Project 2021/Drachen Spire: Intamin Multi-Launch Shuttle Giga Coaster [Cancelled]

Register or Login to Hide This Ad for Free!

General Information:​

"Project Drachen Spire," is a community-generated identifier for the Intamin-made, multi-launch, shuttle giga coaster that was originally slated to open at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2021. The attraction is planned to utilize the currently-vacant land behind Verbolten, Festhaus Park—the former home of Drachen Fire.

The coaster's main layout—as leaked before the addition was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic—featured two launches, two spikes (one spiral, one vertical-ish), and a couple of banked turns. Drachen Spire was designed to run two trains by means of a pair of switch tracks connecting the primary, shuttle portion of the layout to the station platform.

Important Articles:​

  • Most Up-To-Date Understanding of the Layout:
    bgwfans.com

    Leaked Electrical Plan Depicts Busch Gardens Williamsburg's 2021 Roller Coaster in Detail – BGWFans

    If there’s a god, he’s up there laughing this afternoon. Why? Because BGWFans just had one of those classic sitcom moments. Yesterday, we published our painstakingly detailed analysis of the footer plan for what we believe is Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s 2021 roller coaster—seemingly a huge...
    bgwfans.com bgwfans.com
  • Most Recent Status Update:
    bgwfans.com

    Drachen Spire Height Waiver Extension Details – BGWFans

    Just over a week ago, we reported on the renewal of the notorious 355 foot Festhaus Park height waiver that was originally requested for the controversial, Intamin-made, multi-launch, giga, shuttle coaster we’ve dubbed Drachen Spire. In last week’s article, we were very careful to leave the door...
    bgwfans.com bgwfans.com

NoLimits Model of the Layout:​

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Direct Link to Embedded Media Source

Additional Coverage (Newest to Oldest):​

Previous Thread:​

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Click to expand...
warfelg said:
I have no insider information but I’d be 99.99999% sure this will still be an Intamin project based on the fact a payment for whatever iteration of this we get has been made. Intamin is t going to want to refund that.
Click to expand...
Capital funding for this project would come for SeaWorld corporate accounts. Who is to say SW could not move this Intamin product elsewhere (to a different SW park) and start fresh at BGW with a new plan?
 
  • Like
Reactions: BGWnut, DE_Creative, Zachary and 1 other person
jonn804 said:
Capital funding for this project would come for SeaWorld corporate accounts. Who is to say SW could not move this Intamin product elsewhere (to a different SW park) and start fresh at BGW with a new plan?
Click to expand...
A big advantage of continuing with Intamin is there engineers have been on site for Pantheon and doing prep work this project. Getting another manufacturer means taking time and money to bring them entirely up to speed on the work site. It isn't like Intamin can't build a wide variety of rides.
 
  • Like
Reactions: warfelg
rswashdc said:
A big advantage of continuing with Intamin is there engineers have been on site for Pantheon and doing prep work this project. Getting another manufacturer means taking time and money to bring them entirely up to speed on the work site.
Click to expand...
True, but that time would be worked into the quote given at bid time. A rival manufacturer who may have bid on the job originally (assuming there were multiple bidders for the FHP ride) would still have the site info for the lot. That said, if this went down the way we think, Intamin offered both rides at the same time, spaced one year apart to strengthen their bid.
 
ControlsEE said:
True, but that time would be worked into the quote given at bid time. A rival manufacturer who may have bid on the job originally (assuming there were multiple bidders for the FHP ride) would still have the site info for the lot. That said, if this went down the way we think, Intamin offered both rides at the same time, spaced one year apart to strengthen their bid.
Click to expand...

It has been my impression that BGW selected Intamin for their original "Project Madrid" Rhine-crossing launched giga design and then, well into development on that project, something happened that brought it to a screaching hault. That sent BGW and Intamin back to the design table, pushed the coaster back to 2020, and sent BGW scrambling to find a new 2019 ride (the Screamin Swing). It was in the Project Madrid redesign process that I believe BGW and Intamin came to their "two coasters, one on each side of the Rhine" solution. I don't know of any involvement from any other potential manufacturer that deep into the process.

