I realize there are reasons for a coaster to be removed & some of those reasons may not be all that well respected!

I would like to know why Dorney Park removed Hercules.

Well, I have never heard of a coster called Hercules.

Secondly, for the best answer I can regurgitate: Someone knows.

Well, I have never heard of a coster called Hercules.

Secondly, for the best answer I can regurgitate: Someone knows.

http://rcdb.com/241.htm

^ here it is!

It suffered from being rough over its life, which led to low ridership, and thus the park decided it wasn't worth keeping. For those who don't know Dorney very well, Hydra: The Revenge, a very unique B&M floorless coaster, replaced Hercules. The name was chosen as Hydra was a multi-headed beast Hercules fought in Greek mythology.

I actually remember Hercules quite well....been so long since I thought of it.

Well, I have never heard of a coster called Hercules.

Secondly, for the best answer I can regurgitate: Someone knows.

http://rcdb.com/241.htm

^ here it is!

A coaster? BB1, looking for Hydra's Revenge

For those who would like to see what Hercules was like in action, and a POV, I looked it up and got this video from Theme Park Review on Youtube:

It's not the clearest video (I assume this footage is all from the mid to late-90's or early 2000's since Steel Force can be seen in the background in some shots) but it gives you an idea of what the ride was all about. That first drop sure looked quite epic- it's too bad the ride was so rough, it looks like it could have been a great wood coaster if only it didn't beat the tar out of you.

Hercules was also known for having the largest drop of any wooden roller coaster in the world when it opened in 1989 at 151 feet, thanks to its use of terrain (the lift was only 95 feet tall). It lost this record in 1991 when Cedar Point opened Mean Streak, which was designed by the same company, Dinn Corporation.

Hercules was the most painful coaster experience I have ever had, and the only coaster I swore ever to ride again. To put it in perspective, I find Mean Streak enjoyable.

Did you ever ride Son of Beast? That is the MOST awful and painful ride i have EVER ridden.

Did you ever ride Son of Beast? That is the MOST awful and painful ride i have EVER ridden.

Opinions differ...!

And so do ride experiences. From day to day, hour to hour, or even minute by minute if it starts hailing.

Yes, I rode SOB in both configurations. Even in the back it was more enjoyable the Hercules.

It was taken out for the same reason SOB was.

No it wasn't.

The reason it was removed has never been publicly disclosed. I, for one, won't be changing that.

Did you ever ride Son of Beast? That is the MOST awful and painful ride i have EVER ridden.

If time travel is ever invented, I'd recommend you use it to go visiti Geauga Lake in 2006. Ride the Villain and you'll think Son of Beast is like floating on air.

^I found Villain to be quite delightful actually. To me it was smoother then SOB and Mean Streak. Also I did ride it all through out it's history from May 2000- September 2007, never during that time did I find it rough.

There is a reason its nickname was "Hurt Me Please." I remember the banked turn after the first drop was brutal.

I frequently heard it called Jerk Your Knees.

Villan was not too bad early on.

SoB on the other hand......

Oh, you guys mean "Jerkules"?

I love wood coasters, but am i wrong in saying the way they are all designed they will kind of beat you a bit? Even The Racers, The Beast, AE. I mean, after all, they arent steel, or hybrid

^Yes, but there's a fine line between that classic rattle that give wooden coasters their character and being uncomfotable. I don't buy that argument for a second.

Also, a lot of you need to realize people perceive the sense of touch differently. Our nervous systems are wired differently. Some people have higher tolerances for pain than others or are just more sensitive to certain touch sensations than others, hence why there are people out there who enjoyed Son of Beast while others wouldn't ride it after the first time.

I LOVED SOB, but I was also a teenager when it opened and very durable. I probably wouldn't be nearly as enthusiastic about riding it now.

^I found Villain to be quite delightful actually. To me it was smoother then SOB and Mean Streak. Also I did ride it all through out it's history from May 2000- September 2007, never during that time did I find it rough.

Villan was not too bad early on.

SoB on the other hand......

While I never went on it, evidence actually does suggest Villain was once a good wooden coaster- here's the 2000 Mitch Hawker wooden coaster poll (Villain's debut season). Out of 163 woodies, Villain finished a very solid 17th- just outside the top 10%.

http://www.ushsho.com/wcprs00.txt

However, in 2007, it had apparently fallen from grace- the ride placed 116th out of 178 coasters, a far cry from its original spot at #17...it in fact lost 99 spots, a heck of a drop-off...

http://www.ushsho.com/detailedwoodrollercoasterpollresults2007.htm

So it suggests that Villain was a good ride when it opened, and then it aged horribly- something that has befallen many wooden coasters over the years.

I think it boils down to that some parks are better at maintaining wooden coasters than others.

I think it boils down to that some parks are better at maintaining wooden coasters than others.

Amen, my friend!