originally posted on 11/11/2022 1:34:00 AM
All images courtesy of Hersheypark. View full-sized image.
Hersheypark (Hershey, Pennsylvania) announced that it will
be installing a new coaster for the 2023 season. This follows the closure of Wildcat.
The new attraction will use I-Box track from Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC).
ACE members are savvy enough to know the closing of a wooden
coaster nowadays doesn’t necessarily mean the ride is coming down. Starting
with New Texas Giant (Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington) in 2011, the
transformation of wood track to steel has taken place more than a dozen times
since a little more than a decade.
Wildcat’s Revenge is the latest.
The new attraction will feature four inversions.
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While the news of a new roller coaster coming excites fans,
it is often a bittersweet pill when the news comes at the expense of another
roller coaster that it will replace. This is the case with Wildcat. Wildcat
debuted on May 26, 1996, and bears the distinction of being the first roller
coaster designed and built by Great Coasters International, Inc. (GCII). Wildcat
quickly became a favorite of the general public and enthusiasts alike. (For
more information, see RollerCoaster! #158.) While the woodie was
immediately praised at its opening and thrilled riders for more than a quarter
century, apparently Hersheypark decided the required maintenance and upkeep were
not in the park’s best interest. Fortunately, the park has two other wooden
coasters, Lightning Racer and Comet, the latter being an ACE
Roller Coaster Landmark.
Hersheypark was very open about Wildcat closing
forever at the end of July, and guests and fans could take final rides up to
that time. But then the GCII woodie would roar no more.
Although this process has been seen before, each RMC
conversion comes with its own unique attributes. Never has a wooden profile
just simply been replaced with I-Box track. These installations have
dramatically changed the previous track configurations into smooth but
out-of-control thrillers. On some occasions, the layout of the track doesn’t
specifically match the previous structure’s footprint exactly. Wildcat’s
Revenge seems to be such an example. Before, the coaster turned to the
right out of the station. In the new design, the track turns left for a longer,
wacky approach to the lift. The steep climb rises to 140 feet and provides a
new, larger first drop before reaching Wildcat’s original curving first
drop.
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Comparisons of the 1996 installation and the rendering of Wildcat’s Revenge will show differences between the two layouts.
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Wildcat's Revenge will stand 140 feet tall, sport an
82-degree first drop, have 3,510 feet of track, top out at 62 mph and thrill
riders with four inversions.
While Wildcat will be missed, Wildcat's Revenge
not only will appeal as a new attraction to thrill guests, but also will offer
increased throughput resulting from operation of up to three trains instead of Wildcat's
two. Each train of Wildcat's Revenge will be able to accommodate 24
riders and will have a sculpted, three-dimensional cat on the front. Each will
have a distinct color: black, charcoal and silver.
Sculpted fronts will adorn each of the three trains.
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It is often the case that wooden roller coasters are
shortened with their transformation to a “hybrid.” Fortunately, this will not
be the case with Wildcat's Revenge as it will be 327 feet longer than Wildcat.
Wildcat's Revenge will be the third roller coaster at
Hersheypark to be named Wildcat. The Wildcat that closed this
year itself was named after an earlier Wildcat, which operated from 1923
to 1945. When Wildcat's Revenge opens, it will be the 24th or 25th RMC
attraction, depending on whether ArieForce One opens to the public first
at Fun Spot America Atlanta.
— Alex Rigsby
This 1935 photo shows the original Wildcat.
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The Wildcat built by Great Coasters International, Inc., was an homage to the original.
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