Hercules @ DP.....

OK, when i rode it in the beginning of the season and found out that the breaks were on even harded than last year and that it got a little rougher, I said this is pitifull, and didn't ride it again until just the other day. I sat in the very last seat, the roughest, bumpiest seat on the whole ride! It was painful, but for some reason it was sooo hilarious. Getting jerked around and all that. I tried to put my hands up, but after the drop my hands were forced down from all the bumpyness. It was sooo funny tho for some reason, I was cracking up the whole ride. I never really liked the ride too much, but it seems that as it gets worse and worse, I like it more and more. I am in love with this coaster now! Anybody out there feel the same way?

yeah i like hercules too,always did:-/

I loved the couple feet of track after the station. :)

But really, I gave it all I had and it just did not perform. That entire second half was slower than the park's train (which is a great ride). I'm sorry, but I wish I could have ridden it after it opened. Not much to say now.
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Thanks for riding Tidal Wave and enjoy your day here at Mariott's Great America!!
www.angelfire.com/oh4/tk173

Tear it down-now. This gives a very bad name to other wooden coasters. People ride Hercules and they might think that every other wood coaster is rough, shaky, slow, boring, and painful.

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Batwing-Bow Down

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ARROW GUY said:
"I loved the couple feet of track after the station. :)

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I agree, that's the best part of the ride.

This thing belongs on the scrap yard.

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Let the world know your Top 10 Coasters at http://www.coastergrotto.zzn.com *** This post was edited by Grant on 8/2/2001. ***

I agree with Intamin fan.

i dont agree with that hercules belongs in a scrap yard. dorney knows that too. anyone that has been a dorney fan over the years knows that hercules put dorney park on the map. it was the tallest,fastest wooden roller coaster in the world when it debuted in 89' and still holds the record at number 2 as the longest drop on a wooden coaster. it gave the park alot of media attention and really brought crowds in making dorney alot of money. over the years hercules has had to be reprofiled(trims) in order to keep the coaster from self desructing. i think hercules is simply too big for itself. this can also be proven true of other woodies in similar situations made by the same dinn corp; mean streak, texas giant, and american eagle. IMO i think that dorney is going to do something with hercules over the years, i dont think they will let such a good coaster sit and lose its potential. anyone that rid hercules in 89' knows how great a coaster it was. the ride was always rough that is not desbuted. however, it tends to get a little more rough each year. the first helix after the drop out of the station is probably the only part of the ride that remained the same, it is still great. the first drop and the turn over the lake are pretty much the same except a little rougher and the drop is slowed down a bit because of the trim at the top of the hill. the last part of the ride is what is TOTALLY different from what it used to be. they added a trim at the top of the second hill and lowered the second hills height in order to keep the speed of the ride more consistent. the second half of the ride actually used to be quite amusing and full of air time. the drop under the station was such a unique touch and quite a surprise to anyone that didnt know it was coming; it had airtime that made ur stomach drop and u simply felt that floating feeling. the turn after that and the speed bumps leading to the final turn-around were really fast. see, hercules was built as a speed terrain coaster when it first opened, and it definately lived up to that previously. it has lost its touch agree, it is simply not like it used to be. dorney park will do something with this coaster im sure.

Dorney Dante, I hope you're right. I think this coaster has a lot of potential. It is in a great spot, has a great view at the top of the first drop and has a great layout. I rode it for the first time in June so I don't know what it was like before.

If it's feasible to retrofit these old Summers-Dinn coasters with Intamin style track, that may be the solution which allows them to run at full throttle again without being overly rough and tearing itself apart.

This is a serious investment, and one that will please guests but probably not bring a lot of extra visitors through the front gate.

I found it particularly amusing during CoasterCon that the park roped off the back 4 rows on Hercules to keep people from riding the pain seats. I only rode it near the front, didn't think it was particularly painful but it was pretty dull.

How about calling up Arrow and turning some of the oversized woodies into jumbo-mine-trains like Gemini CP or Excalibur VF. Sure, they wouldn't be woodies anymore but they wouldn't be tearing themselves apart as much either. I wonder if there is enogh room on PTC trains for tubular track running gear.

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Tremors, my 100th coaster.
Ghostrider, stopped counting laps at 100.

I dont believe American Eagle was Summers-Dinn, it was designed by Intamin and built by contractors.....and it is still a fanstastic ride, and a smooth ride after 20 years.....only flaw is a little too much braking on giant helix.

I dont believe American Eagle was Summers-Dinn, it was designed by Intamin and built by contractors.....and it is still a fanstastic ride, and a smooth ride after 20 years.....only flaw is a little too much braking on giant helix.

yeah i wasnt sure which eagle it was but i know there was a dinn creation that was in a similar situation. it may be screaming eagle i don't know. all i know is that it has eagle in the name and was involved in an accident in the early eighties.

Dorney should light Hercules on fire one night in place of their laser light show!
It's a damn shame when such a great looking coaster ) totally lets you down by the ride it doesn't provide. It was better a couple years ago, this June I rode once, which was more than enough.

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I know you rider Gonna miss me when I'm gone

I rode it the first season it opened and it was excellent. Now it is need of a serious overhaul, and maybe some layout changes after the first big drop and turn. They also need to remove those trims. I think GCI would do a good job at repairing this coaster, and bringing it back to glory. The Millenium Flyer trains would help decrease the roughness.
*** This post was edited by Coaster Fantom on 8/2/2001. ***

I've never gotten the complaints with Hercules... I rode it in the pitch black after a storm with my arms up the whole ride and I was debating whether it should be my #1 woodie of all time! An INCREDIBLE ride IMHO.

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Blast Coaster - http://coasternet.danimation.com - **COASTERnet 2001!**

DorneyDante for a first i will agree with you in 89 when hercules was new it was a great ride. But it isnt anymore. I rode Herc when it first came out and then when i rode it again in 99 it was horrible the pain and the suffering was to much for my 110 lb body to handle. So when i went to Busch Gardens Tampa that same year i feared getting on Gawzie because of the feeling hercules left behind. Then when i went to Hershey last year i dreaded getting on wildcat. Face it Dante Hercules gives other woodies a bad name. Dorney needs to do something to it soon or tear it down. That ride has lost so much of its popularity over the years its sad. It's a beautiful sight especially when you go past in on Haines Mill Road at night, its breath taking. I see no hope for herc if there is it means total destruction and rebuilding of the ride.

Hercules was fun. I liked Hercules. I wish I was on it right now :(

yeah I agree w u icegirl, herc WAS good. its not anymore, it is sad. would it be more cost efficient to tear it down and rebuild another woodie or retrack herc?? god only knows what dorney is gonna do. i wonder how much herc cost when it debuted in 89, does anyone know?

To anyone who likes Hercules, especially the guy who wanted to proclaim it his no. 1; why? Have you ridden many wood coasters? Have you experienced some of the wood coasters that made the Amusement Today list? If you had, I think you'd understand why Hercules is so hated.
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Batwing-Bow Down