SooperDooperLooper
SooperDooperLooper (stylized as sooperdooperLooper) is a looping roller coaster at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. It was designed by Werner Stengel, and built by Anton Schwarzkopf. SooperDooperLooper is located in the Hollow section of the park, across from Skyrush.
| SooperDooperLooper | |
|---|---|
 SooperDooperLooper's train cresting over a hill | |
| Hersheypark | |
| Location | Hersheypark |
| Coordinates | 40°17′11″N 76°39′13″W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | July 4, 1977 |
| Cost | $3 million |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Anton Schwarzkopf |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | Looping Speedracer |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Drop | 70 ft (21 m) |
| Length | 2,614 ft (797 m) |
| Speed | 45 mph (72 km/h) |
| Inversions | 1 |
| Duration | 1:45 |
| Capacity | 1175 riders per hour |
| Height restriction | 42 in (107 cm) |
| SooperDooperLooper at RCDB Pictures of SooperDooperLooper at RCDB | |
Ride experience
The train leaves the station and immediately makes a slight right turn before proceeding up the lift hill. At the top of the lift hill, the train makes a 180 degree left turn with a small dip, descends a long gentle drop, then enters the vertical loop, passing under Great Bear's final turn. It then makes a long, ascending sweeping left turn that travels through the middle of the loop. Passing under Great Bear's lift hill, the track traverses a gentle right curve which includes a short tunnel. Out of the tunnel, the track travels along Spring Creek, with Great Bear separating the track from the creek. The ride goes down a drop then up another hill into a 540-degree clockwise helix, before hitting the final brake run next to the Comet's first drop. This is followed by a right turn back to the transfer track and station.[1]
Trains
The trains on the SooperDooperLooper seat 2 riders in each row, with each individual rider having their own locking lap bar to hold them in place, a common feature with Schwarzkopf looping coasters. The tunnel that occurs part-way through the ride used to contain an animatronic spider that would drop down towards the train and scare the riders. The ride opened with three trains, but as the need for capacity diminished over the years, the coaster now runs with only two.[2]
In 1989 the original Schwarzkopf trains were replaced with trains manufactured by Giovanola.[3] For the 2012 season the Giovanola trains were replaced with trains manufactured by Gerstlauer. The trains were installed by Ride Entertainment Group, which handles Gerstlauer's operations in the Western Hemisphere.[3][4] The control system was also updated with magnetic brakes provided by Velocity Magnetics. One Giovanola train was donated to the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives.[3]
An On-Ride photo system was installed prior to the 2014 season.[5]
References
- "SooperDooperLooper (On-Ride) Hersheypark". Sharp Productions. June 25, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2019 – via YouTube.
- "Hershey Community Archives". www.hersheyarchives.org.
- Shaw, B. Derek (2012). "Hersheypark SDL gets new trains" (PDF). Amusement Today. p. 6. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
- "Projects". Ride Entertainment Group. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2015-01-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)