Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[Capitalize]

It feels very surreal to see this ride closed after all these years... I'll miss it.

[snowboard83]

I had a GREAT backseat ride last night. What surprised me most is after the hundreds of times I have ridden the ride, I caught a pop of air coming off of the first lift I have never experienced on it. The front of the train must have had ACErs on it or something to make it really heavy, thus pulling the train at a high rate of speed.

 

Typically I found the backseat to be 1/2 the fun of the front due to less swinging. The back seat did always have a phenomenal surreal moment at the top of the 2nd lift however. The train would approach the 99 ft drop slowly, and as the front dove down the drop, the back would get pulled and swing way out as you turned and dropped at the same time for a triple doozy. Turning. Dropping. Swinging. Plus add in the acceleration from the incredible, quiet, almost stall at the top of the lift the entire train would experience.

 

And we will never experience it again. Oy. It is surreal losing the Wolf. It was my first coaster as well.

 

Too bad about train 3 being down tho, train 3 has almost always been the smoothest, especially this year, and always gave the best front seat rides. Oh well, 1 and 2 were kicking @ss anyhow.

Last time on the wolf. Sigh...Goodnight for the last time Wolf. Edit: thats me in the red shirt.

[snowboard83]

Oh and here is the bottom of the final drop into the S-curve that was the maintenance nightmare, helped make the ride incredible, and may have been a big reason for the BBWs removal. They would weld this area several times a week I hear.

[SKULLY]

It's hard to believe that after all these years of counting on BBW to be there and waiting for me, I'm never going to be able to ride it ever again. Its hard to accept this. BGE has now thrown me a 1-2 blow, first Drachen Fire and now Wolf.

 

RIP Big Bad Wolf, you will always be remembered.

 

I never really looked at it that way but you're right. I truly feel that Busch Gardens Williamsburg now has a new record, the only park to remove two legendary coasters in less than only ten years.

[cfc]

It's hard to believe that after all these years of counting on BBW to be there and waiting for me, I'm never going to be able to ride it ever again. Its hard to accept this. BGE has now thrown me a 1-2 blow, first Drachen Fire and now Wolf.

 

RIP Big Bad Wolf, you will always be remembered.

 

I never really looked at it that way but you're right. I truly feel that Busch Gardens Williamsburg now has a new record, the only park to remove two legendary coasters in less than only ten years.

 

I guess that depends on how you define "legendary." The first time I rode Drachen Fire, I exited the ride with huge bruises on either shoulder, a throbbing headache, and a rather sick stomach. The best things about it were the view from the lifthill and how it looked at night (while you watched, rather than rode). I shed not a tear when DF was shutdown. I hated that thing.

 

BBW was always the better ride of the two, and it is one of the few of a dying breed--and it definitely outlived DF.

[pkdcoaster]

/\ Thats odd Chuck,

I thought DF had a few Toomer moments but was never really that bad, I think Anaconda is way worse as far as roughness.

I think if DF was at almost any other park it would still be operating today.

 

After my pass expires in November, I will not be going for a while probably till the new replacement coaster is built.

I just can't justify the money especially when my son can't ride any coasters over 15ft there now

(plus a little coaster is being built in Doswell that will monopolize most of my free time next year)

 

JEFF

[cfc]

^That happened to me the first time I rode Drachen Fire, before the reprofiling. I didn't ride it again until after they "fixed" it, but by then I just found it to be "meh." I had a similar experience with Anaconda the first time, too.

 

Now my niece Leslie loved Drachen Fire--go figure.

[pkdcoaster]

So you got on an Arrow for the first time expecting them not to have any Toomers?

 

Wow, Chuck your a brave man and you lived to tell about it.

 

JEFF

[cfc]

^Hey, my Arrow experience earlier consisted of the original Knott's Corkscrew and Great America's Turn of the Century. They were pretty damn smooth back in the day.

 

I'm also not a big fan of coasters that one has to "know how to ride" to keep from getting battered.

