The ride on Volcanoe's mountain at PKD
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I was just wonderin what is up with that station that is abandoned on Volcano at Kings Dominion. I've got some questions, if any one knows the answer please respond. What was the ride? Was it any good? Why was it torn down? Why did they keep part of it? and last did it also use the volcano Volcano uses or was the volcano built for Volcano? Thanks
I relize I spelled Volcano wrong in the tiitle
*** This post was edited by Beast_rocks on 2/28/2002. ***
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seek first to understand
then to be understood
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The Great Escape- Home of the Reject Coasters!
Welp, I happen to have the answers to your question. I think first and foremost that mountain housed a haunted river ride. You went up a hill into the mountain in a typical flume size boat, went through a maze of spooky effects, and then went down the hill to the original level. You came out of the mountain at the top of the hill and floated around the base to the station. At the same time, the mountain also housed a train ride - this was initially a fairy/sprite/magical type of theme and then it was changed to an all-smurf theme. The train ride initiated and wound through the mountain above the flume ride - there was no direct interaction but it was cool in that when the train circled outside of the mountain up high you could see the boats shoot down the hill and there were waterfalls down the mounatin - it was very pretty. The flume ride toward the end of its life had lots of closed-to-the-public spells. I rode it last, I think, back in 1992 or 93 or 94, and my boat kept knocking against the bottom of the water track and there was an alarming amount of water in my boat. That's the scaredest I've ever been on a flume ride. Also about that time the train ride was a fast walk-on and very lightly loaded - the mountain wasnt really being visited much. Hope this all helps! In fact, also in the mountain, in a corner or below the mountain, was a rotor. They had alot of stuff at that mountain. On another side of the mountain was a himalayan type of ride. Sounds like alot yes, but true enough. I've gone every year since I was 3, until I was 22. It was kinda letdown when i realized that they decided to revert and dedicate that mountain to a singular inverted coaster, just one ride, when they utilized that mountain in so many varied and neat ways in the past. i havent ridden the blast coaster, but i guess if it's all that, then I guess it was worth it.
The mountain was not built for "Volcano." It was there for many years before the roller coaster was added.
It was originally built for the 1978 season. It was called "The Lost World: Fantasy Mountain." and when it opened, it had 4 rides. Those rides were "Professor Backenforth's Journey into the Land of the Dooz", "Time Shaft","Mt Kilimanjaro" and an original dark boat ride of which which I cannot recall the name.
-"Land of the Dooz" was a family themed ride in which you rode a train through the mountain and past various animated scenes.
-"Time Shaft" was an indoor Rotor. A Rotor is a round room in which guests enter, it spins, they stick to the wall and the floor drops out beneath their feet. This ride was unique because it was all the way inside the mountain and had an elaborate lighting and music effect system.
-"Mt. Kilimanjaro" was a Bayern Curve that ran in and out of a side portion of the mountain. A Bayern Curve is a bobsled-type attraction that was popular many years ago. It is a simple idea where you sit in a train of cars that traverse a circular track. As the ride continues, the bobsled picks up speed.
-The original dark boat ride they had only lasted the first season. It was changed for 1979 into "The Haunted River" which was a heavily themed scary boat ride excursion into various haunted scenes. It ended with a big splash down drop outside the mountain.
In 1984, "Land of the Dooz" was changed into "Smurf Mountain." It still used the same train and course, but the Smurf characters were put in place of the "Dooz" characters.
Although I am not exactly sure when, in the 1980's "Mt Kilimajaro" also dissapeared. You can still see where the ride existed though. It is the grown-over portion of the mountain nearest to the entrance to the Flight of Fear plaza.
By the mid 1990's the "Haunted River" and "Smurf Mountain" were worse for the wear and were closed. Some of the treasure relics of "Hanted River" were moved into the re-themed "Yogi's Cave" in Hannah Barbera Land. The que for "Smurf Mountain" and "Haunted River" were combined to form the que for "Volcano." The station for "The Haunted River" is now the "Volcano" exit and gift shop. You can still see where the boats flowed through a trough up to the station. PKD has an original "Haunted River" boat permanatly placed in that area now. All the skeletons from "Haunted River" were used as decorations in the exit area.
The entrance and tunnel that led guests into the mountain and to "The Time Shaft" was widened and opened up and became "Volcano's" launch tunnel. The old station you see is probably the one that is pretty high up in the mountain and was actually not a station. Rather it was there for decoration only. On a similar note, you can still see the tracks from the old "Dooz" and/or "Smurf" ride when you are in the station of Volcano. If you look up the side of the mountain where the small waterfall is, you can see where the tracks were simply cut off with a blowtorch.
Finally, when "Volcano" was added, quite a bit was chopped off the top of the mountain's peak in order to widen the opening for the coaster. I would say a good 15 feet was removed. Prior to "Volcano" the mountain did not shoot fire, but rather had a wonderful large waterfall from the very top.
Really, the mountain is a shell of it's former self. Although I like Volcano and think it is fun, I personally think it ruined the look of the mountain. Volcano has way too much scaffolding supports around it and obscures the mountain itself. The designers should have spent more time and attention and used as few supports as possible.
