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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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I would love this to be themed with the black forest since Verbolten's show building (the black forest) is right beside it. If they put trees up like on Hagrid's motorbike adventure, the area would look awesome.
 
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Here’s something I threw together quickly to show the unlikelihood of a top hat. TTD/KK/RF are all ROUGHLY 100’ +/- wide at the top hat. I illustrated that here with the track coming straight out from the fenced-in area, with red showing how far out of the limits of disturbance the top hat would need to go.
 
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I think that any concept or idea that has been thought up for this piece of land over the past twenty years would have been a better fit than this.

I also don't believe this will end up being a full circuit. If it was, there would not be the assumed switch track/station section. In addition, there are clearing limits listed all over the site plan along with project limits which you cannot stray from.

This looks like a much larger, yet dumbed down version of Ice Breaker.
 
So, while I've been busy planting a crap load of shrubs, I did a little glance at the plans.

Obviously they anticipate a lot of people in line with the long queue (with shortcuts built in on slower days). Built in shade and an exit shop/ride photo shop. Do they figure it's a reduced capacity in that the queue is maybe 3X longer than Pantheon?

I understand what @Zachary is estimating for "Building 30" but it's end doesn't match up to the old DF maintenance building. It would be a weird little curve going "out" and then over to the old building. Could this be maintenance?

I ask as looking in a satellite view, the DF maintenance building appears to be a single story on raised footers. Yet the plans refer to it as a "2 story" structure. Why add a second "floor”? But, at the same time, they didn't eliminate the "driveway" to the building that is there now.

A shuttle is disappointing, IMHO. If so (probably started previously but I haven't read everything) the train leaves and slow switch track to acceleration track. In theory, a second train could be at the "back" by "building 50” and switched to the station for the next load. Once the first train passes the first switch, the second train could be dispatched. Thus, the longer queue because of the smaller trains we saw in the leaked station plans.

Not that I'm a designer, but once the azaleas are in the ground I'll look a little more.
 
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I made a handy chart for you all. Hope it helps

View attachment 18584

This is shockingly accurate.

Nicole: When do you think you will have a draft of the article done.

Zachary: I'm working on it now.

Nicole: Yes. That doesn't really answer the question though, does it?

Zachary: Soon.

Nicole: That isn't an estimate.

Zachary: ...

Nicole: Minutes, hours, days?

Zachary: It depends.

Nicole: * gives up*
 
This is shockingly accurate.

Nicole: When do you think you will have a draft of the article done.

Zachary: I'm working on it now.

Nicole: Yes. That doesn't really answer the question though, does it?

Zachary: Soon.

Nicole: That isn't an estimate.

Zachary: ...

Nicole: Minutes, hours, days?

Zachary: It depends.

Nicole: * gives up*

My favorite part is that "Very soon" is a longer unit of time than "soon". I based it on a couple quick searches and past observations.
 
Hi...new to this group but have been following the developments since the initial announcement of project Madrid a couple of years ago. I was wondering if anyone else noticed in the uploaded documents the landscaping plan in the RPA Zone. It looks like there will be ornamental plantings near that fenced area and that fenced area appears to be on an up/down slope. I'm wondering if that is where the ride pulls up from the drop as opposed to going into a 355ft spike. You would need a fairly level straight section of track if you were trying to get up to that height and speed. Also, didnt the initial discussions with the city say that at the rides highest point it would be only 10 feet in width? How wide is the spike on Pantheon?
 

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Beyond potential layouts, are there any other new-ish ride innovations they could be using here?
 
Beyond potential layouts, are there any other new-ish ride innovations they could be using here?

We won't know until we know. For all we know, it could be something completely unannounced as of yet. It wouldn't be abnormal for a coaster company to not announce a new concept until they have a customer with an approved site.
 
I ask as looking in a satellite view, the DF maintenance building appears to be a single story on raised footers. Yet the plans refer to it as a "2 story" structure. Why add a second "floor”? But, at the same time, they didn't eliminate the "driveway" to the building that is there now.

It is a two story building. You can see it from the train. There is a driveway on the first floor and the second floor is where the coaster car would enter.
 
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It is a two story building. You can see it from the train. There is a driveway on the first floor and the second floor is where the coaster car would enter. It
I guess it was just depth perception from the satellite.

I stumbled across a couple of cool pics from "back then". The first is the maintenance building. Notice the driveway was inclined. The second is the station back in the day...

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Edit - It appears it's a minimum 2 stories. Probably enough room on the "first" to get under the trains for service.

Screenshot_20191031-193401_Google.jpg
 
So another thought to scratch heads could those undisturbed areas on the map be spanned by a wide support design like those seen on I305 lift. If so would it be possible to install something over them without clearing?
 
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