Storm Runner
| Storm Runner | |
|---|---|
| Hersheypark | |
| Park section | Pioneer Frontier |
| Coordinates | 40°17′23″N 76°39′13″W / 40.28972°N 76.65361°WCoordinates: 40°17′23″N 76°39′13″W / 40.28972°N 76.65361°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | May 8, 2004 |
| Cost | $12,500,000 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Launched |
| Manufacturer | Intamin |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | Accelerator Coaster |
| Lift/launch system | Hydraulic Launch |
| Height | 150 ft (46 m) |
| Drop | 180 ft (55 m) |
| Length | 2,600 ft (790 m) |
| Speed | 75 mph (121 km/h) |
| Inversions | 3 |
| Duration | 0:50 |
| Max vertical angle | 90° |
| Capacity | 1200 riders per hour |
| Acceleration | 0 to 72 mph (0 to 116 km/h) in 2 seconds |
| Height restriction | 54 in (137 cm) |
| Trains | 2 trains with 5 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 20 riders per train. |
| Website | Official website |
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Storm Runner at RCDB Pictures of Storm Runner at RCDB |
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Storm Runner is a launched roller coaster located at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Manufactured by Intamin and situated in the Pioneer Frontier section of the park, the Accelerator Coaster opened to the public on May 8, 2004. It reaches a height of 150 feet (46 m) and catapults riders from 0 to 72 mph (116 km/h) in two seconds. Storm Runner features a top hat element, three inversions, a dual loading station and a magnetic braking system. In addition, it was designed to interact with three other Hersheypark rides: the Dry Gulch Railroad, the Monorail, and the Trailblazer.
Storm Runner is the first accelerator coaster to utilize over-the-shoulder restraints and the first to have a dual-loading station with switch tracks. Likewise, it was also the first accelerator coaster to feature inversions; Kanonen at Liseberg was the second.
When Storm Runner first opened in 2004, the queue line would often be extended with ropes due to the ride's popularity. In 2005, the park added an overflow queue line located next to the Trailblazer's first drop.
In October, when Hersheypark is decorated in a Halloween theme (Hersheypark in the Dark), Stormrunner is dubbed Ghost Runner.
As the train leaves the station, it moves slowly onto the launch platform. As it is rolling to its launch, a pre-recorded sound of a heartbeat is heard, and after a few seconds, the trains rolls back as the magnetic brakes drop and riders hear a voice saying "Now get ready, here we go", then the train suddenly launches from 0–72 mph in 2 seconds (just when the voice says the word "go"). Riders are then photographed by the on-ride camera a short way down the launch track. In 2004 during the wait, riders would listen to a heartbeat then a countdown from five before hearing the voice. After traveling down the take-off runway and hitting a speed of 72 mph, the train climbs straight up the 150-foot-tall "top hat" element providing some airtime, and back down again, dropping 180 feet, reaching the top speed of 75 mph down the side of a hill leading down toward Spring Creek. The train next climbs and rolls left through the first-ever "Cobra Loop". The train then speeds up and into a straight-line barrel roll which then leads to the first-ever "Flying Snake Dive" which consists of a heartline roll followed by a half Immelman roll that makes a vertical plunge back down toward Spring Creek. The train shoots back up and to within 10 feet under the park's Monorail track, over a portion of the TrailBlazer, quickly twists to the left and to the right, then back above the treetops for one last dose of airtime. The train hits the magnetic brakes at fast speed, jerking riders forward, and then slowly glides back into the station. The duration of the ride is 34 seconds from launch to the brakes.
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Wikipedia