Now, after building half of that new plan, COVID happened and it sounds like BGW and Intamin may have been sent running back to the drawing board again.

I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility of a change in manufacturers completely, but given the partnership we've seen between the park and Intamin through all of this chaos so far, I'd personally be very surprised to see Intamin not build the FHP coaster. Ever since the original Project Madrid was greenlit, it seems to me that BGW and Intamin are in this together.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ijerngvidsnvk, BGWnut, CoasterAuditor and 14 others
At least my interpretation of things Intamin and BGW came to some sort of agreement that 2 separate coasters would be a smarter investment of money than whatever iteration of Giga Cheetah Hunt some of us may have seen. Frankly, I'm a fan of two separate coasters even if one of them ends up being some Lovecraftian Monster of a concept so ridiculous I could only chalk it up to Intamin being paid in some Columbian Bam Bam.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ijerngvidsnvk, Twisted_Airtime and UncleDuncan
Now that lots of us are throwing around new ideas at this project, really quick I wanted to see if some sort of traditional giga coaster would work in Festhaus Park. Here's my take at a Giga for the site:

MapExport Festhaus Park.jpg

Brown: Reused Drachen Fire station
Green: Lift
Blue: Track
Black: Brake runs
Red: Storage transfer and track
Yellow: Rerouted queue bridge

It ended up looking way more B&M in layout rather than Intamin but nonetheless, this is what I came up with. The site is not that large in thinking that it is right next to Kingsmill and much of the necessary backstage. I created a lift and drop to fit that space in NoLimits 2 and, in order to beat Intimidator 305 in height and have a 300+ foot drop, the lift would be 310 feet at 50 degrees and 300 foot drop of 95 degrees. The rest of the layout features low to the ground airtime and on the end by the dam, I put a wave turn where riders face away from the boneyard. There is also a turn that goes underneath the Rhine trestle. Other things could be added but this was a quick thing I was thinking about.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Griffbolten, pizzathieff, JohnKell and 3 others
AIR said:
Now that lots of us are throwing around new ideas at this project, really quick I wanted to see if some sort of traditional giga coaster would work in Festhaus Park. Here's my take at a Giga for the site:

View attachment 22155

Brown: Reused Drachen Fire station
Green: Lift
Blue: Track
Black: Brake runs
Red: Storage transfer and track
Yellow: Rerouted queue bridge

It ended up looking way more B&M in layout rather than Intamin but nonetheless, this is what I came up with. The site is not that large in thinking that it is right next to Kingsmill and much of the necessary backstage. I created a lift and drop to fit that space in NoLimits 2 and, in order to beat Intimidator 305 in height and have a 300+ foot drop, the lift would be 310 feet at 50 degrees and 300 foot drop of 95 degrees. The rest of the layout features low to the ground airtime and on the end by the dam, I put a wave turn where riders face away from the boneyard. There is also a turn that goes underneath the Rhine trestle. Other things could be added but this was a quick thing I was thinking about.
Click to expand...
Can we slow it down when its near the boneyard? Would love to see the old stuff back there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Le Moose
AIR said:
Now that lots of us are throwing around new ideas at this project, really quick I wanted to see if some sort of traditional giga coaster would work in Festhaus Park. Here's my take at a Giga for the site:

View attachment 22155

Brown: Reused Drachen Fire station
Green: Lift
Blue: Track
Black: Brake runs
Red: Storage transfer and track
Yellow: Rerouted queue bridge

It ended up looking way more B&M in layout rather than Intamin but nonetheless, this is what I came up with. The site is not that large in thinking that it is right next to Kingsmill and much of the necessary backstage. I created a lift and drop to fit that space in NoLimits 2 and, in order to beat Intimidator 305 in height and have a 300+ foot drop, the lift would be 310 feet at 50 degrees and 300 foot drop of 95 degrees. The rest of the layout features low to the ground airtime and on the end by the dam, I put a wave turn where riders face away from the boneyard. There is also a turn that goes underneath the Rhine trestle. Other things could be added but this was a quick thing I was thinking about.
Click to expand...
i’m almost positive that a giga lift hill wouldn’t fit in that green strip, it would have to be very steep lol and for a giga moving at speeds of potentially 100 mph i think more usage to spread out elements to manage forces etc... would be necessary, and i’m not sure if intamin would go with an L shape layout for a giga in festhaus park, i think a more bowl/ circular layout or something like what a lot of the hyper hybrids and kondaa do would be more realistic
 
