Rampage (Alabama Adventure)
Encyclopedia
Rampage is a wooden
roller coaster
located at Alabama Adventure in Bessemer, Alabama
. It opened on May 23, 1998.
ceremony on December 2, 1997. The name Rampage was selected as the winner of a name that ride contest in December 1997. The Rampage moniker was submitted by a local Pleasant Grove High School student with Scorpion's Tail and Jaguar coming in second and third place respectively. The ride's opening would coincide with the opening of VisionLand on May 23, 1998. The ride was received well and would be rated as the 3rd best wooden coaster and the 5th best overall coaster by Amusement Business in December 1998.
After a successful first year, the parks's attendance would see a significant drop resulting in the shuttering of the coaster for the 2002 season. Following the sale of the park to Southland Entertainment Group, Rampage would see a renovation by John Hinde Enterprises and reopen for the 2003 season.
with a 102 feet (31.1 m) first drop. It reaches a top speed of 56 miles per hour (90.1 km/h). The ride features 9 crossovers and 13 curves and was built for US$4.3 million. The ride layout is largely based on Megafobia
at Oakwood Theme Park
in Pembrokeshire
, Wales
, United Kingdom
, which was also built by Custom Coasters.
from Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. Each train is made up of six cars, with each car seating four people (twenty-four riders total).
When the ride opened one train was painted solid blue and the other solid maroon. Each had the VisionLand logo on the front of the train. When Southland took over in 2003 the trains received new paint jobs. The former blue train is now three shades of blue. The front two cars are dark blue, the middle two are blue, and the back two are light blue. There are airbrushed lightning bolts on the sides of the cars, with a monster eye and claw with the Rampage logo on the front of the train. The maroon train was painted with the first two cars red, the middle two orange, and the back two yellow. It has airbrushed flames on the sides and two red monsters eyes under the Rampage logo on the front.
For the 2008 season the park repainted the "fire" train solid red. The "lightning" train was also painted dark blue. The park is also running both trains on busy days for the first time since the 2005 season.
.
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...
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 Alabama Adventure in Bessemer, Alabama
Bessemer, Alabama
Bessemer is a city outside of Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States eight miles west of Hoover. The population was 29,672 at the 2000 Census, but by the 2009 U.S...
. It opened on May 23, 1998.
History
Construction of the coaster would commence in the fall of 1997, and the ride would celebrate its topping outTopping out
In building construction, topping out is a ceremony held when the last beam is placed at the top of a building. The term may also refer to the overall completion of the building's structure, or an intermediate point, such as when the roof is dried in...
ceremony on December 2, 1997. The name Rampage was selected as the winner of a name that ride contest in December 1997. The Rampage moniker was submitted by a local Pleasant Grove High School student with Scorpion's Tail and Jaguar coming in second and third place respectively. The ride's opening would coincide with the opening of VisionLand on May 23, 1998. The ride was received well and would be rated as the 3rd best wooden coaster and the 5th best overall coaster by Amusement Business in December 1998.
After a successful first year, the parks's attendance would see a significant drop resulting in the shuttering of the coaster for the 2002 season. Following the sale of the park to Southland Entertainment Group, Rampage would see a renovation by John Hinde Enterprises and reopen for the 2003 season.
Track layout
The ride features a 120 feet (36.6 m) lift hillLift hill
A lift hill, or chain hill, is often the initial upward-sloping section of track on a typical roller coaster that initially transports the roller coaster train to an elevated point or peak in the roller coaster ride...
with a 102 feet (31.1 m) first drop. It reaches a top speed of 56 miles per hour (90.1 km/h). The ride features 9 crossovers and 13 curves and was built for US$4.3 million. The ride layout is largely based on Megafobia
Megafobia (roller coaster)
Megafobia is a CCI wooden roller coaster located at Oakwood Theme Park, Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom. It was built in 1996 by CCI, who wanted a ride to showcase their company in Europe. Megafobia features a twister style layout...
at Oakwood Theme Park
Oakwood Theme Park
Oakwood Theme Park is a theme park in Pembrokeshire, Wales which attracts over 400,000 visitors each year....
in Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, which was also built by Custom Coasters.
Trains
Rampage currently operates with two trainsTrain (roller coaster)
A roller coaster train or car describes the vehicle which transports passengers around a roller coaster's circuit. More specifically, a roller coaster train is made up of two or more "cars" which are connected by some sort of specialized joint. It is called a "train" because the cars follow one...
from Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. Each train is made up of six cars, with each car seating four people (twenty-four riders total).
When the ride opened one train was painted solid blue and the other solid maroon. Each had the VisionLand logo on the front of the train. When Southland took over in 2003 the trains received new paint jobs. The former blue train is now three shades of blue. The front two cars are dark blue, the middle two are blue, and the back two are light blue. There are airbrushed lightning bolts on the sides of the cars, with a monster eye and claw with the Rampage logo on the front of the train. The maroon train was painted with the first two cars red, the middle two orange, and the back two yellow. It has airbrushed flames on the sides and two red monsters eyes under the Rampage logo on the front.
For the 2008 season the park repainted the "fire" train solid red. The "lightning" train was also painted dark blue. The park is also running both trains on busy days for the first time since the 2005 season.
Trivia
Rampage opened the same day as another CCI coaster, Shivering Timbers at Michigan's AdventureMichigan's Adventure
Michigan's Adventure is a amusement park in Muskegon County, Michigan, about halfway between Muskegon, Michigan and Whitehall, Michigan. It is the largest amusement park in the state and has been owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company since 2001...
.
Awards
| Best Coaster Poll: Best Wood Coaster http://www.ushsho.com/woodpoll14yeartable2007.htm | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Ranking | ||||||||||||