Proposed Old Virginia overhaul: "Blue Ridge Rambler" - Thread's not dead!

[coasting.classy]

Long time lurker here, first time posting something like this...

I'm a civil engineer by trade (land development) and I decided to take a stab at what I would formally propose to Kings Dominion if they put out a RFP (Request For Proposal) for what to do with the Dinosaur's Alive plot and expand Old Virginia.

PROPOSAL:

Coaster: "Blue Ridge Rambler"
Manufacturer: Vekoma Rides
Height: 210 feet
Length: 5220 feet

Ever since it lost to Hyperion almost a decade ago, the Energylandia Vekoma Hyper proposal (link here) has lived in my head rent free. Now that we know what modern Vekoma is capable of, I have a STRONG feeling they'd want to break into the "big leagues" here in the US with something eye-catching, reliable, and dynamic - and capitailzing on what I'm sure will be a smash hit in Siren's Curse (though we all know that coaster was not intended for Cedar Point). Another tilt coaster is an obvious candidate, but the mass appeal with the tilt mechanism is placing the first drop adjacent to a midway, which wouldn't be ideal for the Dino's Alive plot, particularly the cramped Grizzly plaza (even accounting for removal of the go-karts). Thus, a double-out-and-back nearly-mile-long monstrocity was drafted, fleshed out, and designed.

As an important requirement for the Virginia DEQ, I managed to fit this hyper coaster while removing less than half of the trees currently in place. I know it's a silly standard to hold myself to but hey, a man can dream right? Many other "realism" rules were adhered to in the design, and as a result, I feel that the overall proposal is high-quality and the dare I say even the teeniest bit realistic. The general idea would be that the station sits where the go-karts are currently located, and the new area would facilitate an overhaul with the awkward Grizzly plaza, bringing it up to "Cedar Fair" standard along the lines of Copperhead Strike or even Rapterra.

As a bonus point-of-interest, the lift hill and main drop would be extremely visible from I-95, unlike literally almost anything else in the park despite it being less than half a mile off the freeway.

Anyway, too much yapping and there's always more to say. For now, enjoy a couple screenshots while I keep tweaking things until I'm satisfied enough to film a POV.

 

[Nate Dog]

Long time lurker here, first time posting something like this...

I'm a civil engineer by trade (land development) and I decided to take a stab at what I would formally propose to Kings Dominion if they put out a RFP (Request For Proposal) for what to do with the Dinosaur's Alive plot and expand Old Virginia.

PROPOSAL:

Coaster: "Blue Ridge Rambler"
Manufacturer: Vekoma Rides
Height: 210 feet
Length: 5220 feet

Ever since it lost to Hyperion almost a decade ago, the Energylandia Vekoma Hyper proposal (link here) has lived in my head rent free. Now that we know what modern Vekoma is capable of, I have a STRONG feeling they'd want to break into the "big leagues" here in the US with something eye-catching, reliable, and dynamic - and capitailzing on what I'm sure will be a smash hit in Siren's Curse (though we all know that coaster was not intended for Cedar Point). Another tilt coaster is an obvious candidate, but the mass appeal with the tilt mechanism is placing the first drop adjacent to a midway, which wouldn't be ideal for the Dino's Alive plot, particularly the cramped Grizzly plaza (even accounting for removal of the go-karts). Thus, a double-out-and-back nearly-mile-long monstrocity was drafted, fleshed out, and designed.

As an important requirement for the Virginia DEQ, I managed to fit this hyper coaster while removing less than half of the trees currently in place. I know it's a silly standard to hold myself to but hey, a man can dream right? Many other "realism" rules were adhered to in the design, and as a result, I feel that the overall proposal is high-quality and the dare I say even the teeniest bit realistic. The general idea would be that the station sits where the go-karts are currently located, and the new area would facilitate an overhaul with the awkward Grizzly plaza, bringing it up to "Cedar Fair" standard along the lines of Copperhead Strike or even Rapterra.

As a bonus point-of-interest, the lift hill and main drop would be extremely visible from I-95, unlike literally almost anything else in the park despite it being less than half a mile off the freeway.

