Thunderhead (roller coaster)

Thunderhead is a wooden roller coaster located at Dollywood amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The coaster, which was the anchor attraction of the new "Thunderhead Gap" section (now Timber Canyon), opened on April 3, 2004, to much critical acclaim. Thunderhead boasts 22 turns and 32 crossovers,[2] and utilizes GCI's Millennium Flyer trains, used on all GCI coasters since 1999. Thunderhead is also the first roller coaster to feature a station flyby.

Thunderhead
Thunderhead's logo and two Golden Tickets for the Best Wooden Roller Coaster
Dollywood
LocationDollywood
Park sectionTimber Canyon
Coordinates35°47′48″N 83°31′55″W
StatusOperating
Opening dateApril 3, 2004 (2004-04-03)
Cost$7,000,000
($9.48 million in 2019 dollars[1])
General statistics
TypeWood
ManufacturerGreat Coasters International
DesignerMike Boodley
Track layoutTwister roller coaster
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height100.4 ft (30.6 m)
Drop100 ft (30 m)
Length3,230 ft (980 m)
Speed53.7 mph (86.4 km/h)
Inversions0
Duration2:30
Max vertical angle60°
Height restriction48–76 in (122–193 cm)
Trains12 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train.
TimeSaver Pass available
Must transfer from wheelchair
Thunderhead at RCDB
Pictures of Thunderhead at RCDB

History

On June 26, 2003, Dollywood announced that they would be adding Thunderhead. It would be the third roller coaster at the park. Thunderhead was set to open in 2004, five years after Tennessee Tornado.[3]

Thunderhead officially opened to guests on April 3, 2004.

The ride was named after Thunderhead Mountain, a peak within the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park that was heavily logged during the early 19th century. The mountain itself was named "Thunderhead" after a slang term in the American South for Cumulonimbus clouds.

Construction data
  • 700,000 board feet of Southern Yellow Pine
  • 3600 yards of concrete
  • 250,000 bolts
  • 2,000,000 screws
  • 185,000 feet of steel rebar[4]

Rankings
Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year2004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019
Ranking 6[5]1[6]1[7]2[8]2[9]5[10]5[11]5[12]4[13]5[14]5[15]5[16]7[17]8[18]10[19]11[20]
Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best wood-Tracked Roller Coaster[21]
Year2004200520062007200820092010201120122013
Ranking 5273111114121515
NAPHA Survey: Favorite Wood Roller Coaster[22]
Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Ranking
-
4
4
3
3
3
  • Thunderhead's second drop
  • Thunderhead's first airtime hill
  • Thunderhead's station fly-through
  • Thunderhead's drop after its station fly-through

References
  1. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  2. http://database.thrillnetwork.com/ride_view.php/1647/thunderhead.html
  3. "New Wooden Coaster To Roll Into Dollywood For 2004 Season". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  4. "Thunderhead (Dollywood) :: ThrillNetwork.com".
  5. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  6. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 22–23B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  7. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 30–31B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  8. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 42–43. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  9. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 42–43. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  10. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 38–39. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  11. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 38–39. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  12. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 46–47. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  13. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  14. "2013 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 40–41. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  15. "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  16. "2015 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 45–46. September 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  17. "2016 top 50 wooden roller coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  18. "2017 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  19. "2018 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  20. "2019 Top Wood". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  21. Hawker, Mitch. "Wooden Roller Coaster Poll 20 Year Results Table (1994–2013)". Best Roller Coaster Poll. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  22. "Member Survey". napha.org.
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