just sore all over. Really unpleasant ride, especially as a smaller rider.
Lomky my first coaster was “Roar” at six flags in Vallejo California. It was a “good” ride but it literally shook you so hard you felt concussed! I hated roller coasters for YEARS after. I bet if I was exposed to a more smooth ride I wouldn’t have hated them so much 😞
Which is odd, when compared to it’s younger sibling. Kumba is known to be very smooth, a relatively easy ride.
I think I'm still sore from riding it. lol
I found that if you held your head in place, away from the headrest, and anticipated the turns.. kind of turning with it, you didnt get beat up. However if you just put your head back against the headrest (like they told you to do) you would get pulverized. Once I was able to avoid the beating it became my favorite coaster and I loved it!
@@turasuicide6093 Yep, there were even audio instructions to keep your head back against the headrest repeated while waiting in line and often the harness-checkers would tell people to do the same. But of course hardly anyone listened as is evidenced by all the comments here by people complaining about how much Drachen Fire hurt their heads.
"Untamed monster,trying to be what its not"
Description of Son Of Beast trying to beat its father
Might have been the first wooden roller coaster to have an inversion in decades, but it might as well have been doomed from the start.
Having been on this coaster 20-30 times, I noticed if you were on the front or the back it violently shook you side to side but there was a sweet spot in the middle few cars. If you sat in one of the middle cars the ride was silky smooth. Always noticed some coasters have a sweet spot, front or back but this one was unique for the middle seats being the most fun.
Alpengiest is horrible for me on the sides. I have to ride it in the middle
@@shayne.7770 The B&M, no waaay.... that's what i called spoiled.
Cool info, and i think people are spoiled in the merica, i didn't think drachenfire was that trough TRY EL CONDOR the slc PROTOTYPE or GOUDOURIX
@@NikanDragosysSerpenDra my dad rode that back in the day and it whiplashed the fuck out of him. Also I have unfortunately not been able to ride any other coasters other than busch gardens VA but alpengiest just jostles me too much. Very unfortunate because I want to love it but I cant do it. Pantheon, which was actually quite extreme imo, was very smooth and comfortable and your lifting out of the seat 90% of the ride. My dad's worst coaster experience was shockwave, the defunct standing coaster at kings dominion. He almost blacked out on that one
Williamsburg here! Yep, those were the days! You’re right about that sweet spot though, otherwise, bring your neck brace.
Hey Defunctland!
I know this video is pretty old at this point, but I’m a local to the area around Williamsburg. I’ve been helping my grandpa look through old VHS tapes and we actually found a local news report for Drachen Fire recorded onto one of them (I think one of my aunt’s friends is in it or something). I immediately thought of this video, so I thought I’d reach out!
We’re not getting everything digitized for at least a week, and you already made this video so I don’t think you’d actually need it, but let me know if you’re interested in seeing it still :)
wow that's very cool!
Yes, the community is very interested in seeing it! 🙂
Please upload it to your UA-cam channel, it would be incredibly interesting to see
This was like a year ago but I finally got around to uploading it! It's one of the only videos on my channel, but it's titled "Drachen Fire Local News Report (1992ish) if y'all want to search for it that way :)
Graduated high school in 96. Went to WB and rode drachen fire 5 times in a row with my brother. No one was in the station so the attendant just slowed us down, and sent us through.
420mastah same here. A friend and I did that for probably twenty times in a row. It was great.
That's the dream right there.
I went summer of 95
420mastah Yeah, one of the last days I was at Busch Gardens and Drachen Fire was running, the line was so empty, they let us go 3 times in a row without getting off. I ended up with the worst headache of my life, but damn if that wasn't awesome to get to ride DF over and over! Good times.
lmao did the same thing on Kraken at Sea World. I'm pretty sure I was concussed after 6-7 times through.
So let me tell you my story about this coaster. When I was about about 12 years old or so, we went to Busch Gardens. The very last ride of the day was one I was incredibly excited about, the roaring ride of Drachen Fire. As a massive fan of coasters, my best friend and I were super excited. However, the ride we got was anything but exciting. It ended with both of us nauseous and with severe headaches due to our heads jerking back and forth in the restraints. Ugh...
Never again.
Years and years later. the year Apollo's Chariot opened I believe?, we went back. Drachen Fire was gone by this point. Good riddens, I thought. I was super excited about Apollo's Chariot, though, and we rode it multiple times that day because the lines were short. We went back right at the end of the night, going through the single rider's line and getting lucky to be seated together despite. As we came to the top of the main hill for Apollo's Chariot, I looked off to the distance.