Anyway, too much yapping and there's always more to say. For now, enjoy a couple screenshots while I keep tweaking things until I'm satisfied enough to film a POV.

A Vekoma hyper in the back of the park is also my most wanted coaster for KD in the decade going forward. KD is really missing a smooth, crowd-pleasing hypercoaster to round out its lineup. Going with a manufacturer other than B&M would be a great way to distinguish the coaster from Apollo's, and either Vekoma or Mack seem like the two most natural choices. I feel Vekoma's proposed hyper design is more in line with what KD should be looking for, i.e., more floater oriented with a twister finish. I don't think the coaster should have any inversions because KD already has those bases covered with the rest of its lineup, so a Hyperia-esque coaster from Mack wouldn't be called for. I believe KD was at some point in the late 90s/early 2000s considering a Morgan hyper for the very plot of land in question, so the idea is definitely on their radar. Let's just hope the crowds continue to turn out for the park going forward, and that the economy stays somewhat stable; I wouldn't be at all surprised if something like this ends up being KD's next major coaster.

 

[coasting.classy]

A Vekoma hyper in the back of the park is also my most wanted coaster for KD in the decade going forward. KD is really missing a smooth, crowd-pleasing hypercoaster to round out its lineup. Going with a manufacturer other than B&M would be a great way to distinguish the coaster from Apollo's, and either Vekoma or Mack seem like the two most natural choices. I feel Vekoma's proposed hyper design is more in line with what KD should be looking for, i.e., more floater oriented with a twister finish. I don't think the coaster should have any inversions because KD already has those bases covered with the rest of its lineup, so a Hyperia-esque coaster from Mack wouldn't be called for. I believe KD was at some point in the late 90s/early 2000s considering a Morgan hyper for the very plot of land in question, so the idea is definitely on their radar. Let's just hope the crowds continue to turn out for the park going forward, and that the economy stays somewhat stable; I wouldn't be at all surprised if something like this ends up being KD's next major coaster.

100% agree with your points, which were similar to mine in making this decision. As much as I'd love a US Hyperia, another overly intense tall sit-down coaster is not what KD needs.
I have every confidence that Rapterra is going to be a runaway success at the park. Public reception so far has been almost universally positive, and at least from my visits, the park seems to be drawing significantly larger crowds this time of year compared to last year. Like you said it also depends on the economy, but I'm glad to hear that something along these lines has at least been on management's radar in the past.

 

[Nate Dog]

100% agree with your points, which were similar to mine in making this decision. As much as I'd love a US Hyperia, another overly intense tall sit-down coaster is not what KD needs.
I have every confidence that Rapterra is going to be a runaway success at the park. Public reception so far has been almost universally positive, and at least from my visits, the park seems to be drawing significantly larger crowds this time of year compared to last year. Like you said it also depends on the economy, but I'm glad to hear that something along these lines has at least been on management's radar in the past.

I wasn't there personally, but from I heard the Saturday before Easter was absolutely packed to the gills, perhaps even surpassing the biggest Haunt nights. I'm excited to see if KD can keep up the momentum during the summer with the reopening of Pantherian.

 

[MusicEnlightens]

I wasn't there personally, but from I heard the Saturday before Easter was absolutely packed to the gills, perhaps even surpassing the biggest Haunt nights. I'm excited to see if KD can keep up the momentum during the summer with the reopening of Pantherian.

...and with the Golden Summerbration live entertainment and opening of Soak City. Once Soak City opens, crowds tend to feel much more manageable during the day across the dry park, but that's not to say attendance as a whole doesn't remain high, or is even higher.

 

[CoasterMac]

Love the idea, looking forward to the POV.

Definitely think a kickass mega/hyper coaster by 95 would be an amazing choice, and I'm not opposed to it being a Vekoma necessarily- It just cannot have OTSR vest restraints. Still baffled that their stock Looper/Launch coaster still has a vest restraint, all while their inverted thrill coaster has just a lap bar. Ultimately I would prefer an Intamin version, like Hyperion or Kondaa (two of my absolute favorite rides on earth).

