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Drachen Fire @ Busch Gardens | Defunct Roller Coasters
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.
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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.
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.
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!
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.
’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.
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=
lpengeist replaced it.I like Aplengeist better!
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.
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!
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.
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
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!
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?
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…
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.
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……………..
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!
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.
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.
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.
Another rider of it’s original form checking in…
I think that DF is the only defunct coaster on my ride list that I miss…
I know, that was one of the coasters that had the most unique type of inversions. Just the best roller coaster. Does anyone know why they took it down?
“No official reason for closure was given, but some people speculate roughness, maintenance problems, noise, and poor park location were to blame”
-Joel A. Rogers
(Or the guy on Coaster Gallery)
well ya i cant disagree with you there they did have it in the worst location that i could think possible. Also neck problems after the ride. It was still a classic and i will remember that
My family and I rode this coster many times and it had the best views around. During the evening you thought you were traveling through the Black Woods of Germany. In 1999 I visited the park with my GF hoping to share the experience with her only to find the path blocked and the coster quiet. Only learning today that BGE melted down this great coster I am truly disappointed. The technology today could have saved this truly special coster.
This ride had some cool inversions that i really wanted to go on. They should have kept this ride cause i really wanted to experience it.
I rode it many times over the years, I remember the cars being extremely uncomfortable, I am a fairly normal sized adult ( 5′ 11 – 210 lbs.) and the seats were very tight and the restraint system uncomfortable. The right was a bit jerky , but I enjoyed it.
I rode this only once and liked it although my wife at the time broke her earring during the ride. I don’t remember it being all that rough except that one inversion.
I lived in the tidewater area of Virginia and pretty much spent all my summers as a kid at Busch Gardens. I remember riding Drachen fire for the first time I was truly frightened waiting in line. The ride just sounded rough watching from the paths and half of the passengers from each train would be have looks of agony on their faces when the trains pulled back into the station. I will never ever ride a roller coaster this intense again I am sure. I can understand why they closed and melted it down the thing was a lawsuit just waiting to happen.
When i look at pictures of this ride, the first thing i notice is the drop how odd looking it is the inversions lookeed pretty cool and as many reviewers say it was rough so yeah i think that could be a reason they took it down
you now have a little brother to play with, drachen fire.
I rode this early summer of 1993 for a school field trip. It was a rough ride, but one of my favorites. I remember all the snobby girls didn’t want to remove their earrings like the attendant told them, and all of them had their ears mashed down so hard the studs drew blood. They were warned. I was very disapointed when I returned in 2001 and Drachen Fire was no longer there. I wish I had gotten a T-shirt or something.
I never got a chance to ride the beast. I was too short until 2000 when it had been closed for a little better than a year. I remember being in the park and seeing them doing test runs in ‘02 when they considered re-opening the ride. I really think that they made a mistake tearing this ride down. First this and now the Big Bad Wolf. Busch Gardens has lost all appeal to me anymore and I have no intentions to go again.
It would be cool if they hired Vekonama and B&M to remake it using the same type of track but whith the G`s of a B&M.
Wierd name, Turns out drachens can`t breate fire.
I remember riding DF in 1996, and also they had a coaster there just on a temporary basis, one of those super-jerky spin around types. There’s one at Disney’s animal kingdom next to dinosaur land. It was a million times worse than Drachen Fire! I can think of two worse coasters for headaches right off the bat- Ninja at SFoverGA and the old Outer Limits at Kings Dominion. Heck, Space Mountain made you feel worse and it’s not going anywhere! Best thing about BGW is the theming, I hope they replace BBW with something good, maybe similar to the crypt at King’s Island?
I agree Rach. Both Ninja and Outer Limits were mentioned on my Top 3 Roughest Steel Coasters list. Is the coaster that you’re trying to think of a wild mouse? BGW had one for a while and I’m pretty sure Animal Kingdom has one.
Animal Kingdom does have a wild mouse called “Primeval Whirl.” There are actually 2 coasters sitting side-by-side, a mirror image of each other.
CC, if you go, you should ride it, realy fun.
the themeing is realy cheesey though.
I heard that BGW is going to announce a new attraction by the end of the month!
I rode the Demon at Six Flags Great America this summer, and I was turned into a bobblehead! Bobbleheads don’t have good lives.
so it slammed your head on the restraints.
Ahhh, the Drachen Fire. When I first saw the Drachen Fire, I was a young kid, but I was JUST barely tall enough to ride. My dad, who always would con me into the prospect of a shirt if I rode, finally got me to ride. I remember being absolutely scared crapless at the spector. It was beyond tall for the timeperiod. And the loop in the drop always got me. I remember getting off the ride and DEMANDING my father get back in line again. We rode all day and I got my shirt. I remember the pre cork days and after cork days and I thought it made it worse. My dad did complain off the roughness, but he would always get back in line. You felt as if you were riding a dragon. It was the best ride in the park. The new ones are great and sleek and fast, but the Drachen Fire was legendary. Everytime I think of Busch Gardens, I do not think of the new rides, but NOW the two that are no longer there. The Fire and Big Bad Wolf.
you`ve still got nessie.