To my shock, I saw, like a mirage in the distance, the ghost of a track, lit up from below.... a light blue track partially dissembled. I recognized it immediately.
It was Drachen Fire. It was the *remains* of Drachen Fire.
We went down the hill, finished the ride.
We got right back in line, the very last car of the night. When we got back to the top of the hill? The ghost in the distance was gone.
Creeeeeeeeepy!
The ghost of Coastmas past
🙄😄
Terrifying!
Apollos chariot is one of the greatest roller coasters ever made
That’s…..weird. 🤔Weird but cool.😎
3:25 “near Washington DC”
Yeah, anywhere between 2 and 12 hours away
Depending on I-95 traffic.
@@OtakuUnitedStudio It's I-95 traffic. It's 15 hours easy.
When I was a kid living in northern Virginia, in the days before Wild World/Six Flags America, we thought of Kings Dominion as our "home park"--it was a somewhat shorter drive. But I did like Busch Gardens better. Those and Hersheypark were the three we went to with any frequency.
Not to mention you'll pass Kings Dominion (another amusement park) on the way there, and still have over an hour drive left to Busch Gardens.
NEAR RICHMOND VIRGINIA would be a more accurate statement..... Video creator needs to read a map
.
One of my earliest childhood memories was being spooked just _looking_ at the Loch Ness rollercoaster. I should go there again to get some closure!
yes just be prepared to be squished into the coaster cars, feel like your arm isn’t going to be able to move on the restraint side closest to the side of the car, and have your head banged against the side of the restraint vigorously, oh and don’t forget the absolutely AMAZING sound of the clickity clockity lift hill, twice :) also, i’m an underweight 15 year old who loves roller coasters, and loch ness was one of my first since busch gardens is somewhere i have went since i was alive lmao but it’s tougher than some wooden coasters lmao. still superrr fun but i might just have an emotionally attachment to it.
@@breanna8183 Woah, Loch Ness is still running these days? I assumed it bit the dust years ago.
@@Brendan-Black still running, and still quite popular. Went to Busch Gardens on Tuesday and it had one of the longer lines.
Agree riding all the coasters there, loch ness isnt that special tbh. It's fun, but it's really just a classic. Not much else to it compared to griffon or even invadr
The Loch Ness Monster is the face of Busch Gardens. The signature ride in the park. It dosent matter if it's no longer the tallest or fastest. It's an icon. And still the only coaster in the world with interlocking loops. Nessie IS a huge part of what makes Busch Gardens great.
I like how in depth you go with these videos. Instead of a quick 'Why did -place- fail? It went bankrupt, happens' you take us back like 20 years before anything went wrong to show how some of these were doomed from the start and how some were promising but fell to the wayside. I like it!
When we were kids, we walked around for probably 3 weeks after going "DRRRRRRRACHENFIER!!!" At the top of our lungs in German accents, in extremely embarrassing places. Our poor parents.
Heather O'Day Did you do it at a funeral?
Don't worry, somewhere in my teens, I got the idea that Stroganoff sounded like a German secret weapon. I would mimick a panicked sea captain ripping his hat off and screaming, complete with spittle flying, "RELEASE THE STROGANOFF!" in a German accent, then my brothers would echo me, like they were my crew. In my mind, this Stroganoff was like a kraken and the spaghetti monster fused, lol.
Fluffymiyster now thats a god i would worship xd
@@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley - It sounded funny until you quoted yourself saying it. Then it actually made sense.
@@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley You're not wrong tho. It was named after a prominent Russian family, the Stroganovs.
A new Defunctland is always a great thing.
Drachenfire was a really cool looking coaster. At night the cars had their red tracer lights to you could see it and a section of one of the rolls went completely over and under a bridge that led to the station. It was not a comfortable coaster whatsoever, but it was ambitious. I still remember how near closing on a summer night the ride operators let us continue to ride it without exiting. Every time we came back to the station and stopped they asked "wanna go again?" We did it about five times back to back. I could barely get out and walk straight. It was like a round of boxing with your head/jaw and the harness. Glad they removed Drachenfire, but it was beautiful if you could handle it.
I have been on Drachen Fire many times having lived in Virginia most of my life and I loved that roller coaster. That being said, it was probably the roughest roller coaster I have ever been on. It could literally beat you up. I lost my glasses on it once. My dad, who loves roller coasters, rode it once and then never got on it again. You could see people standing outside the gates watching it and then saying “I’m not getting on that thing.”. It was like a badge of honor to have braved the Drachen Fire and I for one miss it.
Thanks for the video and I really enjoy the series. Please keep up the great work.
