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Oblivion (roller coaster)
Encyclopedia
Oblivion is a steel
roller coaster
located at Alton Towers
in England
. The ride opened as the world's first vertical drop roller coaster in March 1998 amidst a large publicity campaign. The ride has a height restriction of 1.4 metres. With a maximum speed of 68 mph, it is the third fastest roller coaster in the UK and the fastest and tallest rollercoaster in Alton Towers.
. Surrounding the area were signs announcing the arrival of a world's first, codenamed "SW4". Over the year, Alton Towers' secrecy and the ever-deepening hole being excavated fueled speculation and hype. The details about Oblivion were finally unveiled in March 1998.
The "SW4" codename stood for "Secret Weapon 4". SW3 was Nemesis
, and SW 1 & 2 were unbuilt roller coasters originally intended for the Nemesis site.
Oblivion's opening was accompanied by a massive publicity drive, including appearances on Blue Peter
, The Gadget Show
, news channels and cereal boxes.
Before Oblivion opened, in 1997, some marketing memorabilia was released, and its own brand of deodorant
(Which were brought back for the 2011 season).
When Oblivion did open, it brought a totally new theme to the area. It was themed to look like a sinister government facility, unlike the fairground theme that Fantasy World had previously had. This meant that a re-theme was needed and thus the area was renamed the X-Sector. The only surviving ride from Fantasy World, the Black Hole roller coaster, was also changed: the large tent that it was situated in was repainted to blue and silver instead of green and yellow stripes. To make the new X-Sector a major ride area, Alton Towers added two old rides from other parts of the park: Energizer and Enterprise (both from Festival Park, now Dark Forest). Both rides were repainted to fit to the new theme like the Black Hole tent (however, Energizer was removed from the area in 2001 to make way for a new flat ride, Submission; Energizer was relocated back to Ug Land and renamed Boneshaker until its removal from park in 2004).
In 2011, the area around Oblivion has been re-themed to incorporate promotion for Fanta
, the ride's new sponsor. With posters saying '150 ft drop, bring it on'.
"For some things, there is no rational explanation. There is no way out. There is no happy ending to this story. Welcome to the unknown; welcome to eternal darkness; WELCOME...to oblivion."
This is quickly followed by the Lord of Darkness' head disappearing into the distance and then the sound of an explosion. These visuals are all designed to build up fear and tension before the drop.
It is regarded by many park guests to be the scariest ride in the park and is very popular due to the adrenaline and fear it delivers .
The roller coaster has a simple layout with a 150 ft (45.7 m) drop at 88.8° degrees. As each car reaches the drop it is held by a drop chain (reverse of a lift chain) for a few seconds before the clutch is released allowing the riders to drop into a pitch black tunnel. This is followed by a 90° banked turn that climbs up and makes the train lie on its side as it goes through. Then after dropping out of the turn the train climbs over a small rise in the track to the brakes, slowing down, and then pulls around back to the station. The open design cars accommodate sixteen passengers in two rows of eight. The back row is slightly raised to give passengers a clear view of the drop. A pre-recorded and disembodied voice saying 'don't look down' was played just before release, unfortunately in 2004, this sound effect was removed due to sound restriction on the park. However, the words "Don't look down" have been painted on the floor of the guest observation area which is visible to riders when the train is hanging over the edge.
Although regarded as the world's first vertical drop roller coaster, at its steepest, Oblivion's drop has an angle of 88.8° as the ride vehicle's bogies are not spring loaded. To avoid a sudden jolt as the ride levels out, the drop was made at a 88.8° angle so the upper wheels remain more in contact with the track; if the drop was a 90° angled drop, negative G's would push the upper wheels slightly off the running rail and hit the track suddenly when leveling out, causing discomfort to rider's and increasing the wear and tear on the wheels. Newer models of Oblivion's type have vehicles equipped with spring loaded bogies which allow the vehicle to drop at 90° and cushions the force of the wheels during leveling out.
Steel roller coaster
A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world...
roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
located at Alton Towers
Alton Towers
Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The ride opened as the world's first vertical drop roller coaster in March 1998 amidst a large publicity campaign. The ride has a height restriction of 1.4 metres. With a maximum speed of 68 mph, it is the third fastest roller coaster in the UK and the fastest and tallest rollercoaster in Alton Towers.
History
During 1997, Fantasy World (the area of Alton Towers in which Oblivion was eventually situated) was closed off and all the old fantasy-themed rides were removed except the Black HoleBlack Hole (roller coaster)
Black Hole was an enclosed steel roller coaster at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. It operated from 1984 until 2005. The coaster was located within a huge silvery black tent that ensured the ride took place in total darkness. The coaster itself was a Jet Star 2, designed by Anton...
. Surrounding the area were signs announcing the arrival of a world's first, codenamed "SW4". Over the year, Alton Towers' secrecy and the ever-deepening hole being excavated fueled speculation and hype. The details about Oblivion were finally unveiled in March 1998.
The "SW4" codename stood for "Secret Weapon 4". SW3 was Nemesis
Nemesis (roller coaster)
Nemesis is Europe's first inverted roller coaster located at Alton Towers, England. The ride's concept was created by John Wardley. It is manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard and opened in 1994...