Finally, "Lost World: Fantasy Mountain" was the initial "test" for an even larger mountain project that the original owners of the park were planning. They were in initial design stages for Cananda's Wonderland in Toronto. That park's signature piece is a large moutain built in the very same manner (although about 3 times the size) as Dominions. The difference was, when Wonderland's opened, there were no rides housed inside it. That has now changed over time.
Hope that helps!
Shaggy
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Shaggy
A.K.A. John K.
*** This post was edited by Shaggy on 2/28/2002. ***
*** This post was edited by Shaggy on 2/28/2002. ***
Volcano is a fun coaster. But that is about it in my book. The first time you ride, you are "blown away" by the launch, but then the ride lags after you get shot out of the top. After riding each time, I feel a bit cheated. It is terribly short and the ending ranks as possibly one of the worst ends to any coaster. Man, the things they could have done with that speed!
Shaggy
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Shaggy
A.K.A. John K.
ladies and gentlemen,
once again shaggy has came through with another great post. shaggy, are you going to be at the coasterbuzzcon this summer? i would love to get to meet you! maybe even ride a ride together! i would love to pick your brain a little bit about a couple of questions i have about pki.
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seek first to understand
then to be understood
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- Peabody
As of this moment, I will not be at the Coasterbuzz event. Perhaps it may change, but for right now, no. However look for me at any park you may visit, I am hitting lots of parks this year! Especially PKI.
Feel free to send me an email if you have questions about PKI's history or rides. I may not know the answers, but I'll try.
Shaggy
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Shaggy
A.K.A. John K.
Interesting... I wouldn't have known the mountain was that old. Heck, I hadn't even heard of Kings Dominion prior to Volcano!
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"
By the way, you can still find a Bayern Curve at Kennywood.
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The word "definitely" is definitely the most misspelled word on the buzz.
I hope this works. I created a page with a pic of "The Lost World: Fantasy Mountain" as it originally looked. This was taken in 1979 I believe.
It shows three of the original 4 rides. The 4th, "Mt. Kilimanjaro" is not shown. It was in the portion of the mountain just to the right of where this cuts off.
I will post this pic temporarily on a dummy page but ask that no one use it without my permission.
Here is the address:
http://members.aol.com/jhnktr/images/pkdlwfm.jpg
Shaggy
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Shaggy
A.K.A. John K.
I did not ride the Haunted River or Time Shaft for years. Actually my first trip ever to KD was the year the mounatin opened, that is why I recall so much about it.
What I mostly recall was being insanly curious about what The Time Shaft was. I begged my Dad to take me in, he agreed and we waited in a line that was easily over an hour long. When we finally got in, I would not ride it! I was scared to death. He was a little angry to say the least.
We did manage to ride the Dooz ride that day. Hey I was 7 years old ;-) But my big accomplishment was riding my first coaster. It was the Scooby Doo across the park.
When I did eventually ride the Haunted River and Time Shaft I did enjoy them. The Haunted River was a great dark ride and I am sad it was not "kept up." I recall feeling unsafe, not because of the ride, but there were TONS of rubber and mechanical snakes throught the various scenes. I felt as though they were swimming through that murky water and could possibly get in the boat. I hate reptiles.
Also, when I finally rode Time Shaft, it totally disoriented me. With the lights and music I could not figure out which way was up. It was my first Rotor, and by far the best. Too bad it is nto still there.
Shaggy
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Shaggy
A.K.A. John K.
*** This post was edited by Shaggy on 3/1/2002. ***
Shaggy said:
We did manage to ride the Dooz ride that day. Hey I was 7 years old ;-) But my big accomplishment was riding my first coaster. It was the Scooby Doo across the park.
When I did eventually ride the Haunted River and Time Shaft I did enjoy them. The Haunted River was a great dark ride and I am sad it was not "kept up." I recall feeling unsafe, not because of the ride, but there were TONS of rubber and mechanical snakes throught the various scenes. I felt as though they were swimming through that murky water and could possibly get in the boat. I hate reptiles.
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Hey, Scooby Doo was my first coaster too. Wasn't it green a while ago, not blue like now? It surely seemed big back then!!
I do miss the "old" KD (not PKD). It had so much more character than it does now. Now its just a bunch of short coasters thrown all over the place. When I was pretty small I didn't go on big rides, so I only went on Haunted River like once when I was a little older, but I thought it was a great ride. I would rather have that there than Volcano.
Zimm
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www.themeparkbrochures.com - Theme Park Brochures and Maps
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He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking; can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.
Yes, the Scooby Doo was green for many years.
I am not sure I would still want "The Haunted River" to exist. It would be terribly dated now, in it's final years it was in pitiful shape. Maybe something updated and more "today."
However the parks removal of it did sadden me. PKD is terribly void of a dark ride attraction. They went from having 3 to none.
Paramount cannot be blamed for the outcome of the former LWFM rides. By the time the Paramount name was added, the rides had been neglected and deteriorated to a shell of their former selves.
I have said before, and will say again.... just because the moniker "Paramount" was added to the park's logo does not mean that all of the sudden Paramount Studios was in charge of the parks. The staff at the Paramount Parks is largely the ones that were there years prior.
Shaggy
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Shaggy
A.K.A. John K.
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