As a fellow Virginian, I agree. Most people rode once then went straight to a vendor for a soft drink to help with the headache and nausea you’d inevitably get. People came off holding their heads, ears, rubbing their shoulders and arms. It should have given out Ibuprofen as part of the boarding process.
There were reports of cases of whiplash from riding it but I never knew anyone personally.
Since we’re in Busch Gardens Williamsburg for the moment, I’d love to see a Defunctland video of Big Bad Wolf.
Kyle Hancharick Big bag wolf!! ♥️
I really hate Verbolten
Robyn Davidson verbolten is fasttt though
@@catmango whaat how do you hate verbolten! its so fun
@@catmango verbolten's well made, well themed, and features some cool elements !! i do feel nostalgic over big bad wolf tho too
modern day verbolten has a bunch of big bad wolf easter eggs in its theming
@@catmango couldn’t imagine hating a single ride at BGW 💀
As a former Virginian and a person who's been to Williamsburg I can say for certain that it's not near DC as the ad would suggest XD
Yeah, it's definitely not. It's about 4 hours away. Advertising fail.
TyphlosionGirl it's a good while off. Colonial Williamsburg is nicer tho
TyphlosionGirl I've never been to either state I and could smell the bs
Lmao i said the same exact thing!
I grew up in Va Beach.Want to say it took about an hour to reach the park barring traffic and bridge lifts.
'But who can match the design of B&M'
Oh, god...I hope it's not Arrow...
'AN All American Arrow'
DAMMIT
Or am I mistaking Arrow for Vekoma again?
Arrow have made some good rides like Magnum
Yeah. I mistook Arrow for Vekoma.
Princess Luna Arrow is still as rough as Vekoma sometimes. So don’t worry.
Lol
Ron Tumor is the king of rollercoaster design.
Ron: “I bent the thing” 👁👄👁📎
Lol *Toomer
should've said " I bent da ting" just sounds funnier
Ron Toomer has given me so many headaches.
“Some people like to get beat up and bashed around”
This was their ride for sure.
"Untamed monster, trying to be something that it wasn't"
Aren't we all :/
This describes the Son Of Beast
:(
I'm sorry....near DC? Last i remember it was a 3 hour drive if you beat traffic (which, trust me, you won't).
Lol. Yep.
Well I guess it’s more relevant to advertise dc than that it’s halfway between Richmond and VB
lmao i was rolling at that too...with traffic its like almost a 5-6 hour drive
Well, it's near DC to someone from Arizona! Relatively speaking...... 😏
Yeah - it's a day trip at best. I lived in Alexandria as a kid and going to Williamsburg was a bit of a hike.
I love how DONE with this whole mess Alex winter sounds "But there's a lot of great things to see here, Apparently" LOL!
It's common knowledge he was much more into waterparks. 😉
"Drachen Fire looks too intense for me!"
"Help! I'm drowning!"
FinlayLavery303 we were such vengeful children
Playing rct2 at my age 3 or 4 back then I would do that so much I would even crash the coasters
You think that's scary wait till you see the pantheon. It's the new ride they are making for the Williamsburg park
_the music is nice here_
Bob S. Has Drowned!
Have to love the quaint nostalgia: "For more information write us for our brochure."
A Big Bad Wolf episode needs to happen now!!
THIS.
First coaster i ever rode! Damn right!
this is what we need
Rip
Na escape from pompae still mad about it
Then after the corkscrew they go through the hammer head where employees throw hammers at the riders, a industry first!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
STOP! Hammer time!
Why am I laughing so hard at this
It's amusement park workers' revenge for that tank game at Action Park, where the spectators would shoot tennis balls at people trying to repair the tanks.
@@ZGryphon "Traction Park - the _only_ place where family fun ends in a hospital! Visit us NOW!"
This channel is amazing.
Living 30 minutes away from Busch Garden’s Williamsburg for most of my life has me taking it for granted. To this day I roll my eyes whenever some of my friends ask if I want to go, especially in this post-pandemic world. Watching this video changed my outlook, I have a new appreciation for the park. Maybe I’ll revisit it soon.
They added a very new gun coaster in the Greece section
Fun*
"Should've gotten a B&M"
Yeahhhh!!! Coaster studios!
Thanks B&M girl
Yeah man finally some Virginia park love
reading this makes me want to see a video on the failed Hypersonic XLC at King's Dominion, with only other ever built in japan and it had it's one of two unique elements recently removed, switched out trains, etc. That alone speaks for why a park would dump it not wishing to spend so money but, at the time it's launch style and look seemed like it was going to be the future of launching coasters, not basically premiere and more so Intamin.
