Monday, September 19, 2011

Verbolten Construction Photos


Scott & Carol visited Busch Gardens Williamsburg during Labor Day weekend and were able to snag some great construction shots of the now announced Verbolten roller coaster.



Plenty of signs were up on the construction walls, in this case quite obviously pointing out that there was a major work-site behind them!


Other signs were a little more vague, but hinted at the ride's theme. We now know exactly what role the black forest plays in Verbolten's theme.


The former station for the Big Bad Wolf has been thoroughly gutted at this point. Basically no remnants of the former ride are present at all - basically wiping clean the structures to be re-purposed for the new ride.


Fans of the park undoubtedly remember the rushing waterfall that came down under the Big Bad Wolf's brake run. Well, the waterfall isn't so beautiful these days... but perhaps it will return next year with the opening of Verbolten.


Here is a close shot of the former maintenance area for the Big Bad Wolf. The ride's transfer track preceded this, and one has to wonder if Verbolten will utilize the area in the same way.


Moving deeper into the park, there's a big hole! Generally speaking, the area of the 'Village' that the Wolf swung through has been dug down and leveled into a gigantic hole. This is where Verbolten's "event building" is being constructed.


Pulling back a bit we can see just how significant an elevation change there is for this building. Busch Gardens Williamsburg is always very protective over the sightlines of their rides and attractions, so in that vein I'm not so surprised to see them purposely sinking it down.


From planning meetings we've learned that the building will be about 95 feet tall, but will appear less due to the big dig they have going on. While nothing at all has officially been disclosed about the building, the footers we can see poured within its walls at least confirm the coaster using it.


But what exactly will take place, and how it will fit into the ride's overall theme is still a secret. Thanks for the photos, Scott & Carol!


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