Dollywood’s new Lightning Rod coaster will burn rubber from start to finish

The $22-million Lightning Rod coming to Tennessee’s Dollywood in 2016 adds another twist to the collection of breathtaking rides from Rocky Mountain Construction with the world’s first launched wooden coaster.

Billed as the fastest wooden coaster in the world, Dollywood‘s 73 mph ride will be themed as a 1950s hot rod with an injector scoop, header pipes and a flame paint job.

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The 3,800-foot-long terrain coaster, set to debut in March, is under construction in a wooded area of hills and valleys in the Jukebox Junction section of the theme park.

The inversionless Lightning Rod is the latest entry from Idaho’s Rocky Mountain Construction and renowned ride designer Alan Schilke, who have collaborated on looping wooden coasters that have captivated the imaginations of ride enthusiasts around the world.

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FOR THE RECORD

June 6, 2016, 8:19 a.m.: A quote in this article from country singer Dolly Parton lacked proper attribution. The quotation was from a prepared statement.

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Since the debut in 2013 of the Outlaw Run looping wooden coaster at Silver Dollar City, Rocky Mountain has gone on to add inversions to an ever-growing list of Six Flags wooden coasters.

Lightning Rod’s record 73 mph top speed for a wooden coaster will best the 72 mph Goliath at Six Flags Great America outside Chicago, built by Rocky Mountain in 2014. Expect a 74 mph Rocky Mountain coaster somewhere in the world to top Lightning Rod in 2017 or soon after.

The backstory for the ride involves a mechanic named Johnny Rev who invites Dollywood visitors to climb into the driver’s seat for a test drive of his newest hot rod.

“Lightning Rod reminds me so much of those colorful cars cruisin’ up and down Main Street in downtown Sevierville back when I was in high school,” Dolly Parton said of her Tennessee hometown.

“I remember all those souped-up cars. But what I remember most were those good-looking boys behind the wheel with those flat-top and ducktail haircuts.”

Once aboard Lightning Rod, riders will be launched up a 20-story lift hill from 0 to 45 mph with the help of a magnetic-powered linear synchronous motor.

At the top, the double-crested summit will offer a pair of airtime hills before the train descends 165 feet down the 73-degree first drop.

The inversionless coaster will feature a trio of near inversions, including an overbanked “breaking wave” turn, an outside-banked top-hat turn and a noninverting half-loop.

Along the way, riders will experience 20 seconds of weightlessness as Lightning Rod navigates a terrain-hugging course with a dozen airtime hills.

The coaster’s finale features a quadruple-down element as the train stairsteps down a hillside toward the noninverting half-loop.

“For a third of the ride, your seat is going to be off the seat,” said Dollywood spokesman Pete Owens. “For the other two-thirds of the ride, you’re going to be on the edge of your seat.”

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