We need a Kings Dominion video
I never did get to ride Hypersonic. I frequented KD enough at that time where it was either broken down or the line was just way too long. I would love to see a video on this attraction as well. I remember it had a lot of hype.
I would love to see a Hypersonic video or something looking into Shockwave.
I got to ride it once, it was like an hour and a half line, I get on it (counting the seconds cuz I was nervous) and the entire ride was over in literally 8 seconds. It was a cool 8 seconds, but not worth the long wait.
Drachen Fire was my first "big" coaster. I hated it so much i was afraid to ride another for years. I love them now, but it was a terrible, TERRIBLE introduction for me.
In hindsight, I think Drachen Fire kept me from riding coasters for years. As I said above, I actually liked it... it was very exciting... but it also hurt, and it was by far the newest roller coaster I'd ridden on up to that point. So I kind of assumed that the big new coasters built after 1990 or so were all as brutal as Drachen Fire, and that I had to be feeling like an absolute superhero in order to ride them. It wasn't until I started looking at roller-coaster stuff many years later on the Internet that I realized Drachen Fire was actually pretty unusual and was considered an infamous failure.
Agreed. It was a brutal ride on the head and neck. I'm glad they removed it.
...My dear, speaking as one who hasn't rode a coaster bigger than those at my state fair, WHY did you think that behemoth was a good idea for your first?! That crap looks pro-level O_o Yeah, I'm not shocked that you didn't want to ride any others afterwards because if that was my intro into the world of coasters, I damn sure wouldn't want to either, lol!
Edit: You said it was your introduction into big coasters, I'm sorry. Quite the difference between that and your first coaster ever, lol!
Karen Elizabeth I had the exact same experience! Rode Drachen Fire as a kid and swore off coasters.
my first coaster was “Roar” at six flags in Vallejo California. It was a “good” ride but it literally shook you so hard you felt concussed! I hated roller coasters for YEARS after. I bet if I was exposed to a more smooth ride I wouldn’t have hated them so much 😞
I'll never forget Drachenfire, probably because I may have been one of it's last riders just before it closed in 1998. The first time in decades I experienced a ZERO line and was the only rider on it in the lead car. It was definitely rough, to say the least and not what I expected, being used to Kumba in Tampa.
You should do one on Mean Streak. Yes, I know, technically Mean Streak was never closed, but it did get RMC Track Topper Treatment which completely changed every single aspect of the entire ride, so it basically is an entirely new ride. Plus it’s another one of those rides that was popular and then went into a rapid decline as opposed to the ordinary gradual decline.
Not sure if you read comments, but I'd love to see a comprehensive video on Eisner, why you don't like him, and everything he did. I'm very curious, as I don't fully know, and keep missing the reference.
He's basically the reason why Disney is a huge, monopolistic, money-hungry company nowadays. Some people like him because he single-handedly "saved" Disney from bankruptcy and modernized the company, but he also turned Disney into a capitalist's wet dream.
If not him, then it would have just been some other big time guy in a suit depending on who would have inevitably bought it.
Bluegoo Michael Eisner did nothing wrong.
Didnt Eisner save Disney from being taken over and having its assets split up and sold off?
Altima NEO yes, and that could have led to a potentially entirely different childhood for millions of children
>Describes camel back on Kumba
>Shows cobra roll on Kumba
HEHEHE I AM A SUPAH FLYING ACE kumba is fucking litty
Ron's design was too good for arrows building style. Thankfully they learned their lesson for Tennessee Tornado.
Zonies Coasters Ron Toomer didn't design Tennessee Tornado, that was Alan Schilke who is actually now working for RMC and invented the 4D coaster (yes X was his creation and technically he's the one who is responsible for Arrow going bankrupt)
Adam Smith well I never said Ron did tornado I just said arrow learns their lesson on how to build
Adam Smith wait, why did X *x2* make arrow go bankrupt? What happened
If I remember properly, it was an insanely ambitious and expensive prototype ride that suffered from many design issues and lots of down time in its opening years. Six Flags sued Arrow for the issues suffered, and that was that.
There may have been a lawsuit in there somewhere, but I believe Arrow went bankrupt during the construction of X and Six Flags had to finish construction themselves. So it's technically an Arrow/Six Flags coaster.
Dude, stop writing "Shameless plug" every time you refer to one of your other episodes.
It's not a shameless plug, it's a way for us viewers to discover more of your great videos!
Keep up the good work!
It is a plug, but not one to be ashamed of; a shameless plug
its a joke
@@maskmaskmaskmaskmaskmaskmaskma Nobody's laughing.