  • Like
Reactions: SLC Headache and Jonesta6
Jonesta6 said:
Assuming the knife-like profile they mentioned, if it doesn't spiral like was interpreted from planning documents then maybe the knife is a beyond vertical drop. Problem is that would mean this track would likely end up interacting with or paralleling VB by the water, which unless they can use the existing footers for VB for this (highly doubt) I'd say is highly unlikely.
Click to expand...

I think it was said a few pages back, but the park already had RPA waivers approved to build extensive footers in the RPA buffer. I definitely think that they will be able to adjust their RPA filings to account for a new layout.

jonn804 said:
Capital funding for this project would come for SeaWorld corporate accounts. Who is to say SW could not move this Intamin product elsewhere (to a different SW park) and start fresh at BGW with a new plan?
Click to expand...

This is an excellent point and could certainly happen. I think it's pretty likely to continue to be Intamin, but I'm hearing that they discussed some other manufacturers at the very least.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tursiops, DE_Creative, The Quist and 5 others
AIR said:
Now that lots of us are throwing around new ideas at this project, really quick I wanted to see if some sort of traditional giga coaster would work in Festhaus Park. Here's my take at a Giga for the site:

View attachment 22155

Brown: Reused Drachen Fire station
Green: Lift
Blue: Track
Black: Brake runs
Red: Storage transfer and track
Yellow: Rerouted queue bridge

It ended up looking way more B&M in layout rather than Intamin but nonetheless, this is what I came up with. The site is not that large in thinking that it is right next to Kingsmill and much of the necessary backstage. I created a lift and drop to fit that space in NoLimits 2 and, in order to beat Intimidator 305 in height and have a 300+ foot drop, the lift would be 310 feet at 50 degrees and 300 foot drop of 95 degrees. The rest of the layout features low to the ground airtime and on the end by the dam, I put a wave turn where riders face away from the boneyard. There is also a turn that goes underneath the Rhine trestle. Other things could be added but this was a quick thing I was thinking about.
Click to expand...
I do like the general idea, but I think that is probably too far from where the height waiver is for it to happen.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tursiops and The Quist
Adam said:
Not to take away from Zachary's sharp wit, but though this was pretty interesting..

I was looking back at the FAA evaluation of the height of the project (relative to nearby air traffic) and the permit expires exactly a month from today on 3/18. Why does this matter? Because if they don't start construction before the permit expires (or file for an extension up to 15 days prior), BGW will have to file a new permit with the FAA if they plan to move forward with a project of this magnitude. I'm not sure what exactly constitutes "construction," but I'm pretty confident that they can't pass as being underway when the land disturbance permits filed with JCC to begin breaking ground have been on hold for almost a year now.

All of this could be great for us though, as they will have to file a new permit with the FAA (unless there's something going on behind the scenes with the FAA and BGW that isn't public knowledge, or the project has been significantly reduced in height) - meaning we should see exactly where and how tall the highest point is going to be. For comparison, the current permit set to expire has the GPS coordinates of the highest point almost exactly where it is shown on the plans previously filed with JCC. If the park files for an extension, we should be able to assume that the original plans are moving forward as originally designed, however I see that as unlikely at this point. If they don't file for an extension and instead file for a new permit, we should be able to know a lot more about how the project is shaping up.

FAA filing attached for reference.
View attachment 22107
Click to expand...
Off topic now, but does anyone know how to pronounce the sponsor’s name? “Swietuchowski.”
 
In the case that this does become a full circuit giga by Intamin how do they make it different from I305? More airtime? Some inversions? Imagine a giga coaster with the worlds largest vertical loop.
 
I305 focuses on low to the ground transitions and high positive G forces. Even if the difference is 50 feet I figure Busch wouldn’t want to duplicate that type of a ride experience with a ride only 1 hour away
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Consider Donating to Hide This Ad