A Look Back at the Legendary Drachen Fire at Busch Gardens
Drachen Fire was an infamous roller coaster that lived in the Rhineland, Germany section of Busch Gardens Williamsburg from 1992 to 1998. While it had a short run, it’s easily one of the most well-known defunct coasters in past years. I will relay the background story I’ve seen several times on the coaster enthusiast circuit. I have no way of validating the B&M involvement part of the story. But here’s the folklore of Drachen Fire, the most famous defunct coaster of the past twenty years.
The story began when Busch planned to build two steel looping roller coasters. One was to be built at their African themed park in Tampa, Florida and one at their European-themed park in Williamsburg, Virginia. They had ordered the two coasters from new-comers Bolliger & Mabillard. At the time they were a young company and had not done a sitdown looping coaster. So, they decided to only work on one of the two projects. The result is my all-time favorite coaster Kumba at Busch Gardens Tampa.
Enter Arrow, the company we can thank for two of the park’s other gems: Loch Ness Monster and Big Bad Wolf. Busch had luck with Arrow on those two installations, so they were hired to finish the Williamsburg coaster. The designs for Drachen Fire were like nothing the veteran builders had done before. With the use of state-of-the-art computer modeling the company said it could deliver the unique steel looper. And so, Drachen Fire was born.
A Dragon Like No Other
Drachen Fire boasted several never-before seen elements. The ride opened with a wrap around corkscrew performed during the initial 145′ drop (pictured above). Next, was the camelback hill designed for airtime. An element with two back-to-back inversions called a cobra roll followed. After exiting the cobra roll, riders hit a short brake run. Right out of the brake run the train dove into a diving corkscrew. Then there was the cutback which was like a corkscrew but riders entered the element the same way that they exited. And finally, there was one last standard corkscrew, and helix and then the ride was over. Drachen Fire’s trains had a sleeker design and lights on the sides which must have looked really cool at night.
Drachen Fire was Too Wild for Public
While enthusiasts drooled at the unprecedented elements, the general public was too busy being pummeled by the roughness to marvel at the ride’s uniqueness. Complaints of head and neck pains (and I would assume low ridership) prompted Busch to take measures to renovate the ride. The diving corkscrew after the brake run (pictured below) was removed in an effort to reduce the punishment the beast was giving riders. The renovation wasn’t enough and in July of 1998 the ride was closed.
Too Late
Unfortunately, by the time I made it to Busch to ride Drachen Fire (I think it was the Summer
of 1998) it was in its standing, but not operating phase. I remember viewing those coils of electric blue steel rising from the green landscape of Busch Gardens from atop Loch Ness’ lift. The lifeless wonder was also visible from the park’s steam train route as it passed through Germany. Busch attempted to sell Drachen Fire and many hoped it would be bought and relocated. Unfortunately, no buyers emerged and the ride was scrapped and recycled in the Fall of 2001. Today, the old station is used for storage and the area where it once stood, next to Das Festhaus is closed off.
A Tale of Two Designers: B&M vs. Arrow
The difference between the head-bang-into the over the shoulder restraints ride of an Arrow looper and the distinctively smooth, 99% pain free ride on a B&M looper lies in the location of the center of gravity. B&M designed their coasters with the heart of the riders as the center of gravity while Arrow made the center of the trains their center of gravity. I’m not sure if it has anything to do with the demise of Arrow in 1999 and the continued success of B&M, but the proof is in the pudding. Save a few exceptions like Demon at Six Flags Great America, Loch Ness Monster, and a few others, Arrow coasters punish riders while B&M’s are smooth and enjoyable thrill machines.
What’s Your Take?
Anyone get to ride Drachen Fire before its untimely demise? Leave a comment below.
November 12, 2007 at 16:37
I got to ride Drachen Fire in May of 1998. Personally, I really liked the ride. I actually rode it 10 times in one day. The worst ride I remember having was in the second row of the first car–it was brutal. However, the second rows of Arrow looping coasters tend to be more painful than the front rows (for me) because of the leg room in the cars.Drachen Fire was also really cool looking at night because of the red lights on the sides of the cars. The cars were also more open than standard Arrow looping cars (see Canyon Blaster in Vegas).It's too bad that BGE didn't hold out another year or 2 for B&M–then we'd still have a coaster there.
