screamingnight Posted August 13, 2005 Share Posted August 13, 2005 Has anyone ridden that coaster pki used to have called The Bat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkiboy Posted August 13, 2005 Share Posted August 13, 2005 No. But my friend who I hang out with at PKI her sister worked on The Bat. She told me that her sister said it broke down every day. The problem was it was built wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vortex Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 While I did visit the park and was in line for The Bat when it closed. The biggest problem with The Bat was the breaks. On Top Gun the breaks are on top of the coaster, but on The Bat they where on the bottom of the coaster. If PKI had fixed this and some other things The Bat would still be open today. On a side note Kings Island got Vortex very cheap from Arrow for not building The Bat right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screamingnight Posted August 14, 2005 Author Share Posted August 14, 2005 How much was Vortex? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 I'm sure there are other threads on this but... The Bat was a wonderful ride. The track was not banked so the cars flew around the turns at 90 degrees +. Because of "under engineering" it used a lot of shock absorbers. The brakes were on the bottom (this was a prototype) and this, along with other "let's get the bugs out" problems forced its removal after 2 years. It was a smooth, fast ride. The cars has lots of room, but they had those OTSHs on them - and really didn't need them. It was also a long ride - 2 lift hills and lots of crazy turns, swooping up and down - just like a bat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeLorean Rider Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 Same station as Vortex, you cant see the cutouts in the shed of Vortex where the backbone went. You can still see footers to The Bat though they are very weathered and crumbling. The access stairs for the second lift are used to access the midcorse block break on Vortex. Despite the rumors, no one ever got hurt on The Bat other than an occasional stiff neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvesterofyoursorrow Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 The Bat was a prototype, the designers belived that becuase the cars swang (swung or whatever) benith the track, they didnt need to bank the track, becuase it was asumed that the cars basicly "auto-banked" if I may say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeLorean Rider Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 They didnt count on how far they would actually swing I think this explains it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flightoffear1996 Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 The Vortex was around 4 million I think. The Bat was doomed from the start and the park never had a chance. You dont see as many prototype failures anymore due to the help of computers and what not but it proably sucked to see that thing go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterKrazy Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 Same station as Vortex, you cant see the cutouts in the shed of Vortex where the backbone went. You can still see footers to The Bat though they are very weathered and crumbling. The access stairs for the second lift are used to access the midcorse block break on Vortex. Despite the rumors, no one ever got hurt on The Bat other than an occasional stiff neck. The access stairs for the first lift on Bat are the current access stairs on the lift of Vortex, however, I don't think anything else of The Bat remains. The second lift ran perpendicular to the first, while the mid-course brake run on Vortex runs nearly parallel, which makes me think the access stairs for Bat's second lift were removed entirely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeLorean Rider Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 I was always told that because the angles on the lifts of The Bat were different than that of The Vortex that they couldnt use them on the lift. Though the stairs are straight they are still pieces. They could have just taken the pieces and put them in a square going up to the block break. Plus Vortex is taller than The Bat was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdboy007 Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 http://rcdb.com/ig627.htm?picture=4 what is the ride in the back of this picture of The Bat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moore Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 The old log ride that was removed for TR:TR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Bombay Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 The Beast, and Kentons Cove Keelboat Canal, a log flume that was removed in 2002 for the construction of Tomb Raider The Ride. Its a shame The Bat failed, I've heard that no current suspended coasters can compare to what teh Bat was. My dad rode the first two suspended coasters, The Bat and XLR-8 at Astroworld in Texas and hes said XLR-8 is crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdboy007 Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 I remember now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKIVortex Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 http://rcdb.com/ig627.htm?picture=4 what is the ride in the back of this picture of The Bat? The old log ride that was removed for TR:TR. That's KCKC. Kenton Coves Keelboat Canal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Bombay Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 Kentons Cove Keelboat Canal, a log flume that was removed in 2002 for the construction of Tomb Raider The Ride. Like I said as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersRZ Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 Actually, Kenton`s Cove Keelboat Canal was removed at the beginning of the 2001 season for construction of TR:TR to start in mid July of 2002. KCKC was not open the last couple of weekends in 2000 either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeLorean Rider Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 KCKC closed toward the end of the season in 2000, i was there the last day of operation or first of de-construction thinking WTF. They then built a fence in 2001 saying something to the extent of look for a new attraction here in 2002. I heard the same thing about how nothing compares to The Bat. I have been told many times that top gun is the only ride that comes close to The Bat because of top guns speeds. Most of the other suspended coasters are similar to iron dragon, slow and boring. The slower speeds on XLR-8 is what allowed them to turn half of their trains backwards shown here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 Big Bad Wolf at BGW is easily the best suspended coaster built that still operates today. My family was at KI every year of The Bat, and every year it was down. It would be nice to see someone build The Bat again, just with banked track and overhead breaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdboy007 Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 What and where is BGW? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkootersFan Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 Actually, Kenton`s Cove Keelboat Canal was removed at the beginning of the 2001 season for construction of TR:TR to start in mid July of 2002. KCKC was not open the last couple of weekends in 2000 either. Start construction Mid-July 2002? If i remember right, it was open then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 What and where is BGW? Busch Gardens Williamsburg (VA)- about 1 hour south of Kings Dominion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdboy007 Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 How far is it from Cincinnati? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIBeast Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 ^Probably about 6-8 hours. I was fortunate that I rode The Bat. It was a wild ride. Didn't know that they expected the shocks would do the banking. That would make sense. I do know that it became expensive to maintain since the shocks were constantly being replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdboy007 Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 Friends keep telling me that The Bat fell off the tracks all the time along wiyh a few other nasty rumors that I wont bring up, where do these rumors start? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyrocoasterkid Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 Yea, TRTR opened in 2002, because Delerium opened in 2003.... so in other words, TRT construction started in 2001 sometime... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 There were no accidents on The Bat. It was all rumors. Also, I don't believe The Bat was as fast as Big Bad Wolf, but if not, it was close. The reason BBW "seems" so fast if due to the buildings it goes thru - and that long dive over the lake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braves0511 Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 First I'd like to say that if KI were to fix it before they took it down, The Bat looked like it would have been an awesome ride and I wish I'd had a chance to ride it. Also in picture number 3 at the RCDB link back on the first page of this topic, (I'd give a link, but I don't know how) the station looks reversed. So either the train ran in the opposite direction or the original station is where the sheds are now on The Vortex and they moved everything over, or I just have a terrible sense of direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 How far is it from Cincinnati? http://www.mapquest.com/directions/main.ad...sburg&2s=VA&2z= BGW is worth the trip. Make it a 4 day trip, and if you have a PKI season pass, PKD is free. And the trip from Cincy is 9.5 hrs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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