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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Direct Link to Embedded Media Source

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]

So, based on (assumed) train size we're looking at a launch of some sort.

If it's a giga as concepts from @Zachary & others, I'll be a bit disappointed. Hearing the [click, click, click] of the chain lift, to me, heightens the tension and anticipation. [Whoosh] You're at the top just doesn't do it for me. Sure, the rest might be ok. But, in this ol' mind, is just a bigger Apollo.

If it's Red Force 2, that's an even bigger disappointment to me. Stand in line 45 minutes to go real fast for a few seconds is, in my mind, a big yawn. ”I went 110 miles an hour!". Sorry, BFD.

Edit- @Zachary I zoomed onto Red Force and measured the LSM fin run. They start just outside the station and go 520ft.

 

[Thomas]

This could feature a stall at the top to heighten the anticipation of the drop. Intamin hasn't done it on anything of this scale, but the PA coaster shows they can.

 

[vacoasterfanatic]

I haven’t been able to do the full layout but with this kind of speed it is very hard to keep that turn in check without running into verbolten. I’ll have a video up by tonight

I cant wait to see that

 

[Lcucu3]

I may wind up doing 2 layouts - one with zachary’s concept and one of my own. I’ll give zachary’s a go first once I get home

 

[Zachary]

I may wind up doing 2 layouts - one with zachary’s concept and one of my own. I’ll give zachary’s a go first once I get home

Just out of curiosity, which of my layouts are you thinking about doing?

 

[Lcucu3]

The one that launches into a turn. I may not be able to get a video tonight actually but I’ll have the entire day free tomorrow ?

 

[warfelg]

Ok so I put some thought into a concept here...what if BGW did a launched lift hill? It could take care of short lift hill space, make sense with the short trains, and be EXTREMELY unique at this size (keep in mind that's huge for BGW). So here's the map:

So a launched lift could get high enough speeds (the rid) to be a steeper incline than usual, and the last few feet to hit the top could slow down enough that the start of the drop (neon green), into the main drop (blue arrows). That goes into an upturning overbooked turn (pink) before coming back down into an "ampersand" rising turn (yellow). After a sweeping left, a low high speed U-turn element (light blue), the left turn continues long going up over the lift-launch, but under the overbook turn, into a hard right turn. Following is a couple of swerving turns back and forth, under the lift-launch, into the break run, before turning around into the station.

 

[Lcucu3]

Assuming we're going for realism, should I tilt this turn up so the train would make its way back to the launch tracks in case of a rollback?

 

[Jahrules]

Stunning

 

[Lcucu3]

Still a wip lol

 

[Drachenwolf]

Alright, just a couple of questions that someone can hopefully answer.

1. Is it confirmed that the balloon test is where we think it is? Is there a public record of it's geographical location?
2. I keep seeing "Knife's edge." Where did this term come from? A public hearing or meeting?
3. If the Knife's Edge is towards Kingsmill, where specifically in KM? That neighborhood does kind of surround the rear of the park, so how do we know which way it is facing?

I am hoping to get a NL2 mockup of a few designs, so I appreciate your response(s). I made an accelerator coaster for FH Park in NL2 like 3-4 years ago, but I doubt this ride will be anything like that. Had it on YT for a while until I decided to close that channel down.

I think the best thing we have to work with is the location map from the height waiver item summary. It's linked to from here.



The "knife's edge" comment was made during a JCC hearing. As far as I know, we don't know where exactly that knife's edge view was from other than somewhere in KM. My goal has been to get the highest point perpendicular to some portion of the property line. That seems like enough to qualify to me.

Knife edge comes from the height waiver BOS meeting where the term was used to describe how it would look from Kingsmill.

Yeah, they probably meant that it generally is going to look like a knife's edge, as in most of the KM property would be viewing it from the side.

