Apocalypse (Drayton Manor)
Apocalypse is a 54-metre-high (177 ft) freefall tower ride located at Drayton Manor Theme Park, England.
| Apocalypse | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Drayton Manor | |
| Area | Aerial Park |
| Status | Operating |
| Cost | £2,000,000 |
| Opening date | 27 May 2000, 2002 Floorless |
| General statistics | |
| Attraction type | Drop tower |
| Manufacturer | Intamin |
| Designer | Space Leisure |
| Model | Giant Drop |
| Theme | Industrial/Hazardous |
| Height | 177 ft (54 m) |
| Speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
| G-force | 4 |
| Capacity | 520 riders per hour |
| Rows | 5 |
| Riders per row | 4 |
| Duration | 1:15 |
| Height restriction | 120 cm (3 ft 11 in) |
History
Apocalypse opened in April 2000 and it had four towers. two of which were standing up and two sit down. In 2002 the ride was partially rebuilt to accommodate a 5th tower to use as the world's first stand-up floorless element, and was also dubbed as the fifth element. In 2016, tower five was down until 2018 when owners removed the outside queue line to bring in a crane to fix it. In 2019, the station area was refurbished which includes new control panels, removal of the klaxons and beacons and replaced with a siren and new flooring was put in. It is the tallest ride at the park and is the only ride that can be seen outside the park and in parts the Wilnecote area of Tamworth.
Apocalypse was the first stand-up tower drop in the world and it kept the title as the only one until 2005 when Hurakan Condor opened in PortAventura Park.
Riders reach 50 miles per hour (80 km/h), falling 54 metres (177 ft) in 4 seconds.
In 2008 the ride received an Airtime Award from amusement park fansite CoasterForce.com, whose members voted it the "Best Thrill Ride in Europe".
Incidents
- Two days before its launch, an electrician who was working on the tower at night, fell 30 ft from the top onto a safety hatch. He sustained a broken back and leg and the entire incident was reconstructed for BBCs 999.