Drachen Fire

[Jasper]

I have been doing some research on Drachen Fire lately, watching old videos, looking at old pictures, and it has got me intrigued. Did anyone on these boards ride the coaster themselves, if so, how was the ride experience? From what I have read it was a typical Arrow headbanger and was much rougher than many of the other Arrow coasters, the camel back did not even provide airtime is also something that I read.

[Shaggy]

I have been doing some research on Drachen Fire lately, watching old videos, looking at old pictures, and it has got me intrigued. Did anyone on these boards ride the coaster themselves, if so, how was the ride experience? From what I have read it was a typical Arrow headbanger and was much rougher than many of the other Arrow coasters, the camel back did not even provide airtime is also something that I read.

I rode Drachen Fire many, many times.

The first half of the ride was actually enjoyable IMO. Once you got into the 2nd leg of the ride is when it became rough. It was indeed a headbanger. Was it the worst? Not in my opinion. The removal of the inversion in the latter years was a joke, as that was not the cause of the roughness. The quick, unnatural transitions from element to element surprised riders and thus they got beat around.

Overall, it was a very intense looper with more headbanging than typical Arrows. But it wasn't nearly as violent as some claim. You have to recall that at the time BGW only had 3 large coasters. And the two that preceeded it were very, very re-ridable. BGW had to have a coaster that folks wanted to ride over, and over.... Drachen Fire didn't turn out that way. I was around 19 when it opened and had a hard time riding it numerous times in a row. If it were still around today, I doubt I'd be able to ride it enjoyably. That's very telling as the success of rides and attractions at BGW rely heavily on their mass appeal to older adults.

Basically, it's demise was a combination of things:

- The patrons of BGW were not enchanted with the attraction and never found a fan base

- It quickly became unmarketable

- The placement of the coaster was awful

- It was rough, and non re-ridable

- The numerous inversions immediately limited it's guest appeal

It was nearly always a walk-on ride. The last time I was at BGW when DF was still operating, Big Bad Wolf had an hour wait, and DF was running 3/4 empty trains.

[The Interpreter]

To me at least, Drachen Fire couldn't hold a candle to Steel Phantom for roughness and head banging. Sometimes. The difference was every ride on Drachen Fire was eminently repeatable. All the same, as long as you rode the same seat. Steel Phantom was totally unpredictable. You could ride the same seat two rides in a row...the first may not touch you, and the second might give you a headache that easily lasted the rest of the day. Drachen Fire was a good ride, but not for Busch Gardens Williamsburg. It would have fit far better at Kings Dominion. Quite frankly, Anaconda there is a rougher, more head banging ride...and it survives...

[Jasper]

Thank you for the opinions, I really wish I would have gotten down to BGW in time to ride it before it closed down, sadly I was a few years too late. The ride sit back in behind Big Bad Wolf in a secluded area didn't it?

[Shaggy]

Thank you for the opinions, I really wish I would have gotten down to BGW in time to ride it before it closed down, sadly I was a few years too late. The ride sit back in behind Big Bad Wolf in a secluded area didn't it?

Interpreter is correct... Steel Phantom was FAR worse that DF.... FAR worse.

The coaster was located way off the Octoberfest Midway. It sat in a plot of land located behind BBW, and to the far left of the Festhaus. Actually, until they attempted to make it more accessible, you initially had to head towards the Black Forest Catering/Picnic Pavillion to get to it. That utterly confused guests who could see it in the distance, but couldn't understand how to get to it. The station's still there, I believe, and the land sits vacant.

http://www.themeparkbrochures.net/maps/1997/bgw1997.html

I expect that to change fairly soon, however...

Shaggy

[Jasper]

Drachen Fire Overhead

That picture shows where it was located very well. I would love to go back in that area of the park and explore around where it was located at, ever since I saw it on America's Greatest Roller Coaster Thrills (1994) I have been fascinated with the ride.

[coasterguy15]

Does anyone else besides me think that it looks like a beautiful coaster? I mean, the layout looks really cool IMO and the ride area looks awesome. I wish I could have tried it out mostly for the cutback element after the MCBR. There is something about that element that really interests me

[Guest Millennium]

^ IA. It's really good looking. I wish I could've ridden it.

I can stand headbanging a little bit (Kraken at SeaWorld Orlando...Incredible Hulk)..but it can ruin the ride for me (Vortex..and sometimes Maverick).

[bkroz]

I think Drachen Fire will always be a ride that fascinates all who never got a chance to ride it (myself included). The history itself is hilariously absurd. And the ride itself - Arrow's attempt at B&M. The only Arrow coaster on earth with a Cobra Roll, B&M supports, etc. And an inversion mid-way down the first drop. It sounds really cool to me. But having ridden Anaconda at Kings Dominion (and consequently having my first "wow I really need to sit down or I might physically be sick" experience ever on a roller coaster) I can see how Drachen Fire didn't appeal to many.

No offense to the fans, but Arrow's transitions are so awful. Truly. Just looking at that fantastic overhead picture that Jasper linked to, you can see the pieces of track that are awkwardly bent, and imagine the head-banging that goes along with it. I just don't understand. Why couldn't they just bend the track smoothly? On Adventure Express and Vortex and the like, you can physically see where the neck-snapping will occur because the track direction changes so terribly. Why not just bend it smoothly!?

[Shaggy]

FYI... The link to the aerial view posted above is actually post removal of the 1st corkscrew.

Here's a great pov. It's Drachen Fire testing in 1992, in it's original form:

http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=DrachenFirePOV

Here's also a great piece that once aired on PBS. It actually shows the construction of Drachen Fire:

BTW, Drachen Fire was indeed a very, very beautiful coaster. But virtually every Busch Park coaster is beautifully placed/themed/landscaped.

One piece of trvia many don't realize is that prior to DF being built, the village that Big Bad Wolf travelled through was just a series of "fronts." Meaning only facades of buildings were built since only those guests riding BBW saw them. However in typical Busch fashion, they went the extra mile when building Drachen Fire and actually re-built/completed the rear of the building facades on BBW so guests riding DF would not see incomplete theming.

Shaggy