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Timber Wolf (roller coaster)
Encyclopedia
Timber Wolf
is a wooden roller coaster
at Worlds of Fun
in Kansas City
, Missouri
. Timber Wolf was designed by Curtis D. Summers and was built by the Dinn Corporation and opened in 1989.
s of 2.8. It also includes an unusual 560-degree upward-spiraling helix. Timber Wolf has a sign at its entrance saying "Extreme vibrations and roughness are a nature of this ride. Do not be alarmed."
After World's of Fun's purchase by Cedar Fair in 1995, trim brakes were added to the Timber Wolf's first drop, slowing the ride considerably.
Inside the ride's station, there is a "chicken exit" for riders who chicken out in line. It is marked by the sign once used by Orient Express, which was demolished in 2003.
The ride's acclaim is featured in the "History of Roller Coasters" in the Wildcat (roller coaster)
at Frontier City
in Oklahoma City.
. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
In the 2007/2008 off season, Timber Wolf received new air powered queue gates, sporting a new aluminum finish. However, the new gates still do not match up with the corresponding numbered car, which can lead to some confusion during the loading process.
Renovation of the coaster is ongoing, and is expected to be complete by 2009 or 2010.
survey. However, as the coaster has aged, its ranking in more recent polls has fallen considerably.
Gray Wolf
The gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family...
is a wooden roller coaster
Wooden roller coaster
A wooden roller coaster is most often classified as a roller coaster with laminated steel running rails overlaid upon a wooden track. Occasionally, the structure may be made out of a steel lattice or truss, but the ride remains classified as a wooden roller coaster due to the track design...
at Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun
Worlds of Fun is an amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The park opened in 1973 and was originally built by Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman . In 1995 Hunt-Midwest sold Worlds of Fun to Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which currently owns the park...
in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. Timber Wolf was designed by Curtis D. Summers and was built by the Dinn Corporation and opened in 1989.
The ride
The Timber Wolf is one of two wooden roller coasters at Worlds of Fun but is Worlds of Fun's first wooden roller coaster. Its highest point is 100 feet and its largest drop is 95 feet, at which point it reaches speeds of 45 mph and incurs g-forceG-force
The g-force associated with an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. This acceleration experienced by an object is due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The accelerations that are not produced by gravity are termed proper accelerations, and...
s of 2.8. It also includes an unusual 560-degree upward-spiraling helix. Timber Wolf has a sign at its entrance saying "Extreme vibrations and roughness are a nature of this ride. Do not be alarmed."
After World's of Fun's purchase by Cedar Fair in 1995, trim brakes were added to the Timber Wolf's first drop, slowing the ride considerably.
Inside the ride's station, there is a "chicken exit" for riders who chicken out in line. It is marked by the sign once used by Orient Express, which was demolished in 2003.
The ride's acclaim is featured in the "History of Roller Coasters" in the Wildcat (roller coaster)
WildCat (roller coaster)
WildCat may refer to:* WildCat , a roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio* Wildcat , a wooden roller coaster at Frontier City in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma...
at Frontier City
Frontier City
Frontier City is a western-themed amusement park in Oklahoma City's Adventure District. It is currently owned by CNL Lifestyle Properties and operated by former Six Flags executives Kieran Burke and Gary Story. The park is the subject of the song "Frontier City" by the Nashville band Kings of...
in Oklahoma City.
Trains
2 trains with 6 cars per train built by the Philadelphia Toboggan CompanyPhiladelphia Toboggan Company
The Philadelphia Toboggan Company is one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world.Mack Rides of Germany dates back to 1781, but it did not start building coasters until 1921 Based in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, it was established in 1904 by Henry B...
. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Renovation
In the 2006/2007 off season the Timber Wolf underwent renovation involving extensive wood work. When the new season started, riders reported that the ride was smoother. In addition to the wood work, new faceplates were installed featuring airbrushed original Timber Wolf logos, rather than decals that formerly had to be replaced every couple of years.In the 2007/2008 off season, Timber Wolf received new air powered queue gates, sporting a new aluminum finish. However, the new gates still do not match up with the corresponding numbered car, which can lead to some confusion during the loading process.
Renovation of the coaster is ongoing, and is expected to be complete by 2009 or 2010.
Rankings
The Timber Wolf was voted the world's top roller coaster in the 1991 Inside Track readers survey, and was rated the number one favorite wooden coaster in the 1992 NAPHANational Amusement Park Historical Association
The National Amusement Park Historical Association was founded in 1978 by a former employee of Chicago's Riverview Amusement Park, and NAPHA has grown throughout a long period of time to include amusement parks from all over the world. NAPHA preserves amusement park history and historic rides. ...
survey. However, as the coaster has aged, its ranking in more recent polls has fallen considerably.
| Golden Ticket Awards: Top Wooden Roller Coasters | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| Ranking | |||||||||
| Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| Ranking | |||||||||
Incidents
- On March 31, 1990, 35 people were injured when two roller coaster trains collided just short of the loading platform. The control system malfunctioned, causing the system to be unable to control two trains at once. The ride reopened running a single train until the control system was fixed to handle two trains.
- On June 1995, A 14-year-old-girl died after falling from her seat. Worlds of Fun officials claimed that witnesses had seen her remove her restraints and tried to switch seats and that there had been no malfunction. The parks owners at the time, Hunt Midwestern Entertainment Inc., and the makers of the ride eventually settled with the girl's family for $200,000. This made Timber Wolf the only ride so far at Worlds of Fun with a fatality.
External links
- Timber Wolf at Worlds of Fun's website
- Timber Wolf at the Roller Coaster DataBaseRoller Coaster DataBaseThe Roller Coaster DataBase is an extensive roller coaster and amusement park database. RCDB was started in 1996 by Duane Marden, who still operates the site...