I practically grew up at Busch Gardens, especially when my family moved to Williamsburg from Norfolk in 1995. I absolutely LOVED Drachen Fire and was devastated when it stopped running. I figured out the hard way to just keep my head back against the back of the seat!
"Drachen Fire" Looks too intense for me!
I want to get off Drachen Fire's Wild Ride!
It's a testament to how many hours I logged on RTC as a kid that this comment immediately filled me with unbridled rage.
It was the worst coaster at the park easily. I never rode it when I visited.
I rode it once in 1993. It was pretty rough and deserves all the scorn. I would have ridden it again that day but my friend wasn't into it.
wuss
They need to make the revengeof the Drachen. Make it a floorless Record breaker.
i’m so happy busch gardens williamsburg has been around for as long as it has! it’s such a beautiful park. more busch gardens content pls!!
Awesome video. This is actually one of my first coasters ever and probably my rarest coaster credit. I can confirm, even as a 12-or-so-year-old, the pain definitely lives up to everything that's said about it. My mom rode prior to the "remove your earrings" announcement and ended up busting her ear and losing the earring.
I didn't find the initial corkscrew that awkward. It was super unique, even compared to coasters today.
I do wish a recreation would eventually be made and I'm sad that Busch never did take advantage of the land for anything other than shows.
Who else thinks the music from 15:03 to 15:28 sounds like the chorus to aHa's "Take on Me"? ("Taaaaaaake oooooonnnnn meeeeeeee....") Anyone else hear it?
Emily Fuller I was thinking Silly Love Songs by Paul McCartney. "I loooooove yooooooou!"
I definitely heard that
I didn't but now I can't un-hear it, haha!
I thought for sure that was the elevator Muzak version of it
If only we could figure out what the music during this section is. Both SoundHound and Shazam can’t find out what it is, it’s a good bop that has some really classic synth soundscapes
THERE WAS A BUSCH GARDENS HOUSTON?! How did i not know about this?!
Lol right my jaw dropped
This video contains guest appearance by Bill S. Preston Esq. EXCELLENT! That alone gets a "like"
Wyld Stallions!
@ Micheal Rodda thank you I knew this dude looked familiar but couldn't figure out where/when/name etc.
Where is the Alex Winter footage from?
Where is the Alex Winter footage from?
Gary Hutcherson It was from a show on the E! network.
13:25 ironic, considering what happened to Fabio when he rode Apollo’s Chariot opening day
This is like the roller coaster/theme park version of abandoned by Bright Sun Films. I love this
Bill S Preston Esq. on a roller coaster. Excellent!!! **plays air guitar**
This is a most righteous comment!
I think Ted Theodore Logan was working at trying to stop a bus with a bomb underneath it. Otherwise, I'm sure he would have been there.
TheRobobuck Yep. Or Ted got stuck inside the Matrix.
Since you’ve now done Drachen Fire, could you do Big Bad Wolf as well?
I am from the future. The Big Bad Wolf video came out. Peace!
Big Bad Wolf was the first coaster I ever rode. Miss it.
I was lucky enough to ride it before it was closed and replaced by Verbolten. I was barely tall enough to ride it then and I don't remember riding it as I was young.
R.I.P Big Bad Wolf, you were my first coaster.
@@yellowhelmetracing4576 Big bad wolf was taken out because the track had "aged out". The mechanics at the park told me that those types of roller coasters "age faster " because the train "hangs under" the track ,whereas Loch Ness monster -the train sits "on top of the track " so it doesn't age as fast. Eventually they will have to take out "Alpengeist" for the same reason as "Big Bad Wolf"
@@cynthiathomas5443 That makes sense, I just hope Alpengeist sticks around for a while cuz its my favorite one!
Hell yeah, I loved Busch Gardens here in Williamsburg.
It was basically a look into different cultures, especially when Oktoberfest came around.
alpengist (probably spelled it wrong) is such a cool ride. it’s one of my favorites.
I loved Drachen Fire as a kid. I remember riding it before they modified the track. The corkscrew before the drop was definitely the best part of the whole ride.
This is what happens when Arrow gets too confident and thinks they’re B and M. Busch should have waited a couple more years and they would have had their own Kumba.
Arrow didn't really think they were B&M. They knew fully well that they couldn't pull off a B&M Coaster.
Instead of: "Yeah, they can do this but we can do THIS!"
It was more of a: "We can't really do this, but we can try to do this.."
" Busch should have waited a couple more years and they would have had their own Kumba."
Not like Kumba is Busch's already or anything
Drachen fire opened a year before kumba did.