November 24, 2007 at 01:22
I used to live right by Busch Gardens so I got plenty of rides on Drachen Fire. I had just started elementary school when it first came out so I was too short to ride, but a couple of years later I was tall enough. The ride was painful kind of painful. But I was young, silly and full of energy at the time so it wasn't too bad. I was really sad when they closed down the ride. Even on busy days the ride had no line.
February 29, 2008 at 16:19
I loved Drachen Fire! I was so upset when they shut if down. The first drop with the corkscrew loop in the middle was awesome. I always rode in the very front car and never experienced any pain or discomport at all but did hear from other riders the other cars were very painful. Busch Gardens needs to add another coaster to the area. I miss the beautiful blue beast!
April 8, 2008 at 10:44
As a native of the Tidewater area of Virginia, my family and myself used to go to Busch Gardens every summer. I didn't ride it when it first came out in 92, but the following year and every year up until it closed I was able to ride it at least 19 times per visit. It may have felt a little rough at first, but after going through the inversions a few times I didn't even notice it anymore. This ride was indeed a classic and will sorely be missed.
April 29, 2008 at 05:12
'twas my favorite.Drachen Fire was rough. I've been on, and enjoyed, some seriously rough coasters (I'm a fan of the Riverside Cyclone), but this was unique, and incomprable. Nothing out there was remotely similar, nor in the same class.Every time I walked off of it, I'd have sore ears, a sore neck, a headache, and a big grin on my face.
May 26, 2008 at 02:29
This is a ride I've always been sorry to have missed. I live in Northern Virginia and was both old enough and tall enough to ride in '93 when my family went to Busch Gardens on a family trip, but I was too scared to ride. When I came back for the first time in '99, prepped for a wild ride, it was gone. D=
May 26, 2008 at 07:31
lpengeist replaced it.I like Aplengeist better!
June 2, 2008 at 17:30
i just wished busch gardens would have waited another year or two so that B&M could have put up the ride as it was inteded. Busch wanted both of the coasters to have a loop that wrapped around the lift hill but Arrow could not pull it off, and then they could not also produce the element busch wanted where you enter a inclined inline twist (going upward at an angle) and come out of it into a drop creating negitive gs at the crest of the inclined inline twist as the train dipped back down toward earth. but B&M had it in there plans. that would have been a heck of a coaster. Busch shouldve just been patient, threw in a new flat ride real quick at the time, then followed up with the B&M Drachen fire. However course the wrap around corkscrew was the biggest draw for me for drachen fire. hate that when i finally went to ride it was the year it closed.
June 3, 2008 at 23:49
I used to work at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and the Drachen Fire was awesome! Hidden behind the Festhaus, it usually had almost NO line to have to wait in….I used to LOVE riding it! The only problem I ever had was that I had to take out my earrings whenever I rode it, otherwise, it was amazing!
June 5, 2008 at 16:26
I actually rode Drachenfire seven times in one day when I got my first and only visit to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. The diving corkscrew was indeed VERY rough, but the first non-drop that pulled you into a loop instead after climbing that huge hill was just so unique. Plus, the cars themselves were such comfortable cars, deep seated and much like side-by-side cockpits. You couldn't GET a more comfortable, secure feeling in a coaster car if you tried. I may have gotten a killer headache (and earache) from the headbanging, but this ride was intense and unique. I was devastated on hearing of its renovation and then demise.
June 10, 2008 at 18:31
this ride was awesome.i dont know what everybody was complaining about because in one day i rode this ride 27 times. i didnt experience no headaches or no earaches.so i miss that ride alot it was my favoritwe ride there
July 22, 2012 at 21:40
Obviously, the ride affected your grammar abilities! If you didn't experience no headaches or no earaches, this must mean that you did experience headaches and earaches!
