Intimidator Construction Blog

Its Winter in Virginia!

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:24:00 EST

Will it ever stop snowing? I sure hope so, because it is hard to get in the Amusement Park and Coaster riding mood with all this snow on the ground!

All this snow and weather hasn’t stopped the work back at the Intimidator™305 site. They are plugging away at the electric, lifthill cable motor, station and plaza areas of the ride. This kind of weather just slows everything down a notch. We are still on schedule though to open on April 2, 2010!

While wondering around, trying not to lose a boot in the mud, I learned a few more interesting bits of information about Intimidator™305 and what goes into a ride of this magnitude.

The electricians will run wires to almost every corner of the ride area, from the top of the lift hill to the far reaches of the back turns and back again. The estimated length of wire need to do all that, an astonishing 20-30 MILES of wire! The cable for the lifthill system is about 750 feet long and it weighs in at over 2 tons. The motor that will pull the train, people and the cable up the 305-foot lifthill cranks out about 1500 horse power!

Speaking of trains, they are officially here at Kings Dominion! I should have some good pictures of them that I can post for your enjoyment soon.

I hope everyone is staying warm and safe!

Full Circuit!

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 08:46:00 EST

Hello Intimidator™305 fans! It has been a few months since my last entry and a few things have happened! From MORE rain, 18 inches of snow and, oh yeah, the last piece of steel went up! Even though I dropped the ball on the blog, I have been keeping the photos fresh.

After the holidays the Adena crew truly attacked I305 and steel went flying up, to the point where they were slightly slowed until the last big crane was removed. If they would have continued with the crane in place, the crane would have been trapped.

On a cool Saturday afternoon (January 9, 2010) the last piece of steel (track section 91) was lifted into place. It was a very exciting time for us all!

I’d like to try and address some questions that I have been receiving through the build process. The weight of a section of track is between 15,000 lbs. and 16,000 lbs, while the lift hill sections tip the scales at around 32,000 lbs! There are 36 bolts per track end and an astounding 132 bolts per lift hill/track ends.

In some of the pictures you may be able to see the chain and strapping setup that is used to hoist each section up. The chain sections are equipped with a block-and-tackle system that they use to make adjustments to the track pieces. The ultimate goal is to get the track angles on the ground as close as possible to the angles of the existing track in the air, so when the piece is hanging 50 feet over head, the bolt holes line right up. There is also some adjustment in the support bases. They can be adjusted up, down, left or right before they are secured and tightened to the cement footers.

Just as important as the steel, the electrical work is coming along. Their milestones are a bit harder to follow on the webcam, but they have the overwhelming task of getting power to every corner of the ride area, from the brake runs to the top of the lift hill at 305 feet! Unfortunately, I305 doesn’t just “plug-in” to the wall with an extension cord. I will try and get some fun and interesting facts about the electric for my next entry.

Stay tuned for more updates and have a GREAT New Year!

Complex Build

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:11:00 EST

Intimidator™305’s lifthill is now climbing from the station end. As many of you have noticed, this lifthill is like no other, it only has two main supports. The strength comes from its “arch” design, like the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and numerous arches that came before it dating back to the ancient Greeks and Romans.

The arch design is very strong once the “keystone” is placed and the arch is completed, but until then, a temporary support is needed to help support the long spans from the station to the top of the lifthill. Once the hill is topped off and the entire arch is formed, it is one of the strongest structures known.

Toward the end of October and into November, Central Virginia has had a bit of rain, which slows down the entire construction/erection process. When the crews are unable to work on the main structure, they have been working on other aspects of the ride, like the low lying supports on the rest of the ride layout. These pieces can be put up with a smaller crane.

Now if everyone can get together and do the “anti-rain dance,” I can keep the good news coming!

Ride On, Ride Warriors!

A Big Bowl of Pudding!

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:18:00 EST

The I305 first drop support structure has been topped off with the last pieces of yellow steel. The next step is to top it off with a big red piece of lift hill structure that will tie in the three pieces (yellow support, double spine track and main lift hill). Once that is completed, attention will turn to the station end of the lift hill. The second yellow support structure will be assembled and the BIG RED lift hill will start its climb.

With the wet weather this weekend the work area has become a big bowl of pudding! Picture yourself taking two solid steps, and then on the third, sink into mud over the tops of your shoes, not fun. The crew shifted their attention and spent some time assembling more of the first turn. These areas can be reached with 6 – 10 foot ladders and a smaller crane, so these pieces go up pretty fast.