 

[MusicEnlightens]

I don't have a preference right now over Vekoma or Mack in terms of an airtime hyper at KD. It does surprise me, though, that so much stock is put into easy visibility from i95. I can see the argument 30 years ago, but KD has no control over the property (trees) immediately outside of the highway, OR the run off in between both directions of 95. At minimum a coaster would be easily visible on the northbound lanes but less-so southbound. In the day and age where technology and social media rules marketing, it's not like people are driving 95 and are totally unaware of the park's existence. Not saying it wouldn't draw hype to passersby, but the pay off just seems like less than some people make it out to be.

On the contrary, I'd rather have a good amount of the coaster (possibly first or second drops) interact with nearby midways closer to the center of the park rather than the outskirts. Rapterra has proven to be a major photogenic masterpiece with it's guest interaction and theming, and I'd rather have something similar to that, or a Griffon, than an Apollo/Nitro/Candymonium, (which are visible from a distance, but mostly ride away from the park). Heck, we already have Pantherian, who has a great twisted finale for the midway to see, but with the lift hill and drop facing away from guests, we never get to trully appreciate the art that it really is.

Build a new coaster in the Dino plot, and even put it near 95, but put the station and queue closer to the edge instead. Have at least some major elements head towards the main midways, with a major drop/treble clef/skyflyer loop element in the skycoaster or go kart plots of land and create a new entry way towards the new area.

 

[coasting.classy]

I'm not opposed to it being a Vekoma necessarily- It just cannot have OTSR vest restraints.

100% agree with you here, and honestly I was pleasantly surprised to see that NL2 gives you the option on doing vest-less versions of the trains:



The coaster hits -0.6 G's on some of the hills, and I'm assuming the lap-bar only versions of these restraints meet ASTM Class V requirements so theoretically it could work. If only SF exec's felt the same way...

Ultimately I would prefer an Intamin version, like Hyperion or Kondaa (two of my absolute favorite rides on earth).

The thusie in me agrees with you. While I haven't ridden either of those coasters, it's no doubt that they are fantastic rides. But at the same time, i305/Pantherian is on the other side of the park and I'm not sure a Kondaa-style hyper would do enough to differentiate the lineup. That's reeeeally nit-picky though, obviously I'd be happy with any/all of the above.

It does surprise me, though, that so much stock is put into easy visibility from i95. I can see the argument 30 years ago, but KD has no control over the property (trees) immediately outside of the highway, OR the run off in between both directions of 95. At minimum a coaster would be easily visible on the northbound lanes but less-so southbound. In the day and age where technology and social media rules marketing, it's not like people are driving 95 and are totally unaware of the park's existence.

I respectfully disagree with you here. I-95 is one of the most traveled North-South thoroughfare's on the east coast, and I'm sure a VAST majority of non-local motorists have never heard of Kings Dominion. When the trees are in full foliage during most of the summer/fall, the only indication that there's even a park there is the large LED marquee sign, which at first glance could be easily confused with a shopping center or something similar. Even the Eiffel Tower sits too far off the freeway to be visible outside of Winterfest when it's all lit up (RIP Winterfest).

On the contrary, I'd rather have a good amount of the coaster (possibly first or second drops) interact with nearby midways closer to the center of the park rather than the outskirts. Rapterra has proven to be a major photogenic masterpiece with it's guest interaction and theming, and I'd rather have something similar to that

With the Dinosaur's Alive plot, that's tricky. Guest access is currently restricted to the red line seen here, which means that placing a station/queue closer to 95 would be a significant hike.



It's certainly not impossible, but it would likely result in a significant more amount of tree clearing and/or a more restricted layout. Definitely excellent points to consider, however.

As far as sight-lines go, I wanted visibility to be a key aspect of drawing crowds to that corner of the park. See below the proposed view from Windseeker and an approximate view from the parking lot:



(Ignore the stark lack of background objects hahaha)

This coaster would frankly be more visible than even i305 from most of the park due to it's proximity to Grizzly and Twisted Timbers. But you still get that "going out into the woods" feeling as it follows the DA footprint and approaches the service road at the corner of the park.