Gregory7554 the layout for kumba was still in the design phase when drachen fire opened.
MetallicalCatastroph Yeah I just realized how poorly I worded that. I meant Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
I rode this coaster at least ten times in a row the day I was there. I loved it. People were afraid of it, but I would describe the experience as intense, not rough. The elements were no more aggressive than any other Arrow coaster. The difference is having no time between elements to catch your breath, due to the small footprint this coaster had. The best part of that ride for me was actually the weightless hill after the big drop. Great air time. Most of the larger Arrow coasters are gone now because they were so aggressive, but that was the point back in the day. Granted, the Kumba in Tampa signaled a clear change in the way coasters would be built in the future. Another aspect of this particular park at the time was its family oriented focus. The Big Bad Wolf was the favored coaster in the park and Drachenfire might have faired better at Cedar Point or Six Flags in New Jersey.
I have always said that if Kings Dominion got Drachen Fire over Lake Charles instead of Anaconda, it would most likely still operate. It would have seemed fine next to Rebel Yell, Grizzly, Shockwave, and eventually Flight of Fear (with shoulder restraints). It makes sense that Drachen Fire's inversions felt about like other Arrow inversions since they were all just loop and corkscrew variants. The inversions were arranged differently, but I see that not a lot of people get that even the new inversions were designed exactly like any other Arrow inversion.
Drachenfire was amazing
This is about how I recall it as well in it's first few years. Not painful, just intense and fun. But I do recall my friends and family complaining after those first few seasons.
FanOfVacuums2 Too many litigious Americans coming over from Colonial Williamsburg and getting their tri-corner hats knocked off for this ride to survive. It was unique and amazing. You want comfort, ride the steam train.
I suppose how painful the ride feels depends on the body type. Many of the Defunct coasters on this channel seem to really only have had uncomfortable seating as their issue. Perhaps if seats could be more custom fitted, more people would ride roller coasters.
Oh man, I remember frequenting Busch Gardens as a kid. Not riding this thing is one of my greatest regrets. I was too young when both of my brothers rode it, complaining the whole day after about getting wicked whiplash. By the time I returned to bask in the glory of the park's coasters, finally tall enough to ride, Drachen Fire had just closed. Luckily, I experienced all the glory that is Alpengheist. Over and over and over...
Thanks so much for your content! I love this channel. Subscribed!
I rode this coaster in 94 and it was so painful. The headbanging into the restraints was nonstop from start to finish. The loch Ness monster was an amazing coaster though, one of my favorites of all time.
I went to Busch Gardens Williamsburg once when I was really young. I was too small and afraid to ride most of the big coasters there. I hope to one day go there again.
brickman409 I highly recommend it
17:55 "Sayonara" Was "Auf Wiedersehen" Too obvious?
It's not even a bloody European language lol
Also the name of the coaster bothers me because shouldn't it be sometime like "Drachenfeuer" or something similar to that? Dragon's fire
@@MandrakeFernflower Yeah, it puzzles me as well. Drachen Fire doesn't make any sence, neither in english, nor german! Have one or the other, you greedy americans! xD
keniakittykat Well, neither Bill nor Ted are rocket scientists, so there’s that.
Melstoast my guess was to make it easier for people to pronounce.
I rode Drachenfire once, back in the late 90's I think. I remember really enjoying it. I strongly dislike rough coasters, Drachenfire did not seem rough to me. I specifically remember that first inversion and drop being quite smooth. Maybe I just got lucky.
Busch Gardens seems to always have some very good coasters. Alpengeist is great, and the Loch Ness is a classic I hope they never tear down.
I heard that there was a "sweet spot" in the middle of a train of carriages where it wasn't as rough, the roughest areas were the front and back areas. Does this sound plausible?
Because this ride was so unpopular by the time I was tall enough to ride, my cousins and I were treated to three consecutive rides on this coaster. When I finally got off the ride, my ears were black and blue.
Have you considered doing anything on Hersheypark? Lots of changes over the years, including some major ones right now.
When Bill S. Preston Esq. says that the map to your park sucks during the promo video, you know you failed designing a theme park.
It was most heinous
Guys guys guys...I think we’re missing the most pressing issue...WHERE THE HELL IS TED?!?!
Derek Night Stopping a runaway bus with a bomb on board.
Ted Theodore Logan was working at trying to stop a bus with a bomb underneath it. Otherwise, I'm sure he would have been there.
My Dad Actually Rode Drachen Fire Back In The 90's, My Family Still Goes Busch Gardens Every Once In a while
Why The Hell Do You People Type Like This?