We will be moving the webcam position after the park closes for the season. This will give everyone a great overhead view of the work site for the remainder of the project. It may take us a day or two in order to get the equipment repositioned, so please be patient.

Please enjoy all the new pictures that have just been posted, more to come!

Engineering Marvel

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:42:00 EST

The most complicated portion of the build, the lift hill, is well underway and crews are currently planning the logistics of this complicated lift. The lift hill sections run a slim-trim 32,000 lbs. each, so with the unique design of the lift hill this step is being planned carefully.

The main support that is standing tall, is only standing about 180 feet and when that portion is complete it will stand a little over 240 feet-tall. Once this massive lift hill project towers the 305 feet, the remainder of the steal should fly up around the turns and hills.

Now to round out the crane naming contest, the votes are in and they have been tallied. Drum roll please… and the wining names are Talladega and Daytona, submitted by Brian, aka worldwidebrian! We’ll be sending out a KD/I305 prize pack this week! Now when you are looking at the cranes through the webcam, Daytona is on the left and Talladega is on the right.

Thank you to everyone that submitted names and those who voted for the finalists. I know we had fun with it and I hope everyone out in I305 country enjoyed it too.

There are updated construction photos on the photos page for your enjoyment. If there are any angles you would like to see or information you want to know, please let me know by emailing kdpr@kingsdominion.com. Until next time!

The Ascent Has Begun

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:23:00 EST

The base of the first drop has been assembled and the main supports for the lift hill are being erected. The news of this was delivered last Sunday night and by the time I got out to the work site Monday afternoon, almost 1/4 of the first turn was assembled! So far about 10 pieces of blaze red track have gone up on the first turn and it looks meaner than I had imagined. I can’t wait to fly around this turn at over 93 mph!

Thank you to everyone that submitted names for the I305 cranes. We have narrowed the list down to the following names:

Giga Crane & Coaster Carrier
Ralph & Martha
IntimaCrane 305 & Craneadator 305
Talladega & Daytona
Jr & Sr
Helga & Olga
Big Red & Fred
Thomson & Miller
Wallace & Gordon

Help vote for you favorite Crane names at kdpr@kingsdominion.com and we’ll officially name them next week.

Ride On Ride Warriors!

Tons And Tons of Work

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:09:00 EST

Since the official announcement, there has been a ton of work down at the I305 site. Most of the footers have been poured and the supports have been flying up, which means the track won’t be far behind.

On September 11, 2009 the first piece of transfer/station track was set. The Blaze Red track looks amazing on the blinding yellow supports! The pace of work out at the site is hard to keep up with, every day a new piece of the puzzle comes together, like the ride station frame has gone up and defiantly helps us visualize the layout of the ride.

While lending a hand down at the picnic pavilions September 13, I watched the first piece of the lift hill make its way back to the work site! The crews began positioning and erecting later that day and it is now solid and ready to begin the 305 foot assent to the Virginia skies!

We currently have 2 very large cranes positioned around the lift hill area, one is assembled and the second is being pieced together. I think they need good names, instead of #1 and #2 –or– left and right… If you have a good name idea and would like to submit it for the official I305 crane naming, send your submission to kdpr@kingsdominion.com. We’ll compile the names and take a vote. I will come up with a good prize for the top crane names.

Don’t forget, Haunt starts Saturday!

Biggest. Baddest. Meanest. Are You Intimidated Yet?

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:19:00 EST

This season here at Kings Dominion has been an exciting one from the addition of the Americana and El Dorado in the Grove area to our recent announcement of the largest capital investment in Kings Dominion history. You may not be able to get on and ride just yet, but don’t worry, that day is coming.

The initial wildfire of rumors about a new coaster coming to Kings Dominion started when we broke ground on June 1 of 2009. Just a few days later segments of track began arriving and are currently being stored in the gravel parking lot right next to the guest parking area. Yesterday, August 19, the first pieces of steel were put into place and today, August 20, 2009, we officially announced the addition of Intimidator 305, the largest single capital investment in Kings Dominion’s history. With a $25 million price-tag you know this one’s gonna be good.

Intimidator 305 is a stock car racing themed ride with a maximum height of 305 feet, thus the name, a track length of 5,100 feet, and speeds in excess of 92 miles per hour. It has an 85 degrees angle of initial decent and there are six airtime humps and three high-speed turns. The ride takes up a total of five acres of land is scheduled to open in April of 2010. Stay posted for more info as it develops and remember… Ride on!