What is: Lightning Rod
Lightning Rod is a wooden roller coaster manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction, commonly referred to as RMC.
Interestingly, the ride was the first launched wooden roller coaster;
as well as the first launch coaster to be constructed by RMC.
Not only that, but as the upload date of this video,
it holds the title of the world's fastest wooden roller coaster,
reaching the top speed of 117kmh (73mph).
Lightning Rod is located at Dollywood, a theme park in Tennessee, USA.
The ride opened to the public on the 13th of June 2016,
3 months after its scheduled release.
Due to mechanical issues with the launch,
the opening of the ride was postponed from its planned debut of the 15th of March.
Unfortunately, even after it's official launch, the coaster suffered even more downtime.
Various other mechanical issues occurred, causing the attraction to close for prolonged periods of time.
This trend continued throughout most of 2016.
The ride itself is themed to that of a 1950's hot rod.
As guests queue for the ride, they're invited to view the exciting hot rod projects
behind the doors of Revere's Gas and Service station.
Inside, visitors take a factory tour.
They see a variety of tools, tyres and parts required to make hot rod cars.
These theming elements can be seen scattered throughout the queue line,
allowing riders to indulge in an immersive atmosphere before the ride.
As they reach the end of the queue, guests board unique hot rod themed cars.
Interestingly, these cars differ aesthetically from the standard RMC trains.
Due to the addition of the hot rod styled front, and rear theming elements,
as well as other small changes, the shape of the train is different.
Each train consists of 6 cars with riders seated in 2 rows of 2.
This leads to a total of 24 riders per train.
After guests board the ride, they immediately turn right out of the station.
The train then enters a straight section of track, before engaging with the LSM launch system.
The system itself was manufactured by an external company and not RMC themselves.
After riders contact the launch,
they are accelerated up the 63m (206ft) lift hill,
and reach speeds up to 72kph (45mph).
As they crest the ascent, the trains complete trick hill,
a small dip in the track, before the main drop of the ride.
Riders quickly complete this element and plummet down the 50m (165ft) drop,
at the maximum vertical angle of 73 degrees.
Uniquely, the first drop of the ride follows the natural terrain of the surrounding hills.
Throughout the entire layout, Lightning Rod takes advantage of the uneven terrain,
leading to a more exciting ride experience.
As the guests reach the bottom of the first drop,
they begin to enter a heavily banked breaking wave turn.
The trains then dive under the track and complete an outside banked Airtime hill.
Followed by the interestingly named Twist 'n' Shout.
The layout continues with a step-up which leads into arguably one of the best parts of the ride, the quadrupedal down.
Riders experience four consecutive dips of the track down the side of the hill.
Resulting in an excessive amounts of airtime.
To finalise the airtime experience guests quickly enter a high speed airtime hill,
before concluding the ride with a non-inverting half loop.
The entire experience lasts for a total of 50 seconds, which includes 12 individual airtime moments.
That's defined from the moment engages with the launch to when it hits the final brake run.
Compared to its track length, of 1158m (3800ft),
the ride time is rather short as the train maintains a quick pace pace throughout the entire layout.
In total, Lightning Rod cost 22 million US Dollars to construct.
Making it Dollywood's largest single investment.
The ride also utilises RMC's patent pending topper track.
This track allows for more interesting and creative elements to be completed during the layout,
without removing the wooden coaster feel.
Overall, Lightning Rod has quickly been considered the best ride at the park.
The coaster's abundance of airtime and heavy use of the terrain, have resulted in an incredible ride experience.
Even after it's large amounts of downtime,
Lightning Rod has achieved fantastic reviews from both the general public and roller coaster enthusiasts alike.
Besides the issues, the opening has been so successful
that some considered it the world's best RMC roller coaster.
Is this true?
What's your opinion?
*Outro Music*