I think the "knife edge" description of the high was the one thing that really sounded like a portion of a coaster as opposed to a tower ride, and now seeing seeming confirmation of a coaster makes it all line up to that, imo. The high point also seems so far away from the parks pathing that the infrastructure needed to connect it would seem downright goofy unless the site were developed all at once in a hundred-million dollar or more project or something.

A tall rollercoaster in 2021 is the simple solution to the info we have at the moment just imo.

Random comment re: "knife's edge." While we assume a top hat, that of course is not officially known. However, I think the "knife's edge" implies a top hat pretty strongly*. Given that a top hat is fairly vertical, e.g. like two towers side-by-side, it's going to look fairly "knife blade-like" from Kingsmill, even if you view it from a slight angle. A tall lift hill however wouldn't so much. Plus we know that the high point moved to appease Kingsmill, so it would seem that only a top hat would be able to move (such that it's perpendicular to the property line) and significantly change how wide it is--i.e. knife edge or surface.

Therefore, I'm assuming either a Red Force-like clone, or some smallish (length-wise) coaster with the top hat being the primary element. Hoping the latter to give this thing some additional appeal... Red Force-like coasters just seem too gimmicky/one-trick ponyish for me.

*I've ruled out a spike, which is the least visually impactful, since moving it wouldn't really change Kingsmill's view and obviously that would be too similar to Pantheon.

The term 'space needle' was used, as well.

 

[Drachenwolf]

This possibility goes completely against this coaster being a giga, but has anyone considered an Intamin Megalite? The train matches what was on the plans and it's also a tight, ground-hugging, intense coaster model.

View attachment 17379

?
(page 82)

 

[halfabee]

Ok so I put some thought into a concept here...what if BGW did a launched lift hill?

Glad to see that being asked. I've been wondering about that in PMs and spending some time thinking about it.

Lots of options for layout, and it makes land area/linear space much less of an issue to be wrestled with. May possibly provide additional rationale for using a shorter and therefore lighter train.

 

[Lcucu3]

How fast does red force clear its top hat?

Also quick update:

The speed on this thing is ridiculous - flying across festhaus park at 103mph would be amazing lol

Will do supports and terrain tomorrow

 

[----------------------]

I'll give it a c+

 

[Drachenwolf]

Might as well copy the spike, too, if we're wearing out top hats and launches...

This.

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3NWJwdr4DY


Twice as fast. Twice as tall.

 

[Zachary]

The speed on this thing is ridiculous - flying across festhaus park at 103mph would be amazing lol

I'm super curious to know how close your elements get to the railroad and Verbolten and what kind of forces you're seeing in those turns. I think those are the details that would make or break that layout.

 

[warfelg]

Glad to see that being asked. I've been wondering about that in PMs and spending some time thinking about it.

Lots of options for layout, and it makes land area/linear space much less of an issue to be wrestled with. May possibly provide additional rationale for using a shorter and therefore lighter train.

Yea, I was looking around at some and noticed that the few coasters that launch uphill take less horizontal distance but reaches the speeds of a similar flat launch. Like I'm thinking if it's a 320-ish feet, what if it was launched the first 230-ish feet? Can make a slightly steeper incline than a lift hill and be really innovative solution.

The only other thing that could be a solution I'm thinking of to reconcile the short train is it's an EXTREMELY steep lift hill and the short train is to help. I'm just wondering other possible reasons for such a short train. Maybe there was restrictions with the station and that's why.

 

[GrandpaD]

The only other thing that could be a solution I'm thinking of to reconcile the short train is it's an EXTREMELY steep lift hill and the short train is to help. I'm just wondering other possible reasons for such a short train. Maybe there was restrictions with the station and that's why.

I can't see them building a multi-million dollar attraction around an old station.
Comparing, it appears they "lost" loading area (DF's trains were much longer) with the interior exit stairs and (I assume) the electrical room. If they wanted an attraction with longer trains, I'd assume either a lengthening remodel or a new build.

 

[Ziva]

Oh, man, I would LOVE a mega-lite with a launched lift hill. That seems really different from the other launch coasters in the park, and it would be a world's first!