, and SW 1 & 2 were unbuilt roller coasters originally intended for the Nemesis site.
Oblivion's opening was accompanied by a massive publicity drive, including appearances on Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
, The Gadget Show
The Gadget Show
The Gadget Show is a British television series focusing on technology and is broadcast on Channel 5. Originally a thirty minute show, it was extended to forty-five minutes, then later to fifty five minutes. Repeats have also aired on the digital channels 5*, Dave and Channel 5's Internet on-demand...
, news channels and cereal boxes.
Before Oblivion opened, in 1997, some marketing memorabilia was released, and its own brand of deodorant
Deodorant
Deodorants are substances applied to the body to affect body odor caused by bacterial growth and the smell associated with bacterial breakdown of perspiration in armpits, feet and other areas of the body. A subgroup of deodorants, antiperspirants, affect odor as well as prevent sweating by...
(Which were brought back for the 2011 season).
When Oblivion did open, it brought a totally new theme to the area. It was themed to look like a sinister government facility, unlike the fairground theme that Fantasy World had previously had. This meant that a re-theme was needed and thus the area was renamed the X-Sector. The only surviving ride from Fantasy World, the Black Hole roller coaster, was also changed: the large tent that it was situated in was repainted to blue and silver instead of green and yellow stripes. To make the new X-Sector a major ride area, Alton Towers added two old rides from other parts of the park: Energizer and Enterprise (both from Festival Park, now Dark Forest). Both rides were repainted to fit to the new theme like the Black Hole tent (however, Energizer was removed from the area in 2001 to make way for a new flat ride, Submission; Energizer was relocated back to Ug Land and renamed Boneshaker until its removal from park in 2004).
In 2011, the area around Oblivion has been re-themed to incorporate promotion for Fanta
Fanta
Fanta is a global brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks from the Coca-Cola Company. There are over 90 flavors worldwide. The drink debuted in Germany in 1941 and originally sold only in Europe.-History:...
, the ride's new sponsor. With posters saying '150 ft drop, bring it on'.
Statistics
- Construction started: Early 1997
- Designed by: John Wardley
- Manufacturer: Bolliger and Mabillard
- Ride type: Diving Machine
- Constructed by: JJ Cavanagh Construction
- Ride opened: 14 March 1998
- Total cost: Approx £12 million
- Length: Approx. 377 metres
- Highest drop: Approx. 180 ft (54.9 m)
- Height Above Ground: Approx 65 ft (19.8 m)
- Top speed: Approx. 68 mph
- Maximum G force: 4.5G
- Number of trains: 7 (only 6 in use at any one time)
- Passengers per train: 16
- Max throughput per hour: 1900
- Ride duration: Approx. 76 seconds
Ride experience
While riders queue they are shown numerous videos showing The Lord of Darkness (played by Renny Krupinski). CODENAME:XD001 He apparently lives in the underground tunnel and tells you that the ride is perfectly safe. One of the videos shows his alter ego, the Lord of Light, who is shown warning riders that they might die, but the Lord of Darkness is also there with him maintaining that the ride is safe. Another video, shown at the cafe, is a mock news flash detailing how a ride car has gone missing. This fuels the rumours that cars have fallen into the pit and have never been recovered. The Lord of Darkness leaves the last video with mocking, booming laughter, just as riders board the ride. Before the ride shuttle leaves the station, another short clip shows him saying:"For some things, there is no rational explanation. There is no way out. There is no happy ending to this story. Welcome to the unknown; welcome to eternal darkness; WELCOME...to oblivion."
This is quickly followed by the Lord of Darkness' head disappearing into the distance and then the sound of an explosion. These visuals are all designed to build up fear and tension before the drop.
It is regarded by many park guests to be the scariest ride in the park and is very popular due to the adrenaline and fear it delivers .
The roller coaster has a simple layout with a 150 ft (45.7 m) drop at 88.8° degrees. As each car reaches the drop it is held by a drop chain (reverse of a lift chain) for a few seconds before the clutch is released allowing the riders to drop into a pitch black tunnel. This is followed by a 90° banked turn that climbs up and makes the train lie on its side as it goes through. Then after dropping out of the turn the train climbs over a small rise in the track to the brakes, slowing down, and then pulls around back to the station. The open design cars accommodate sixteen passengers in two rows of eight. The back row is slightly raised to give passengers a clear view of the drop. A pre-recorded and disembodied voice saying 'don't look down' was played just before release, unfortunately in 2004, this sound effect was removed due to sound restriction on the park. However, the words "Don't look down" have been painted on the floor of the guest observation area which is visible to riders when the train is hanging over the edge.
Although regarded as the world's first vertical drop roller coaster, at its steepest, Oblivion's drop has an angle of 88.8° as the ride vehicle's bogies are not spring loaded. To avoid a sudden jolt as the ride levels out, the drop was made at a 88.8° angle so the upper wheels remain more in contact with the track; if the drop was a 90° angled drop, negative G's would push the upper wheels slightly off the running rail and hit the track suddenly when leveling out, causing discomfort to rider's and increasing the wear and tear on the wheels. Newer models of Oblivion's type have vehicles equipped with spring loaded bogies which allow the vehicle to drop at 90° and cushions the force of the wheels during leveling out.