|
Son of Beast was a record-breaking wooden roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. Built and designed by the now defunct Roller Coaster Corporation of America, it opened to the public on May 26, 2000, and was themed as a sequel to one of the park's other signature attractions, The Beast. In addition to breaking the world record for speed, Son of Beast was the first wooden hypercoaster in the world with a drop and was the first wooden coaster to feature an inversion. Son of Beast is also known for two major, non-fatal accidents. In 2006, damage to the track caused one of the trains to stop abruptly. Another setback occurred in 2009, when a woman claimed to have suffered a head injury. The ride was closed indefinitely, and all references to the ride were later removed from the park. On July 27, 2012, the closure was made permanent, as Kings Island announced that the roller coaster would be dismantled and removed from the park. ==History== The Roller Coaster Corporation of America discussed the idea of a building the world's first wooden hypercoaster with Kings Island in 1997.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Archive of RCCA Site - History )〕 The park announced plans to build Son of Beast on May 11, 1999. As part of a marketing campaign for the ride before its debut, a box was placed next to a footpath in the park. Beastly growling and snarling noises came from inside the box as it shook violently. During the announcement, the box was revealed to the audience along with a model of the roller coaster and a list of seven world records that would be broken when it came into operation. The sign at the ride's entrance featured a large wooden box covered with chains, rope, and metal straps. The front was ripped open with the name "Son of Beast" centered inside the box. Problems plagued the ride from the start and as a result, Paramount Parks, the park's then-owner, fired RCCA before construction was completed. The park had to make several design corrections during Son of Beast's initial year. The ride originally operated with three trains designed by Premier Rides. Each one consisted of six cars for a total capacity of thirty-six. The trains were shortened to five cars before the 2006 season. After the ride's first major incident, the trains were replaced altogether with lighter models before the ride reopened the following season. The loop was also removed during this time. After another major incident occurred in 2009, it was announced that Son of Beast would be closed indefinitely. References to Son of Beast were removed from the park's website and map in early 2010. All signage, including the box at the entrance, was also removed. On March 15, 2010, the General Manager of Kings Island, Greg Scheid, stated that the park had spent nearly $30 million on the ride to date, and that it would not reopen for the 2010 season. Another Kings Island spokesperson, Don Helbig, announced in 2011 that the ride would again be closed for the 2011 season, and that the ride's future had not yet been decided. "No decision has been made concerning the ride's future," spokesman Don Helbig said. "It would be inappropriate to speculate on when a decision might be made. There's nothing else to talk about."〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=What's next for Son of Beast )〕 Kings Island announced on April 24, 2012, that there are no plans to operate Son of Beast in 2012, and they're still evaluating options. On July 27, 2012, following a thorough evaluation of the roller coaster, Kings Island announced that Son of Beast will be removed from the park to make room for future expansion. Demolition began in mid-September 2012. On November 20, one of the last remaining parts of the structure, the lift hill, was demolished. A new roller coaster called Banshee was completed in April 2014 and is now in the same location previously occupied by Son of Beast. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Son of Beast」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|