[EagleEye]

[pkdcoaster]

/\Very cool, I like that

 

Amusement today had some cool concept art from Schwarzkopf that I have never seen before. pretty interesting read too.

 

http://www.amusementtoday.com/amusementparks.html

about halfway down the page

 

JEFF

[CorkscrewFoley]

WOW! The Anton renderings looked amazing! Still, this is another coaster I won't get to ride.

[EagleEye]

/\Very cool, I like that

 

Amusement today had some cool concept art from Schwarzkopf that I have never seen before. pretty interesting read too.

 

http://www.amusementtoday.com/amusementparks.html

about halfway down the page

 

JEFF

 

Thanks

[John Peck]

Well, I got down there and had my last 3 ever rides on BBW.... I'm so glad i made the trip. I rode BBW in 2000, so there were a few things I forgot about despite the videos I have that feature the coaster.

 

Definitely sad to see it go, but I could tell that the wear and tear over the years played havoc on it's structure... those trains really shifted violently.... but in a fun way.

 

Did anybody else notice the recently-painted black handrails? What was that all about?

[cfc]

^I was chuckling over the freshly painted handrails, too. I guess they wanted the Wolf to go out with some dignity.

 

Nice montage, Eagle Eye.

[coasterfan21]

This is probably one of the most disappointing things for me, to happen in the amusement industry this year. If only it could have stayed open for one more year for my trip to BGW next year.

[mayberry21]

Ugh, I hate reading this thread anymore. Knowing BBW will be gone is so depressing. It comes at such a bad time...it's the end of the summer, parks will be closing...BBW is closing permanently...*sighs*. So sad. I'm going to miss it terribly; it's going to be so strange being there and not seeing it.

 

I'm really trusting BG will be putting something phenomenal in it's place. Only something phenomenal will be worthy of BBW's former site.

[John Peck]

If you go to the BGW site, you will see that not only has BBW disappeared from the rides list, but the interactive map has no trace of it either.

 

Seeing that empty space on the map really makes your heart drop.

[PriestofSyrinx]

For it was a great ride. I was very glad I chose BGW over Six Flags America.

 

I will miss the Wolf, for it was my third favorite ride in the park (Maybe second with Alpie)

 

Busch likes to kill the Arrow ( RIP Python, my first inversion coaster). Hopefully Loch Ness will stay around for a long while...

[HHN916]

Big Bad Wolf has been my favorite coaster since I first rode it in 1997. The theming, sensation of speed, use of terrain and amazing night rides made for an awesome ride experience that I will truly miss.

 

I'm glad I was able to get down to VA in time for several front seat night rides Saturday and Sunday and to pay my respects to a great, unique coaster. While walking away after my last ride, it still didn't seem real that the Wolf would be removed.

 

I wish Blackstone would purchase the park and decide to somehow save the Wolf with some creative engineering. But sans a miracle, I hope BGW's next coaster uses the terrain and has excellent theming - perhaps a B&M mine train coaster.

[bpmitchell]

I was at the park today, I have tons of pix but due to technical difficulties with my camera they will not be up till later this evening. As far as the BBW area they have fenced off the entire ride entrance and exit. There is no major dismantling going on from what I saw. The spiel on the train was still playing the 25th ann for the ride, but most park maps except for one outside the main gate have BBW removed from it. Also Howloscream prep has started. Stay tuned later tonight, photos will be up!

[cfc]

^I don't imagine there'll be much dismantling until early next year. There's a scarezone and two mazes for Howl-o-Scream right behind the Wolf.

[bgeguy]

^The removal is actually supposed to finished within the next three to four months. Makes no sense to have it sitting there for two months with no dismantling.

[sfgadviperboi]

Drachen Fire sat for 4 years so the Wolf could wait until January.

 

I heard January was when removal would begin.

[sugart]

Sorry if this has beem answered, but why not close it after the season?