Verbolten

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Manufacturer
ZIERER

Model
Elevated Seating Coaster w/ Vertical Drop Element

Hamlet
Oktoberfest (Germany)

Official Opening
May 18, 2012

Soft Opening
May 11, 2012

Tallest Drop
88ft


Top Speed
53mph

Inversion Count
0

Launch Segments
2

Riders Per Train
16

Number of Trains
5

Height Requirement
48in



Verbolten is an indoor/outdoor ZIERER Elevated Seating Coaster that features a Vertical Drop Element. It officially opened in mid-May 2012 on the site formally occupied by the Arrow Suspended Coaster, Big Bad Wolf.


Videos​

Development Documentary​

Ride Recordings​

On-Ride Videos​

Backstage Footage​

 
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MikeLovesKD said:
Were there
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Yup. Many have been removed.

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ControlsEE said:
Couple of notes here. While I worked there (2011-2017) maintenance never did a track walk at night for lost articles. They simply put the trains in the bays and went home. Often, they had already been there 8-10 hours for fixing rides and the morning staff were the only track walkers. Not sure if you meant that this was a recent change or not, but my point is that it isn't a recent change. The issues to verboltens specific effects comes down to the fact that 2 departments were in charge of Verbolten: Ops and Entertinment. The regular maintenance staff only took care of the ride mechanical and electrical components and entertainment was responsible for all of the themeing. I would guess that entertainment was usually too busy to be bothered by a few out of place lights, then not working lights, etc. to deal with Verbolten at all. If you want someone to blame for Verbolten's downfall, it's the Entertainment dept. I want to say (aka dont quote me on it) that in the first year of operation, Entertainment had to do a morning ride though and sign off before they could open.
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Zachary said:
When Verbolten had all of it's internal fabric walls, the building was MUCH darker. There's is FAR more light bleed in the building today than there was back when it opened.
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Adding to these two points a little. The story that I have been told many times is that about 4 years ago the curtains were removed for maintenance work. According to the story I have hear somewhere in the process there was miscommunication between maintenance and entertainment and instead of being cleaned and reinstalled they were not gently handled during the removal and had to be trashed. Since then neither department has wanted to take budget responsibility for replacing them.
 
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They took down the whole building and now there are just replicas of the shrub Grover everywhere. Drop track has been painted blue and yellow and is out of operation for 75% of the season, except during Christmas Town when you can ride it up and down slowly to observe some leaves. Wolf noises are no longer digital and are instead a group of prisoners from a recent comic con who attended wearing wolf suits, and are perpetually in character howling for their escape. At the final launch, maintenance and entertainment are arguing about hanging black curtains up over a window. After the drop, there is a billboard from Intamin that says "bet you wish you shelled out the extra $" but nobody riding it can read it due to the extreme rattle that Intamin is laughing at. The trains are now themed to Teslas and you are given noise cancelling headphones to mimic the silence of an electric car experience, which also helps with the imprisoned human wolf problem.

Oh, and the bridge has a roof.
 
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horsesboy said:
Adding to these two points a little. The story that I have been told many times is that about 4 years ago the curtains were removed for maintenance work. According to the story I have hear somewhere in the process there was miscommunication between maintenance and entertainment and instead of being cleaned and reinstalled they were not gently handled during the removal and had to be trashed. Since then neither department has wanted to take budget responsibility for replacing them.
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If this is true; I just want to cry. Most of these sad stories always link back to a miscommunication with maintenance. Have to make their jobs easy, so they rip something completely out over frustration and since it's a chain corporation, budget will always become a factor and the theme will never be fixed. I so regret even asking the question of what Verbolten was like years ago.

Who else was playing the jackpot, in hopes of having enough disposal income, to build the best independent theme park? 😂

But why would the interior walls have to come down for theme to do maintenance? Trains are taken off the track and worked on elsewhere or inside the garage next to the station; right? So I'm sure the drop-track has to undergo maintenance. Any other utility work inside of the Black Forest during the short off season?

Also, do you think the intense maintenance these parks go through have a lot to do with the extended winter seasons? Back in the day, most of these parks did not even think of doing a winter season event. After October, many regional theme parks on the east coast were closed a good six or seven months. With extended seasons, there could be a lot more pressure on maintenance to get things done; which results in less care for theme SFX.
 
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MikeLovesKD said:
Also, do you think the intense maintenance these parks go through have a lot to do with the extended winter seasons? Back in the day, most of these parks did not even think of doing a winter season event. After October, many regional theme parks on the east coast were closed a good six or seven months. With extended seasons, there could be a lot more pressure on maintenance to get things done; which results in less care for theme SFX.
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Exacerbating this is that Verbolten's good-sized indoor portion makes it exactly the kind of ride that should be open for winter operations. If winter operations become the norm, then September and November should be maintenance closures for indoor rides.
 
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MikeLovesKD said:
If this is true; I just want to cry. Most of these sad stories always link back to a miscommunication with maintenance. Have to make their jobs easy, so they rip something completely out over frustration and since it's a chain corporation, budget will always become a factor and the theme will never be fixed. I so regret even asking the question of what Verbolten was like years ago.

Who else was playing the jackpot, in hopes of having enough disposal income, to build the best independent theme park? 😂

But why would the interior walls have to come down for theme to do maintenance? Trains are taken off the track and worked on elsewhere or inside the garage next to the station; right? So I'm sure the drop-track has to undergo maintenance. Any other utility work inside of the Black Forest during the short off season?

Also, do you think the intense maintenance these parks go through have a lot to do with the extended winter seasons? Back in the day, most of these parks did not even think of doing a winter season event. After October, many regional theme parks on the east coast were closed a good six or seven months. With extended seasons, there could be a lot more pressure on maintenance to get things done; which results in less care for theme SFX.
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To be clear they were thick stage curtain style walls not actual walls. I could see senerios where weld or other work was being done inside thar led to them being a possible fire risk and led to their removal bur I don't have any details beyond what I shared.
 
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Feeding off of Horseboys post, that even though the ride is steel - they still have to do track work to fix cracks and what not. It's just not nearly as often compared to a wooden structure. Depending on the location, they may have needed to get a JLG in so they could properly do the repairs. Not saying this is the case, but just pointing out steel coasters do receive track work every now and then.
 
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SLC Headache said:
Exacerbating this is that Verbolten's good-sized indoor portion makes it exactly the kind of ride that should be open for winter operations. If winter operations become the norm, then September and November should be maintenance closures for indoor rides.
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Verbolten happens to be one of the rides that the park keeps open for winter event. Therefore it's safe to say that the ride operates around a good portion of the calendar. Maybe less trains are needed after October. I didn't even take the chance going to Christmas Town because of the weather restrictions. No since in me driving four hours to get there and everything is closed.
 
so, i have a story. Some years ago a park employee was moving the sheep at Highland Stables and they ended up getting away from him and out one of the gates on the side of the hill going from Ireland to Nessie. Well from having goats my dad and I were able to help him corral the sheep back in using our arms to create a barrier and guide the sheep back. So im not surprised cause it doesn't take much for either a sheep or goat to figure how to get loose particularly since goats are great climbers and jumpers I've seen them pull things off that have made my jaw drop literally.
 
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I also know that they stopped five-train operations because they added the article baskets on the platform. During these operations, trains stop in the opposite station of which they were dispatched from. So say if a train dispatched from the rear station and unloaded at the front station, guests would have trouble finding their articles because they left them back at the rear station when getting on.
 
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