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/

 

[Zachary]

Yeah, not speaking with any inside information here, but if BGW doesn't build something taller than i305 I'll honestly be shocked. I think all signs point to BGW really wanting that VA height record back from Kings Dominion.

 

[halfabee]

I wasn't referring to their height but the fact that the highest point is actually less than their total drop. Like Apollo is 170ish feet high but has a 210' drop. Orion is similar

Ah, got it. My bad, misread your note as a set of height proxies.

Festhaus Park, with the land around the ravine cleared of trees, has nearly the same verrrrrrrry rough total land area as I305's footprint -- if FP's boundaries are considered to be the train tracks, ridge of Verbolten's hillside, water's edge (+ ravine itself), and the corner where DF's cutback once sat. Maybe fully equivalent to I305's footprint area, if the ride is allowed to cross over the railroad near Boneyard Rd. Just a different shape.

All theoretical and very dependent on Google Maps' sometimes-questionable scaling accuracy, plus my slapdash good-enough area boundaries. But much closer than I would have expected. And of course there's a lot more land back there between tracks and boneyard. But who knows what, if anything, is on the table for space, beyond the current FP open area and the wooded area that was to be cleared near the water for Drachen Spire.

 

[rswashdc]

If they have to stay largely under the tree lines besides the knife like lift hill, it would have to be a very I305ish ride staying lower to the ground - i.e. I355

 

[matthewcsoup]

the manufacturers i’ve heard floated around, form most to least likely are: intamin, rmc, and s&s, for the project, this was around a month ago i heard this from someone with great insight to the festhaus park project as it stood a month ago

 

[Twisted_Airtime]

What if BGW builds the first RMC giga invert ?

 

[matthewcsoup]

Adding onto my previous statment, not sure what s&s would bring to the table for this project, i don’t know if bgw wants another prototype ride, axis, and an air launch doesn’t seem like the move, RMC however, single rail is very plausible, specifically a T. rex, and intamin... well it’s intamin, i’d expect a Kondaa at walabi belgium type ride for intamin to get the site, kondaa but scaled up times two for the largest chain lift coaster ever built

 

[Mwe BGW]

Steel Curtain 2?!?! If so this should be fun...

 

[FoozMuz]

Would certainly be pretty nice...

 

[Twisted_Airtime]

Steel Curtain 2?!?! If so this should be fun...

Steel curtain: the down time strikes back

 

[UncleDuncan]

the manufacturers i’ve heard floated around, form most to least likely are: intamin, rmc, and s&s, for the project, this was around a month ago i heard this from someone with great insight to the festhaus park project as it stood a month ago

Not shooting the messenger. I just wish there was more diversity in that list. Or that it didn't seem like there were only 3 or 4 manufacturers to choose from for any given project.

 

[XDime]

sometimes a big negative (corona) can lead to something great (a true giga at bgw)

 

[FoozMuz]

A total redesign must kick this a few years down the road though I'd think.

 

[panopticon31]

Yeah, not speaking with any inside information here, but if BGW doesn't build something taller than i305 I'll honestly be shocked. I think all signs point to BGW really wanting that VA height record back from Kings Dominion.

If the height waver is for 355' and they want to beat i305 for tallest in virginia, why not go for 330' to beat Fury 325 and take the height crown *(for non launch coasters if this changes to a non launch)

 

[panopticon31]

the manufacturers i’ve heard floated around, form most to least likely are: intamin, rmc, and s&s, for the project, this was around a month ago i heard this from someone with great insight to the festhaus park project as it stood a month ago

Wait its not going to be Intamin any longer? I thought Intamin had already been paid a good chunk for DS. Would seem silly to start over and lose all that money UNLESS all the money was only for design & planning which would go out the window anyways.

Also a 300 plus foot version of steel curtain style coaster would be insane if S&S was involved.

 

[Nicole]

Given that BGW has already paid Intamin for at least some of this project, it doesn't seem very likely that they would switch manufacturers now. Nothing is impossible, of course, but some things are more probable than others.

As BGWNut has said:

More like the majority was part of their 2019 financials. For all intents and purposes, the park had already paid Intamin for Pantheon and this ride. In fact the construction team was supposed to move to festhaus park as soon as they were finished with Pantheon.

I actually think it's more of a BGW and SEAS deciding that coming out of this pandemic they want to have some serious rides that will really bring in people. Then Intamin crediting the money they already paid toward a new project.

From what I'm hearing, this ride should be much more of a I305 competitor than DS would have been. While I don't think they will use the entire height waiver, I wouldn't rule out something similar to Orion and Apollo's drops.

 

[BGWnut]

If they have to stay largely under the tree lines besides the knife like lift hill, it would have to be a very I305ish ride staying lower to the ground - i.e. I355

It's worth noting that the height waiver only talks about the highest point. There is nothing preventing the ride from going above the tree tops at any other point.

 

[BGWnut]

A total redesign must kick this a few years down the road though I'd think.

Maybe, maybe not. It's possible it moves to 2023. It's hard to know how long the redesign has been in the works. Pantheon was only pushed back one year when they decided to split the project. I think that 2022 is likely depending on when they can move over from Pantheon.

From what I understand we should expect another huge year of chainwide investment next year.

 

[Memles]

It's worth noting that the height waiver only talks about the highest point. There is nothing preventing the ride from going above the tree tops at any other point.

Doesn't it feel like the inevitable result of this will be complaints being made and the park making the argument that "post-COVID, we need to pull out all the stops to bring people back and help recover the local economy" and the county being able to use that as cover if the pushback persists?

 

[BGWnut]

Doesn't it feel like the inevitable result of this will be complaints being made and the park making the argument that "post-COVID, we need to pull out all the stops to bring people back and help recover the local economy" and the county being able to use that as cover if the pushback persists?

Bottom line the county won't say no to BGW, but I do think this will be what the county uses as a defense if necessary.

 

[ijerngvidsnvk]

I'm confused. So Drachen Spire got canceled?