Hercules to be replaced by B&M floorless at Dorney

I remember riding Hercules when it first opened - it was an awesome ride. I love wooden coasters and I love them rough and wild. When I returned to Dorney years later I was disappointed with the remodeling of Hercules. The first drop was braked beyond belief (it could still pack a good punch though) and the second half of the ride was nothing like what I remembered. One might think that I really wouldn't mind Hercules being dismantled since the ride wasn't that enjoyable to me anymore, but nothing could be further from the truth.

I'm very lucky to be able to say that not one wooden coaster I've ever ridden has been dismantled or demolished. I have read many books on coasters that are no longer around and have talked to many people who have ridden coasters that I can only dream about. I know that sometimes there are legitimate reasons for coasters to torn down but that doesn't make the reality of it all any easier to accept.

Now don't get me wrong, I love all coasters. I also love B&M. Most of my favorite steelies are made by them. I just don't think that the east coast needs ANOTHER B&M floorless coaster. I understand that the one at Dorney will go underground 5 times, but is that enough to make it unique from all the rest? I also think that worst thing in all of this is the fact that another woodie is getting replaced with steel. How different can this floorless really be than the rest?!?!?!?!

One of the coasters that started my "Coaster Addiction" all those years ago is being torn down. I'm sorry if I'm not that excited over the new one.

DPGIRLIE, Hercules was a man, not a female!!!!!!!!!!

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"You know its a good ride when you come into the final brake run wiping tears from your eyes."

Yes.... Hercules the god was a man... but let me tell you... Hercules the ride... has the personality of a woman...

I have only been to Dorney Park 3 times... in 1980, 2001 and 2003 (Aug 31 to be exact). From what I remember... the park did seem to have a bit more "personality" back in 1980. In my two most recent visits, the parts of the park that I liked the best were the sections from the area of Hercules station, down the hill, and basically all the way to Steel Force's station... the older section of the park. Granted, while Hercules was not there in 1980 (at that time, only Coaster (now know as Thunderhawk) and the long gone Flying Dutchman were the coaster line up of the park), it just seemed to fit in that older section. The newer section is all souless concrete. Not a rip on the park... but something just seems to be missing.

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Half of the people surveyed agree, half disagree and another half are unsure.

Hercules wasn't a god -- only a demi-god.

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--Maddie--
What do I Listen-To?
May the Schwarz be with you.

whats a demi-god?

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This space will forever be dedicated to Hercules-R.I.P. 1989-2003

Johnathan -

That's not always the case. Supreme Scream went larger/taller than Power Tower (CP) just a few months afterwards (all Turbo Drop because of DCA's Mali-boomer) and Snake River Falls/Perilous Plunge is another example.

After my last ride on Hercules that put me in absolute pain for several minutes afterwards, I won't miss it at all. I think DP is making the right decision.
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If someone makes a post and you post-quote it right beneath it, you're wasting bandwidth. Think before you press the button.

I don't know about anyone else but I really didn't see this coming. Mostly because Cedar Point normally gets the newest coaster versions first, before the other Cedar Fair parks, it is in 2 years though...

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Western Michigan University Engineering student.
Go Broncos!

Demigod: mythological figure with more power than a mortal but less than a god (according to Websters)

Wouldn't the Hercules of mythology be considered a Hero... after all, he was a mortal... a powerful and strong mortal, but a mortal non the less

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Half of the people surveyed agree, half disagree and another half are unsure.*** This post was edited by SLFAKE 9/4/2003 4:07:31 PM ****** This post was edited by SLFAKE 9/4/2003 4:08:15 PM ***

Maybe it's just the younger folks, but I'm not sure how a 14-year old coaster can be that big of a deal. It was a young coaster, expensive to maintain, not popular. Freak-out would certainly be in order if this was Thunderhawk, but fortunately, it's not.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
DELETED! What time does the water show start?

This was a good move, ditch your most unpopular ride and build something that will attract crowds.

Salvaging and reprofiling Hercules, that just wouldn't be very marketable. "Come ride our brand new state of the art floorless coaster" vs "Come ride our old herky jerky wooden coaster, now with less pain!".

I rode it, I was unimpressed. Didn't hate it as much as a lot of people, but I wouldn't miss it a bit either.

To be quite truthfull...

If I had to list all of the wooden coasters in PA from 1 to 16 with 16 being the one that I would least mind if it were removed and replaced, I think Hercules would rank right around 15.

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Half of the people surveyed agree, half disagree and another half are unsure.

How is Dorney gonna compete with Hershey in 04. Are they gonna get anything for 04?

Trust me, Hercules was a "she". I worked at the ride all summer, working there practically was my summer. I've made some great memories working at that ride and now it is being torn down, and they didn't even tell us.

There have been orange markings around and under the ride for a few weeks now, they could be seen from the exit ramp. We were never sure what they were for exactly, though. We knew the ride would be coming down eventually, we just didn't know when, and this was totally unexpected.

SHE will be missed very much!

RIP Herc!

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Dorney Junkie
Hercules Crew Member and proud of it!

Look at what rcdb says: http://www.rcdb.com/installationdetail2528.htm
Im not sure if this was posted above.
Hopefully its a mistake.

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"Before you insult anyone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you do insult them, you'll be a mile away and have there shoes.
*** This post was edited by SFGAMan 9/4/2003 4:38:00 PM ***

DorneyJunkie, were you the crew member who was putting the seatbelt over the empty seat in front of me and you fell and were like "I'm just gonna stay here all day." This was like 3 weeks ago maybe.

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This space will forever be dedicated to Hercules-R.I.P. 1989-2003

No, I don't believe that was me DorneyDante.

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Dorney Junkie
Hercules Crew Member and proud of it!

ok, it was worth a shot. Are you the African American girl w/braids?

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This space will forever be dedicated to Hercules-R.I.P. 1989-2003

OMG... DorneyDante... why does that sound like something that happened to me?!