And, just for fun, here's one more picture of the station/queue area as I have it currently:

 

[cschnizer]

With the Dinosaur's Alive plot, that's tricky. Guest access is currently restricted to the red line seen here, which means that placing a station/queue closer to 95 would be a significant hike.

View attachment 37551

It's certainly not impossible, but it would likely result in a significant more amount of tree clearing and/or a more restricted layout. Definitely excellent points to consider, however.

Unless…they do an expansion of Old Virginia back there with a new flat ride package and new shops for guests to check out on their way to the coaster. After all, I think the side west of the Eiffel Tower needs a lot more stuff. But this Vekoma hyper is a great idea overall and would help balance the park skyline.

 

[guy305]

The go-karts and Xtreme Skyflyer’s days are numbered, so you’ll have a lot more room to play with in that plaza eventually. I’m leaning more towards an Old Virginia hyper having an air of mystery about it, where the layout is mostly tucked away in the woods, like you proposed.

In my imagination, I’ve played with concepts where the Old Virginia hyper makes its way towards the big KD highway sign and interact with it in some way. How cool would that be! But then you forfeit the “lost-in-the-woods” vibe.

Either way I’d wanna respect Grizzly’s sightlines, since that goes for the same woods-vibe during its ride experience.

 

[jwranson]

Love the idea, looking forward to the POV.

Definitely think a kickass mega/hyper coaster by 95 would be an amazing choice, and I'm not opposed to it being a Vekoma necessarily- It just cannot have OTSR vest restraints. Still baffled that their stock Looper/Launch coaster still has a vest restraint, all while their inverted thrill coaster has just a lap bar. Ultimately I would prefer an Intamin version, like Hyperion or Kondaa (two of my absolute favorite rides on earth).

I disagree wholeheartedly, because those lap bars that force bent knees are terrible for those of us with limited knee mobility.

 

[coasting.classy]

I disagree wholeheartedly, because those lap bars that force bent knees are terrible for those of us with limited knee mobility.

I have yet to ride any of the New-Gen vekoma trains, but so far I've heard nothing but good things about Flash up at SFGAdv. Do you feel this way about all lapbar restraints?

 

[jwranson]

I have yet to ride any of the New-Gen vekoma trains, but so far I've heard nothing but good things about Flash up at SFGAdv. Do you feel this way about all lapbar restraints?

Only the ones that force knees to be bent past 90 degrees.

 

[the_pantsmith]

It's threads like this that I pray KD park management is stalking. Hire this person, please

 

[Unagi]

I'd love to see a Vekoma hyper as long as Camiel Bilsen is the lead designer. He worked on many of Intamin's recent attractions like VelociCoaster, Kondaa, Pantheon, Toutatis, Hagrid and Hyperion.

 

[coasting.classy]

I'd love to see a Vekoma hyper as long as Camiel Bielsen is the lead designer. He worked on many of Intamin's recent attractions like VelociCoaster, Kondaa, Pantheon, Toutatis, Hagrid and Hyperion.

As much as the Intamin fan in me loves this idea, I don't see Camiel Bielsen jumping ship and working with Vekoma ANY time soon. Besides, Benjamin Bloemendaal has been absolutely killing it at Vekoma, and his layouts from Orkanen on up to his recent work like Fianna Force has been consistently the perfect level of thrill I think KD really needs.

 

[Unagi]

As much as the Intamin fan in me loves this idea, I don't see Camiel Bielsen jumping ship and working with Vekoma ANY time soon. Besides, Benjamin Bloemendaal has been absolutely killing it at Vekoma, and his layouts from Orkanen on up to his recent work like Fianna Force has been consistently the perfect level of thrill I think KD really needs.

Camiel has been with Vekoma now since 2023.

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[coasting.classy]

Dang that's news to me and what great news! In that case then my petition for a Vekoma hyper only gets stronger! Cool video

 

[coasting.classy]

Still lot's more work to be done in the station/queue area, but I figured I was at a place far enough along to share the full POV. Feel free to offer your thoughts and opinions on the layout, and enjoy!

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[the_pantsmith]

This would give KD possibly one of the best top 4s in the world