Dragon: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 14:56, 19 May 2020
| DISCLAIMER |
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| Information on this site is unofficial. It is compiled by fans of Adventureland amusement park in Altoona, Iowa (near Des Moines). There may be inaccuracies and omissions. For official Adventureland information, visit the official website. |
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This page was last updated on 05/19/2020. Total Pages: 317. Total Files: 327.
Home / Extinct Rides - Dragon
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| Name | Dragon |
|---|---|
| Category | Thrill Ride |
| Type | Steel Coaster |
| Park Area | Dragon Island |
| First Year | 1990 |
| Replaced | Haunted House |
| Final Year | 2019 |
| Riders | 24 (6 cars X 4) |
| Dispatch Rate | 4:15 |
| Ride Duration | 3:15 |
| About the Ride Info Box | |
Dragon is a double loop steel coaster located on Dragon Island. According to the Adventureland website, it opened on May 12, 1990. It was the only looping coaster in the park until the Monster opened in 2016. In 2020, the ride was disassembled. Adventureland made an announcement showing a drawing of a knight slaying a dragon.
According to Mike's Adventureland Pages, the Dragon was custom designed and costs $2.5 million. It climbs to 100 feet and drops through two 70-foot loops at 5.5 G's before slowing through a double reverse spiral. The official website says it is over 2600 feet of track.
While the Dragon originally operated with seven cars in the train, sometime between 1999 and 2001 it switched to using only six. Does anyone know when, and why? Also, there is an old photo on the official website that shows the front car with "the DRAGON" on it, which later photos don't have (this picture is no longer on the site but still shows up in a BING image search as an image from adventurelandpark.com). Was the front car replaced at some point?
Also, sometime between 2004 and 2008, belts were added to lock down the shoulder harness. I have a photo in 2004 showing no belts, and a photo in 2008 showing the belts, but I don't have any close up pictures of the years in between to know when they added them. Does anyone know?
The Dragon's queue building was once home to a Haunted House dark ride, and later, the Convoy. The Convoy was relocated and still exists, so Dragon didn't technically replace it, which is why this page lists it as replacing the Haunted House.
Trivia
Haunted House tracks
The queue area was originally built to house a haunted house dark ride acquired from Rirverview Park. On the concrete floor you can still see places where the track was installed, as well as tire marks from where the ride cars used to travel.
Shields
The shields you see hanging on the wall in the queue area represent ... Something. But what?
Mirror Maze
The ride exit goes through a small Mirror Maze which was once a larger standalone attraction. If my understanding is correct, there used to be a large mirror maze in the queue building, but it was removed when the Dragon was built. The original maze was from Riverview Park. At the exit, the funhouse style mirrors are likely not the type of "mirror maze" that was there. Anyone have photos?
Related to Saw Mill Splash...
The Dragon was made by Hopkins Rides. In 2012, Hopkins Rides was acquired by WhiteWater West. WhiteWater West made Saw Mill Splash. They also created Kokomo Kove.
Mighty Morphing Power Rangers
Stock footage of the Tornado and Dragon appeared in an episode of Mighty Morphing Power Rangers
Photos
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Dragon loops in 2016.
External Links
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopkins_Rides - Wikipedia entry for the company that made the Dragon.