June 14, 2008 at 18:18
I road the Drachen Fire many, many times. It was definitely on my itinerary every time I visited the park. I was very sad when it closed because the "roughness" of it never really affected me. My only complaint about it was that it didn't have any good drops (my favorite part of roller coasters)… however, I still loved the ride anyway.Still being an avid BGW fan, it's sad to look to the left of the Festhaus, see the path that once led to Drachen Fire and it's not there. Sadder still that the ride was never sold and relocated. But for those of us who road it, we'll always remember it!
June 21, 2008 at 21:33
I used to live near BGW, went every year religiously, loved loved LOVED (and still do) the Loch Ness Monster (classic!) and Big Bad Wolf. Yes, I rode Drachen Fire, and enjoyed it. Okay, it was a teensy bit rough, and it did seem that my head got banged around a little. But when I went to the park for my annual trip in '99 and…f***, where did it go?…I was HACKED. Not a word, nothing, it just vanished. I was all jazzed to ride it again, and there was nothing to ride. I figured the worst….someone DIED on it, part of the track collapsed, you name it. Until TODAY, I didn't know that it was disassembled because of minor complaints and low ridership. Well, poop. The latter could be explained by a hidden entrance, the former because BGW stopped promoting it. I remember the commercials when it first came out. What happened?
July 3, 2008 at 05:22
Drachen Fire was indeed a great coaster, but it also hurt people! There is little wonder it was torn down. I myself rode it many times without incident, but on one occassion over 10 years ago both me and my girlfriend rode it and came off with sore backs. To this day, I have neck pain and a swollen disk, and I blame that coaster. Wish I knew then what I know now…
September 19, 2008 at 03:32
When I found out Drachen Fire had been melted down, I felt a sense of loss. While I admittedly haven't been to an amusement park in better than ten years (long enough ago I could have still maybe ridden DF) it was the one I would have went back to if the occasion had arisen. I rode DF on its opening -DAY- yes DAY in 1993, making me one of a relative handful of people to experience corkscrew 1. When I rode it again in 1995, something was definitely missing. Sure, DF banged your head off the restraints, but it was worth it. I remember going around and around the line, my motivation to stop being the fact that DF had finally rattled my head so hard I was dizzy when I exited the train B-) I hate hate HATE that this coaster is gone. Loch Ness and BBW are tame by comparison. Admittedly, there may be something newer and better out there in my decade absence from the parks, but given the number of thing the DF wikipedia article describes as "unique" I'm inclined to doubt it somehow. In any case, I'm happy I rode DF as much as I could in the short time I and it were there together.
October 2, 2008 at 19:41
I am 11 years old and always wanted to ride great big coasters like Drachen Fire but never gotten to.I live in Malaysia and the coasters here are not that thrilling.I keep waiting for my time to go and ride these coasters but then they close down or get demolished.My parents don't have the money to take me to America.I wish all these coasters weren't gone.I want to be a roller coaster engineer when I grow up and I will construct all these great coasters that are gone.For Example Shockwave,Drachen Fire,Steel Phantom and more……………..
October 4, 2008 at 05:49
Don't worry Shirako. I'm sure you'll find yourself in the U.S. or another country with larger coasters one day. I do know how lucky am I to live here. Especially the Eastern U.S.Thanks for reading!
January 22, 2009 at 11:51
I actually really liked the Drachen Fire, it was very unique. The things I remember most about it was that corkscrew on the first hill, and it was the first roller coaster to ever give me a headache. I was a young kid though so I would ride it like 10 times in a day cause that's what young kids do. My brother and sister hated it, but I really liked the design.
Roughest steel coaster I've ever been on though, if it was smooth, it would have been an amazing classic.
June 2, 2009 at 18:39
I rode the Drachen Fire and although I loved it, my neck and head hurt after each ride. I was excited to see a coaster that could top the Loch Ness (at the time) but it was an extremely rough ride. Today's Griffon is a more thrilling ride than the Loch Ness, however, the Loch Ness is longer in duration and still one of my favorite coasters.
June 6, 2009 at 19:47
I rode drachen fire religiously and never had neck issues. Going into the corkscrew you have to prepare your neck by holding it against the headrest, then you don't have any neck injuries. That is how I rode it so many times without injury. It was a very awesome ride and I was sad to see it go.