Timber Wolf (roller coaster)

Timber Wolf
Worlds of Fun
Park section	Americana
Coordinates	39°10′22″N 94°29′21″W / 39.17278°N 94.48917°WCoordinates: 39°10′22″N 94°29′21″W / 39.17278°N 94.48917°W
Status	Operating
Opening date	April 1989
Cost	$3 million
Replaced	Extremeroller
General statistics
Type	Wood
Manufacturer	Dinn Corporation
Designer	Curtis D. Summers
Model	Custom
Lift/launch system	Chain Lift
Height	100 ft (30 m)
Drop	95 ft (29 m)
Length	4,260 ft (1,300 m)
Speed	53 mph (85 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	2 min 13 sec
Capacity	905 riders per hour
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Fast Lane available
Timber Wolf at RCDB Pictures of Timber Wolf at RCDB

Timber Wolf is a wooden roller coaster at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. Timber Wolf was designed by Curtis D. Summers and was built by the Dinn Corporation. It opened in April 1989.

The ride

Timber Wolf is one of two wooden roller coasters at Worlds of Fun and Worlds of Fun's first wooden roller coaster. The coaster's highest point is 100 feet and its largest drop is 95 feet, at which point it reaches speeds of 45 mph and incurs g-forces of 2.8. It also includes an unusual 560-degree upward-spiraling helix. Timber Wolf has a sign at its entrance saying "Extreme vibrations and roughness are a nature of this ride. Do not be alarmed."

After World's of Fun's purchase by Cedar Fair in 1995, trim brakes were added to the Timber Wolf's first drop, slowing the ride considerably, similar to sister ride Mean Streak at Cedar Point and the former Hercules at Dorney Park.^[1]

Inside the ride's station, there is a "chicken exit" for riders who chicken out in line. It is marked by the sign once used by Orient Express, which was demolished in 2003.

The ride's acclaim is featured in the "History of Roller Coasters" in the Wildcat (roller coaster) at Frontier City in Oklahoma City.

The "out and Back" loops of the Timber Wolf.

Trains

A view of Timber Wolf and Mamba from outside the park.

2 trains with 6 cars per train built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.^[2]

Renovation

In the 2006/2007 off season Timber Wolf underwent renovation involving extensive wood work. When the new season started, riders reported that the ride was smoother. In addition to the wood work, new faceplates were installed featuring airbrushed original Timber Wolf logos, rather than decals that formerly had to be replaced every couple of years.^[3]

In the 2007/2008 off season, Timber Wolf received new air powered queue gates, sporting a new aluminum finish. However, the new gates still do not match up with the corresponding numbered car, which can lead to some confusion during the loading process.

More renovation of the coaster was completed in 2010.^[4]

Rankings

Timber Wolf was voted the world's top roller coaster in the 1991 Inside Track readers survey,^[5] and was rated the number one favorite wooden coaster in the 1992 NAPHA survey.^[6] However, as the coaster has aged, its ranking in more recent polls has fallen considerably.

Golden Ticket Awards: Top Wooden Roller Coasters[7][8][9]
Year	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Ranking	8	14	19	23	-	30	35	45	49	-

Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster
Year	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Ranking	26	43	39	48	62	75	80	93	99

Incidents

• On March 31, 1990, 35 people were injured when two roller coaster trains collided just short of the loading platform. The control system malfunctioned, causing the system to be unable to control two trains at once. The ride reopened running a single train until the control system was fixed to handle two trains.
• On June 1995, a 14-year-old-girl died after falling from her seat. A riding companion claimed that safety restraints (a lap bar and seat belt) had come undone on a sharp turn at the top of one of the ride's hills.^[10] But, Worlds of Fun officials claimed that witnesses had seen her remove her restraints and tried to switch seats and that there had been no malfunction. The parks owners at the time, Hunt Midwest Entertainment Inc., and the makers of the ride eventually settled with the girl's family for $200,000.^[11] This made Timber Wolf the only ride so far at Worlds of Fun with a fatality.

See also

• Incidents at Cedar Fair parks

References

1. Airtime, Spring 2009.
2. "Timber Wolf".
3. "Timber Wolf". Worlds of Fun. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
4. "Reader Submissions". Worlds of Fun. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
5. "Inside Track "Top Coasters" Readers Survey". Roller Coaster FAQ. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
6. NAPHA Survey Results
7. rec.roller-coaster FAQ - Amusement Today Top Coasters Poll (1999)
8. "Coaster Grotto - 502 Server Overloaded".
9. "Amusement Today".
10. Scott Bekker (1995-07-01). "Girl Dies in Fall from Roller Coaster". Associated Press. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
11. Cheryl Wittenauer (1999-07-18). "Roller coaster derails at amusement park". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved 2007-09-18.

External links

• Timber Wolf at Worlds of Fun's website
• Timber Wolf at the Roller Coaster DataBase