I grew out of it lol
Drachen Fire used to fuck up my neck so bad haha
Invader was an awsome addition to the park, Verbolten is awesome in Octoberfest! We need a new coaster in Octoberfest, not the Tempesto type, a true hyper coaster.. Corkscrews please!
We already have a hyper coaster... Apollo’s Chariot.
Gregory Golub no corkscrews on that tho. just ups and downs and that half sideways turn halfway through
@@gregorygolub3315 he wants an Intamin Hyper it seems. I wouldn't mind another B&M hyper though, Apollo's Chariot is gentle compared to Leviathan or Orion.
Well, we have pantheon which looks fun on the recently released POV. Completely the opposite of what you want but you know, something new
I loved this coaster. Visited in 95 or 96 during a school band trip. It had short lines and was crazy fun.
As a Busch Gardens fanboy, this is great!
Since this video involved Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, how about one with Tampa? There were two roller coasters there that may interest you, the Python and Gwazi.
The Pomeranian Prince yes definitely gwazi !!!!!
Isnt Gwazi still there? I mean it's not running but it's still there. Perfect RMC candidate Imo
it's there, but it hasn't operated since 2015. from what i heard, it may be demolished in the future.
you know which ride i just thought of? rhino valley. that ride is still there but it hasn't operation since cheetah hunt went into operation.
Gwazi would be great.
Adam Smith wood dosent work with flordas climate apperently
finally, an amusement park ive actually been to.
Right? I was starting to feel left out!
I rode this roller coaster and hurt my neck. The pain lasted for three days.
Arrow Dynamics used the B&M-style supports on Tennessee Tornado at Dollywood, which opened on April 17, 1999. It is considered to be one of the park's best attractions.
I worked there for 7 years starting in 1985. There was another park about 1 hr and 20 mins away called Kings Dominion. The parks were rivals. Since most parks are run by young people, we would get a bunch of us together and go sabotage the other guy's park. One time Kings Dominion employees came to our park and smuggled in cases of liquid soap they stole from their park which was easy to do since they were the bathroom attendants as well. They got on our flume ride and once they left the station, they dumped case after case of liquid soap into the water. After 15 minutes or so, the water at the bottom of the big drop started to foam up. Before long the logs with people in them were dropping into a ten foot high pile of bubbles. The bubbles were everywhere. You couldn't see the logs after awhile. We had to shut the ride down and it took us all night to change the water out so we could open the next day. Needless to say, we got even with Kings Dominion. Their brand new white water raft ride...well, they got a feel for the bubbly hell they put us through.
That is hilarious. I have to ask though, was anyone fired for pulling those kinds of stunts?
mechaman13 No. They never knew who did it. Each park has 25,000 people in it. Who did it? Good luck with figuring out which teenagers dumped soap in the water ride.
We have a little suburb in Kentucky that has a fountain and every so often someone dumps bubbles in the fountain. 😂 it’s always funny driving past it on the main rode and seeing all those bubbles. It can get you arrested though. I wouldn’t do it myself, but maybe if I were still a kid.
Someone stop me! I starting to binge watch these one after the other and I have to go sleep before work! X__X
Content...
Too.... ENTERTAINING...
I went to Bush Gardens several times in the 90s. I loved Drachen Fire. After they put in Alpengeist, they had a really nice mix of coasters. Drachen Fire was rough and would beat you up a bit, but it felt real somehow. The only real downside was sometimes you'd get considerable headbang on the restraints- even on that first corkscrew. It was worse towards the back than to the front. By comparison, Alpengeist was incredibly smooth- it just felt fast and twisty.
All these years....I thought it was just me! That damn coaster rattled my head side to side that I screamed for it to stop (which was useless). I also think I left my earrings in.
You could still ride a simulation of it untill 2016. In the Pittsburgh science centers sports works, there was a roller coaster simulator untill late 2016. One of the coasters you could choose, was Drachen Fire! I rode the simulation in 2015 and the simulator was pretty good actually. But even the simulation was super rough! Sad to see this ride had to get though. It looked like a blast
They closed the simulator? That's so sad! I used to ride it when I was a kid cause my PapPap lived in the 'Burgh. As a baby coaster fanatic, I would make the most insane ride possible and strap in. But, now that I think about it, that might have been the simulator where I almost died at age 12? Oh well. The ride was awesome.
Woah, that's awesome Eli Peel! I'd love to ride a simulation of Drachen Fire as it has always been one of my favorites. Sad that I missed the chance to check out the simulation.
I believe they also used the Steel Phantom's track at the science center. Another notorious Arrow ride.
