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

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:
  
  

  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
• Most Recent Status Update:
  
  

  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

NoLimits Model of the Layout:​

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Additional Coverage (Newest to Oldest):​

• https://bgwfans.com/2022/drachen-spire-height-waiver-extension-details/
• https://bgwfans.com/2022/drachen-spire-height-waiver-renewal/
• https://bgwfans.com/2021/drachen-spires-slumber/
• https://bgwfans.com/2020/leaked-ele...-williamsburgs-2021-roller-coaster-in-detail/
• https://bgwfans.com/2020/busch-gardens-williamsburg-2021-shuttle-giga-coaster/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/germany-expansion-site-plans/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/2021-rpa-impacts-plan/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/newly-leaked-document-depicts-project-2021s-station/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/project-2021-height-waiver-vote-happens-tomorrow/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/born-from-the-ashes/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/bgw-project-2021/

Previous Thread:​

https://parkfans.net/threads/january-2019-festhaus-park-height-survey.5696/

 

[GrandpaD]

Ok, counter-counter point... Let's say it's a Taron/Taiga Blitz (and a tower plus a flat). Train comes out of the station, makes a slight right, and enters an elongated (former) maintenance shed. Some sort of story (yeah, I know it sounds Copperhead Strike-ish) and launch towards the Rhine. Lots of interaction with the forest...later interaction with path and Verbolten building..yada-yada.

Tower at previously noted high point, flat near path parallel to coaster station.

Asbestos long-johns on for retorts.

 

[JohnD]

This:View attachment 17353

Is a bridge across the river inlet possible, pushing the top hat ‘X’ closer to river - with follow-on layout hugging river, then returning to station?

 

[GrandpaD]

Is a bridge across the river inlet possible, pushing the top hat ‘X’ closer to river - with follow-on layout hugging river, then returning to station?

Anything is possible. We haven't seen any revised RPA filings (probably too soon) as I'm sure that may impact the water. Either way, seems that might be a heck of a lot of g's coming down from 355ft or so and turning like that.

 

[JohnD]

Anything is possible. We haven't seen any revised RPA filings (probably too soon) as I'm sure that may impact the water. Either way, seems that might be a heck of a lot of g's coming down from 355ft or so and turning like that.

Track might be elevated after top hat plunge, reducing total drop - and then across river inlet bridge.

 

[JohnD]

What would be the maximum height possible of a second hill, after an initial drop of 300 feet?

 

[BGWnut]

From my understanding the park wouldn't need a second height waiver with JCC as it's all covered under the original height waiver. So the second hill could be 355' and under. I am not sure about the FAA height waivers though. They might require one for each portion that goes over 200'.

 

[warfelg]

I am not sure about the FAA height waivers though. They might require one for each portion that goes over 200'.

You get a certain radius from that original point as long as it's one structure.

 

[JohnD]

From a physics perspective, if first drop is 300 feet, what is maximum height possible of 2nd hill?

 

[Thomas]

Are we accounting for wind resistance or is this in a vacuum?

 

[Jonesta6]

RollerCoaster Tycoon logic has you at about a 20' decrease for it to make it, probably a good 5' - 10' less than that for a more whip-like experience.

Or we could use i305 logic and drop you down into a large banked turn... Which RCT logic dictates is a bad idea

 

[GrandpaD]

I think someone said the second hill of Intimidator was about 180ft. But that was a while back, so I might be off.

 

[Drachenwolf]

And also we get to constantly remind @Drachenwolf that he was wrong.

Good luck with that! I still think a giga is a pipedream; unlikely and unnecessary.
IF there's any validity to the leak... 4 cars, 2 x 2 seating... Why not an Intamin Mega-Lite? (Kawasemi, Piraten, Fly Over Mediterranean) Would be a brilliant choice and makes sense in an Intamin package deal. More sense than following a ground-breaking coaster with a bigger, more expensive, more ground-breaking coaster THE FOLLOWING YEAR. I've never ridden one, but enthusiasts seem to think the Intamin Mega-Lites are phenomenal rides. Mini- I305-like. There isn't one in all of the U.S.

 

[FoozMuz]

Intimidators second hill is 150, MF's is 170, and steel dragon's is likely in the low 200's, though I cant find a stat.

 

[JohnD]

Are we accounting for wind resistance or is this in a vacuum?

With resistance of natural elements. Suspect it also depends on linear distance between first and second hill.

 

[GrandpaD]

I measured using Earth and Fury was over 500 feet from crest of lift hill to crest of second hill. From the estimated high point of 2020 that way outside the train tracks.

I suspect, as others, it's not gonna be a giga anyway. As @Drachenwolf said, maybe a mega-lite but I like the thought of a Taron compact Blitz.

 

[FoozMuz]

I am expecting a red force type with a modified top hat at the moment. Maybe a little embellishment after the hat if lucky. I think the chances are very low the height waver was for anything but this coaster at this point.

 

[GrandpaD]

I can see that side of conjecture. I, too, thought of a different top hat...my only concern would be the footprint. RF top hat is about 100ft wide and 80ft deep. And how would it be placed for that low profile thing they told JCC? (sorry, can't recall the exact phrase).

 

[Zachary]

So I've been pondering the 2021 layout possibilities a lot—more from a problem solving perspective than anything else—trying to work out how I would tackle the problem.

Since no one else has really broken the "roughly sketched layouts" ice in this thread thus far, I guess I'll be the trailblazer...

First off, the items I'm taking into consideration:

1. The height waiver. This coaster is gonna be really tall. Similar installations have had minimal layouts previously. From a financial perspective, not breaking out of this trend too terribly much seems like the right thing to do.
2. The highest point. Not only is it located "downhill from Verbolten's broken bridge" but it also needs to be situated in such a way that it looks like a "knife's edge" from Kingsmill.
3. The "leaked" station plan. This determines the track entry and exit points on the old Drachen Fire station and strongly suggests that this coaster will be launched.

I've come up with a lot of layouts (some with some pretty creative solutions), but thus far I've only spent time "refining" one of them so that's the one I'm going to share for now.



Green is the launch, purple is the top hat, blue is normal track, and red is brakes.

The launch section is the same length as Red Force's launch. The top hat is scaled to match Red Force's as well.

I realize launching into a 135-ish degree turn is pretty ballsy, but that turn has a notably wider radius than i305's first turn by my calculations and mine is only about half of the circumference of i305's.

The turn after the top hat is considerably less daring—especially since in the theoretical layout above the track would gain a bunch of altitude through that element.

The brakes are pretty self-explanatory, but the first set of them are downward magnetic breaks a la Red Force (though my incline would probably be steeper...)

Thoughts? Criticisms? Don't hold back, I can take it. ?

 

[Gavin]

Whatever layout this thing is going to have, one thing is certain. Verbolten is going to look tiny next to it.

 

[FoozMuz]

I think that would be a fun and unique top hat layout. The one thing I'd say is that there may be a simpler way to skin a cat if the top hat isnt locked into the 180 degree turn design.