Wildcat's Revenge

Wildcat from the Kissing Tower

In June 1995, the Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company announced that it would build "The Wildcat", a wooden roller coaster at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, over the following year.[2][3] The ride would be named after The Wild Cat, Hersheypark's first roller coaster, which operated from 1923 to 1945.[4][5] The coaster was intended as the main attraction in Midway America, an area in Hersheypark themed to classic American attractions;[2][6] construction of the themed area had begun the prior month.[3] Wildcat was the first coaster constructed by Pennsylvania firm Great Coasters International (GCI).[4][6] The 2-acre (0.81 ha) plot on which the ride was built had previously been used for parking.[7]

The roller coaster was designed by Mike Boodley and Clair Hain Jr.;[6] both men had cofounded GCI.[8] The company started constructing Wildcat in August 1995.[5] The roller coaster's trains were manufactured by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) between September 1995 and February 1996.[9] Work on the ride was complicated by the North American blizzard of 1996,[5] during which workers reportedly "had to dig out wood from snow".[7] It was originally expected to open on May 11, 1996, along with an "inauguration celebration".[5][7] Wildcat was planned to be part of "Physics Day" on May 17, where it would be used to demonstrate gravitational pulls.[7] Wildcat cost $5.6 million to construct.[10] The ride was constructed with 514,000 board feet (1,210 m³) of Southern yellow pine.[11][9]

Wildcat ultimately opened to the media on May 23, 1996,[12] and to the public on May 26, 1996.[13] The ride's opening was accompanied by a one-hour-long television special called Wild Rides, which aired on the Discovery Channel on May 26, 1996.[12][13] The original PTC trains were replaced in 2007 with 12-car Millennium Flyer trains manufactured by GCI.[14]

Hersheypark announced in July 2022 that Wildcat was scheduled to close permanently on July 31, 2022.[15][16] Family members of Nicholas Pantalone, who had been one of the ride's operators before his death in 2013, were present on Wildcat's final ride.[17][18] Following the announcement, the park posted on Twitter, "Any suggestions on what we could do with 3,100 feet of wooden track?"[19][20] Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) replied on Twitter stating, "We have a few ideas...".[19] This led to speculation that RMC would rebuild the retired ride. RMC had previously rebuilt several wooden coasters, such as Twisted Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Twisted Timbers at Kings Dominion, and Wicked Cyclone at Six Flags New England; according to The York Dispatch, these rebuilds "might be a model for the closing Wildcat".[19] At the time, a spokesperson for Hersheypark refused to confirm rumors of Wildcat's future, saying: "We will share details on what's next before the end of" 2022.[21]

On November 2, 2022, Hersheypark confirmed that RMC was converting Wildcat into a hybrid roller coaster called Wildcat's Revenge.[22] The ride would utilize the existing wooden infrastructure accompanied by steel track, with an expected opening in 2023.[23][24] Hersheypark also began selling 160 pieces of wood, salvaged from the original GCI coaster, at a gift shop just outside the park.[25] Installation of trackwork began on November 9.[26][27] The next week, Hersheypark publicly displayed the front car of one of Wildcat's Revenge's new trains at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo in Orlando, Florida.[28] Installation of the first inversion—the underflip, which used some of the old lift hill's structure—began in mid-December 2022[29] and was completed the next month.[30] Hersheypark released a video of a simulated ride on Wildcat's Revenge in February 2023.[31] The top of the lift hill was installed on April 17, 2023,[32][33] and the final inversions were being installed by the end of the month.[34] Test runs of WIldcat's Revenge commenced in mid-May 2023,[34] and Hersheypark announced the ride's final opening date shortly afterward.[35][36] The ride opened on June 2, 2023,[37][38] following a soft opening for members of the media the previous day.[39][40]

Wildcat's lift, drop, and large twister segment

The station was shaped like a "Victorian station house" with a red, white, and blue paint scheme.[6][10] Riders left the station and traversed a small right-hand drop.[41] The train ascended the 90-foot (27 m) lift hill, then descended the first drop at a 45-degree angle,[10][42] dropping about 85 feet (26 m)[9][14] and curving about 180 degrees to the right.[10] Riders then went on several similar drops before returning to the station.[16] After the first drop, the ride ascended a left-hand curve, traveled through an airtime hill above the bottom of the first drop, and descended to the left beneath the lift hill. The train then traveled straight over another airtime hill before curving 270 degrees to the right. Passing over the bottom of the lift hill, the train curved left again, ascended another airtime hill, then descended another left-hand curve. The train next curved right and traversed another series of lift hills before entering the final brake run and making a sharp right turn into the station.[41]

Wildcat's maximum speed was variously cited as being between 48 miles per hour (77 km/h)[22] and 50 miles per hour (80 km/h).[14] There were 11[7] or 12 banked turns in total, subjecting riders to forces of up to 3.5 Gs.[6][10] The track crossed above and below itself 20 times.[6][7] Wildcat was located on a relatively large hill, giving it the appearance of being taller than it actually was.[6][10] Because of the terrain, the top of the lift hill was 105 feet (32 m) above ground, even though it was only 90 feet above the bottom of the lift hill. At night, the track was illuminated by strings of lights.[6] The roller coaster was constructed of prefabricated wooden pieces, allowing park officials to replace worn-out pieces easily.[7] Wildcat also contained an on-ride camera; guests could purchase photos at a booth near the roller coaster's exit.[6]

The ride originally ran with two trains manufactured by PTC.[14] Both the PTC trains, and the GCI Millennium Flyer trains that replaced them in 2007, could fit 24 passengers each. The PTC trains had six cars, each of which had two rows of two seats, while the Millennium Flyer trains had twelve cars, each of which had one row of two seats.[14] Each of the trains contained lap bar restraints.[7] The ride had a maximum throughput of 1,000 guests per hour.[6]

From 2022 to 2023, the former Wildcat was converted into a steel roller coaster manufactured by RMC and designed by Joe Draves.[43] The ride contains four inversions and reuses most of the original wooden roller coaster's support structure. This roller coaster is 3,510 feet (1,070 m) long, with a lift hill rising 140 feet (43 m) and a first drop of 135 feet (41 m).[22][43][44][1] The expansion of the lift hill required the construction of a new truss.[43] The ride has an 82-degree drop off the lift hill, reaching a maximum speed of 62 miles per hour (100 km/h).[44] The ride features the world's largest underflip inversion, which Hersheypark officials described as ascending upwards before the train twists counterclockwise into a 270° roll before descending down.[22][45] One cycle of the ride lasts 2 minutes and 36 seconds.[44][1] The roller coaster contains red track, as well as black supports made of wood and steel.[26] The ride's station has a gable roof, which was intended to be reminiscent of the Wild Cat roller coaster that closed in 1945.[43]

Wildcat's Revenge is equipped with three custom trains. Each train has six cars that contain two rows of two seats, allowing a maximum capacity of 24 people per train.[26][46] The trains are themed to wildcats and will be painted black, charcoal, and silver.[43][47] Despite the lack of a mid-course brake run, all three trains can theoretically operate at the same time, as the station can fit two trains.[43]