tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11566212.post482998919591019783..comments2024-03-20T20:47:58.835-04:00Comments on NewsPlusNotes: Dorney Park History: HerculesNewsPlusNoteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13977080329095890499noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11566212.post-21416444730846082092015-05-24T00:29:24.558-04:002015-05-24T00:29:24.558-04:00I rode Hercules the first year it opened. It was s...I rode Hercules the first year it opened. It was sad what they did to it over the years.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058631542397458824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11566212.post-73032603218502068502012-07-26T12:33:17.364-04:002012-07-26T12:33:17.364-04:00The Hercules was the first roller coaster that I e...The Hercules was the first roller coaster that I ever rode - I was about 11 years old. I rode it in the spring of '90'. It. Was. Awesome.<br />I still tell my kids about it. My daughter is 12 and when she rode her first coaster I told her about Hercules - joking with her that I lost my stomach at the top of the hill and I bet it's still sitting up there.Chrissyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06824693609749752591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11566212.post-4573876857214041852011-03-15T12:39:01.837-04:002011-03-15T12:39:01.837-04:00Now that I think of it, Cedar Fair really changed ...Now that I think of it, Cedar Fair really changed Dorney's history. Once they bought the park in 1992, they completely wipe out Dorney's past and continues to do so today. The only rides left from the pre-1992 purchase are Thunderhawk, Whip, Zephyr, Scambler, Thunder Creek Mountain, Chance Carousel, Ferris Wheel, Musik Express, Enterprise, Apollo, Sea Dragon, and The Wave Swinger. Enterprise and Apollo may be next because those rides have slowly going away at other parks. Cedar Fair needs to learn that they can make changes but not this drastic.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12444007130139900497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11566212.post-27949346295022990212008-10-22T15:37:00.000-04:002008-10-22T15:37:00.000-04:00"Anyone know why each other row was sectioned off ..."Anyone know why each other row was sectioned off some seasons?"-Nas<BR/><BR/>They started doing that for multiple reasons. Number one being due to low ridership, they could barely fill the train. When they did fill it, they filled it in the front and roped off the back. This was to keep all the weight in the front of the train so it didnt stall at places like the hill going under the station and particularly the last turn-around.<BR/><BR/>The ride was still decent after dorney made the original changes in the very early 90's like slightly lowering the triple-up. The first few rounds the train took around the course, they had some roll-backs here so they slightly lowered it to keep a consistent speed. <BR/><BR/>What CF did to the ride in 1993 was just plain butchering. They should have torn it down then because they simply destroyed the ride. None of it seemed to make sense. The original design was so daring. So intense. What was left afterwards was a mere shadow.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11566212.post-367094733775067572008-04-04T20:59:00.000-04:002008-04-04T20:59:00.000-04:00Great article.I remember it when it first opened. ...Great article.<BR/><BR/>I remember it when it first opened. It was a much faster and smoother ride those first few years. I didn't see Dorney until maybe 8 years after that, riding it during its final years. It was slow, painful, and left me dumbfounded, wondering where the coaster I knew I loved a decade earlier went.<BR/><BR/>Anyone know why each other row was sectioned off some seasons?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16974978832006498583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11566212.post-7909082545258785512008-03-25T20:41:00.000-04:002008-03-25T20:41:00.000-04:00Have you seen any POVs from early in Hercules life...Have you seen any POVs from early in Hercules life? I really would like to know what it was like back then.dwitos079https://www.blogger.com/profile/06318432032283899249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11566212.post-60272073505233300782008-03-25T18:52:00.000-04:002008-03-25T18:52:00.000-04:00Yeah... it was pretty bad in it's final years. Wh...Yeah... it was pretty bad in it's final years. When someone first pointed out to me that you could see on the structure how much higher that hill used to be I was shocked. I always thought it wasn't that severe...NewsPlusNoteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13977080329095890499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11566212.post-45844582983984948422008-03-24T21:54:00.000-04:002008-03-24T21:54:00.000-04:00Wow, that one pic did wonders to explain just how ...Wow, that one pic did wonders to explain just how drastic the changes were. It was changed into a terrible ride where I beat the side of the train in the 2nd half like a race horse cause it was way too slow for what it was designed for.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11566212.post-85154962289962616212008-03-22T23:32:00.000-04:002008-03-22T23:32:00.000-04:00I really have no idea! Slowing it down also reduce...I really have no idea! Slowing it down also reduced the number of people who were hurt on the ride - just sore backs and legs and the like. My point with that is that keeping it running faster may have led the park to remove it for other reasons anyway.<BR/><BR/>Trying to "fix" the ride in 1993 really did ruin it, but the ride was slowing ruining itself anyway. So it's sorta a toss up IMO in the end.NewsPlusNoteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13977080329095890499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11566212.post-21353721264972925382008-03-22T23:26:00.000-04:002008-03-22T23:26:00.000-04:00The sad thing about it is that if Cedar Fair took ...The sad thing about it is that if Cedar Fair took the park over 10 yaers later, they could have ran the CAD software and actually could have predicted how much slower the ride would run through the rest of the course by using the trim brakes. Sounds like they used a very primitive approach- first add the trims to then realize they needed to reduce the height of a hill. This is why Cedar Fair had such a bad reputation within the wooden coaster enthusiast circles. It would seem this is changing quite a bit by virtue of the recent installations the company has done/is doing. Still, if I was with GCI sales, I'd make sure it was in the contract somewhere that no modifications would be allowed without consent of the manufacturer!! Never thought I'd see the day of a new wooden coaster at a Cedar Fair park, or an operating dark ride under Cedar Fair management!Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03937388219941813860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11566212.post-24087761036526231722008-03-22T22:10:00.000-04:002008-03-22T22:10:00.000-04:00Okay. Do you think it would have been cheaper or m...Okay. Do you think it would have been cheaper or more profitable just to let the ride stay fast? What I mean to ask is, do you think if they hadn't slowed Herc down, it would still be around today?<BR/><BR/>I'm just wondering. I really miss the ride.Tori Simba Finn Esquirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17685996971275565162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11566212.post-34212798624139306962008-03-22T22:05:00.000-04:002008-03-22T22:05:00.000-04:00I would wager that the first drop brakes were to t...I would wager that the first drop brakes were to try to lessen the amount of maintenance the ride needed. Lowering the overall speed would make the ride tear itself apart a little less each year. <BR/><BR/>Then because of that loss of speed from the first drop the top of the triple up was lowered into a big ramp and the rest of the ride just never worked at the new speeds.NewsPlusNoteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13977080329095890499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11566212.post-4731379933607411912008-03-22T20:41:00.000-04:002008-03-22T20:41:00.000-04:00Wow, amazing article.But why did they (Cedar Fair)...Wow, amazing article.<BR/><BR/>But why did they (Cedar Fair) put trim brakes on? Was the ride deteriorating, or did they feel it was too intense, or what? And why was the triple up, lowered?<BR/><BR/>It's just...man. I really wish I could have ridden it back then. It's so sad to see such a great thing go to waste like that.Tori Simba Finn Esquirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17685996971275565162noreply@blogger.com