They closed it last summer to make room for the new ropes course at SportsWorks. A bit of a downgrade in my opinion.
I love binging this series!
the insane thing is my dad actually did a radio interview/ad for drachen fire back in the day 🗿
I must have just been an indestructible child when I rode this, since all I remember is the great views of the trees in autumn and it flying over the water being really cool.
I worked at BG Williamsburg in 94 and rode this coaster multiple times. Once for a photo shoot where I stayed on for three consecutive rides before begging to be released due to vomit that was very close to showing itself. I didn’t feel it was rougher than any other coaster. The year I was there a maintenance guy was killed by the Big Bad Wolf.
Is there any possibility of ding rides outside of the US?
I was just thinking that! I would love to hear ride info from the uk! :D
I already watch enough of your videos, do you really have to show up under ever other video? Lmao
Hello you
Larry Bundy Jr Hey Larry, do you know any defunct amusment parks/rides? Just curious.
I was hoping for an episode on the rad SEGAworld Sydney.
Whoa excellent use of Alex Winter! Another great video! Amazing job man!
Wyld Stallions!
Another great vid. But you know what this channel could use? A video on the creepy-ass Alfred Hitchcock Experience.
That was a great Universal Orlando attraction, and it's a big shame that they don't have anything like it anymore. Oh well, let's just build another 3D screen simulator starring the Minions instead!...
My mother worked at Busch Gardens when she was a teen selling cigars in Germany lol
We used to go to Williamsburg every summer. I loved the Big Bad Wolf, Corkscrew Hill, and Dark Kastle. RIP.
My favorite Busch Gardens story is the one where Fabio got beamed in the face by a bird riding Apollo's Chariot.
They should totally get another company to recreate it....but not shit
This ride wasn't even THAT rough! If they want to know what "rough" is, they should go on the Manhattan Express in Vegas. That ride was BRUTAL, and made Drachen Fire smooth by comparison.
hey
no
Arrow Enlightenment Leader
Hey
Yes
Hey
_No_
Zonies Coasters So, Bolliger & Mabillard?
Could you do an episode on Harry G. Traver's "Terrifying Triplets"? They're some of the most fascinating and infamous roller coasters in history, and would probably make a good episode.
I second the nomination for the Crystal Beach Cyclone; Palisades Cyclone; and Revere Beach Lightning.
Woah, this was interesting.
I rode that coaster at least twenty times in one day.
It definitely wasn't a beginner's coaster but if you could handle it, it was a serious adrenaline rush!!!
Drachen Fire will always be my favorite... 💕♥️
These videos are really well made. You deserve more recognition. I find these really interesting and entertaining. Kudos to you!
This one beat the shit out of you ahaha. It's still crazy how the land where this was is still vacant 20+ years later, they used it for the summer concerts for awhile, I believe they just do them at the theater in France for the past few years. They had a Halloween House there for quite a long time but this year they shut it down. Rumors of a new ride coming soon, they should really use this land finally, just and unused field. The queue house and doc stations are still there today (they used them for the haunted houses)
There was still a haunted house over there in the field in 2017 but I don't think they used the old ride building for a haunted house this year. I need to pull out my map
Word on the street is there is a 315 foot ride coming by 2020. It's not guaranteed to be a coaster or anything but judging by the permits it may take up space between Roman Rapids and where Drachen Fire was located.
They're building a new coaster this summer apparently, the height is supposed to be so tall you can see it from the Jamestown settlement
Woah! That will be hectic!!
Bundee Waje rip bitten 😢💀
The Alpengeist is a pretty rough ride that you usually end up with a headache on, so I can only imagine how that thing felt back in the day.
It always gave me a headache in the early 00’s
I remembered it being kind of jerky, but it feels a lot smoother nowadays. Maybe it’s cuz my most recent ride was when it was nearly empty
Wow great video, I remember that ride snapping my neck so bad I couldn't move for a week. Love bush gardens though.
Yep Drachen Fire could really kick your ass! Lol
It’s cool to know that you can still ride the kumba today. It was one of the best coasters I’ve ever ridden and my first big coaster as a kid.
I loved the ride and was sad to see it go. However, I expect to have to stiffen my own neck to control what my head does when I go on a roller coaster. I would love to think that one day BGW will bring this ride back built with today's technology. It had a lot of elements that were truly thrilling. I loved the cobra roll, especially at the time being totally new, but my favorite element is cast in this video as a negative. That is the original way the first drop was laid out with the inversion and then carving back in the other direction. Truly fun stuff.
0:13 Sounded like "83 toasters"
This was one of my favorite rides. I didn’t think it was no more rough than other corkscrew coasters.