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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.

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Random idea: Would it be possible or would they consider the fins launching again after going back down the spiral ? Would it even be fun to even be shot back over that turn? Just was thinking of something different to add since the other fins could brake it just as easily.
 
Random idea: Would it be possible or would they consider the fins launching again after going back down the spiral ? Would it even be fun to even be shot back over that turn? Just was thinking of something different to add since the other fins could brake it just as easily.
They could but your speed going back to the station will probably be higher than go towards the spike because you won't reach the full height until the final launch. So there should be some more speed on the return. Unless of course they use the launch section as a brake section to slow the car down.
 
I envision one of the grays for supports, blue for the track, green for the train.

Dragon-ish theme. Between the blue (though a little darker) track and the gray supports, they're planning some reference back to Drachen Fire. The green cars are the dragon itself. The park will find the Drachen Fire reference to be cool--and I can appreciate it too. But I also believe it will be prophetic. Just my hunch.

At least it's bigger & more interesting, and the colors way better, than say... Wicked Twister (it should be, 20 years later). But like at Cedar Point, I think Drachen Spire will serve as a foil and also pull some people away from the other coasters, so that's good. And if @halfabee is right that it may build a case for a true giga, then great. But overall a waste of prime lakefront, or Black Forest as it were, real estate, IMHO.
 
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I've been nooding over that initial spike being used for more than initiating the launch.
That `300-feet drop is a lot of speed to bleed off with a relatively short length of track and one hill to halt the momentum. Certainly there will be braking.
Is there an opportunity for the initial spike to be re-purposed on the return, to contribute to bringing the train to a halt? - i.e. on return run, train goes up the initial spike partially, then sliding down it's final, braked resting place?
 
What if the initial launch only just barely crested the curved hill and the valley launch doesn't send the train very high on the spire on the first pass, there's a rollback to a stall near the top of the curved hill, then a full force launch up the spire to where it gets close to the end?
 
That would be neat, but I feel like that would take away the speed aspect of this ride. It’s pretty much just all very well-paced speed all the way though, it gains speed into the ravine, and gets even more on the launch before hitting the spike
 
That would be neat, but I feel like that would take away the speed aspect of this ride. It’s pretty much just all very well-paced speed all the way though, it gains speed into the ravine, and gets even more on the launch before hitting the spike

The ravine launch may have to slow the train down a bit heading back otherwise the curves may be really intense. Maybe the rise out of the ravine can burn off enough speed though.
 
What if the initial launch only just barely crested the curved hill and the valley launch doesn't send the train very high on the spire on the first pass, there's a rollback to a stall near the top of the curved hill, then a full force launch up the spire to where it gets close to the end?
Or a variant - Launch and don’t crest the first hill, roll-back and up spire #1, then blast-off.
 
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IMO spirals take away from the thrill on a spike. On the Intamin impulse coasters, they make you feel like you are enclosed and reduce the sensation of height. It also reduces the visibility of the end of the spike unless you are in the front seat.



One of the greatest coaster experiences is the simple forward spike of a Schwarzkopf shuttle loop. It’s an amazing feeling to be rocketed to the sky looking at the end of the track. Then there is that incredible sensation of weightlessness as the train pauses and falls and falls backwards.

The 300 foot coaster with a simple vertical spike would be one of the best sensations ever.
This.

No engineer here...A twist likely dissipates momentum exponentially, as opposed to straight track, with the introduction of additional lateral forces. So it's ideal in a situation with constantly changing variables (weather, rider weight, train load, etc.), and becomes more ideal for calculating the higher you try to achieve. I think I understand why this ride was chosen and why a twist was added, but I find such twisted spires hideous to a skyline, and less fun for the reasons quoted above. And this isn't a gigacoaster. ?
 
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Wait wait wait.....if this ride is all about speed, what makes us sure this isn't "Speed: the Ride"?
 
I just want to see the shocked look on that guy from Kings Mill when they build it and it's not a clone of the Stratosphere.

Nor is it knife-like, and I don't understand how moving the high point would have changed things dramatically, at least visually. These things better describe a spire like Pantheon's, or a true giga lift hill oriented in the line of sight with Kingsmill--which is what I was really hoping that meant.

But that twisted spire sure is "lattice-like"--oh my is there some lattice supporting that thing... ?
 
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Are people deliberately misunderstanding the offhand knife comparison the board member made? He was describing a structure that appeared thin and tall. Such as a knife does when looking towards the edge, not the side Profile of a knife...
 
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