Dollywood’s ‘Lightning Rod’ Is World’s Fastest Wooden Roller Coaster | NBC Nightly News
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ย. 2024
- Fearless riders are lining up at Dolly Parton’s Tennessee theme park to ride the Lightning Rod, the world's first launching wood coaster that propels riders to a top speed of 73 mph.
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Dollywood’s ‘Lightning Rod’ Is World’s Fastest Wooden Roller Coaster | NBC Nightly News
![[UNCUT] The Loyal Pin ปิ่นภักดิ์ EP.7 (1/4)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/2rPGOyKs0VE/mqdefault.jpg)
1:28
For the people wondering, the whole track IS supposed to sway. If it didn't, the wooden support beams would break. The swaying track relieves the stress on the supports.
Poor reporting. They didn't discuss how Rocky Mountain Construction's wooden coasters are different than traditional wooden coasters, which allows them to pull off such intense elements.
Erik Lakeland a lot of the old promotional coaster videos did that. Like in drachen fire, or the original bat at kings island, or Kumba at Busch gardens Tampa
It doesn’t even go upside down..............
Edit: this was made a year ago and I don't know what I was talking about. Lightning Rod is awesome!
@@ashtonLovegreen its still intense, and not all elements go upside down.
@@vivrealafayette6706 lightning rod was originally classified as a wooden coaster with RMC’s wooden topper track. The recent renovations make that irrelevant though
Yeah, but would gp really care who the manufacturer is?
The GP comments are unbearable
Fury325 Doug 😂 true
Fury325 Doug Nice username ^_^
I know. Its so annoying even in the video where the guy doesn't know what airtime is
Fury325 Doug Ikr lol
ha ha you beat me too it
"And 20 seconds of airtime, What does that mean?" THE GPPPP
Gp: It means uhhh hh
that you're above the ground, the tracks are in the air... I think
Does airtime me that you’ll fly out of the seat, if so I won’t go on becuase I’ll fall off the ride-every gp in exsistance
michael rodriguez that’s kinda funny though he said in a sarcastic weird way
Gee, how dare people not know what a term used exclusively by coaster enthusiasts means? Enthusiasts annoy me sometimes. Like, not everyone is going to make roller coasters their hobby. And dialogue like that helps the people watching understand what airtime means.
sorry for the late reply ..airtime is when you feel weightlessness or negative g forces. or for short you feel like your lifted out of your seat
When it comes to most other average topics, the news will explain a lot about it most of the time. But when it comes to roller coasters, they’re completely clueless.
They are pretty bad at it, but they have to balance accuracy, importance, and time. news companies don't really have any real reason to go over all the details and intricacies of roller coasters, they'd rather spend more time on their main stories
Oh my god.....
The GP is real
Oh come on it’s not that bad
I rode this today. It was amazing, simply amazing. I have no complaints.
I rode the lighting rod before and it's very fast
Lightning rod always has a big wait 😂 how I know is because I live 12 mins away from dollywood.
Ok. Im a roller coaster fanatic. This one terrified me. Unlike dragster, it feels like you're not going to stay connected after that first hill during the launch. It feels like its going to pry you loose on those sequential hill sections. Fury terrified me in a different way, just by being that high up on that first hill, but this one terrified me all the way. If you're to used to roller coasters, and they dont put that fear in you anymore, try this one out. Seriously. Shits scary, especially when one of the trains had vacant seats due to "lapbar issues" lol.
David Smith I would try it out if it wasn't still closed 😂
David Smith I preferred Fury over TTD
You can't be a fanatic and be terrified at that coaster, I was hands up the entire time on my first ride... coasters do not scare me like drop towers. Are you talking about the quadruple down scaring you too?
Scared me to death.
@@lewisb73 The quadruple down looks like it would give you whiplash.
I still can’t believe I rode this
rode it. it's good
This is Better Than Most New Rides
Kevin Thompson it is a new ride....
You are technically floating to some degree...
*oH My*
I live about 45 minutes away from Dollywood and have a season pass this year and I went to ride it and it was SOO FUN! You get such an adrenaline rush!
I rode this yesterday when I went to Dollywood...trust me. I'm anything but fearless. My dad bribed me into this ride. I didnt know it was a record breaking coaster. It was more fun than anything ive ever been on. It is so adrenaline pumping i couldnt believe how fast it was. Definitely recommend. But heads up the second drop is the biggest.
Glad you had fun!! Lightning Rod is considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest wooden roller coaster ever built.
It's called "Lightning Rod" not "THE Lightning Rod"!!!!
Is it possible to have a crush on a roller coaster
You mean to be crushed?
It is 😁😁😁😁😁
My dad and brother road this and they LOVED It and then me and my mom are in the little car ride In the background lol
That long of a line, sorry guys have to wait. Someone special is riding.
I will forever have PTSD from this ride...went with my school choir and band for a overnight trip and this was my first ever rollercoaster. And not to mention, i passed out 5 times on the ride😳
I remember riding this. Most roller coasters start off slow this one launches you lol
These stories are a thing of beauty ,I hope they will always be relevant.
This ride looks amazing! Hopefully if when I go it'll be open haha
They kept it open yesterday when i was there, but the one train they had running had vacant seats because of lapbar issues. Seriously the best wooden i've ever rode. (what she said)
This coaster rox.
We go to the Tennessee Vols football games every season so we have season passes to Dollywood (their amusement and water park) and the lightning rod is the most fun roller coaster EVER but the whole park is so fun and sometimes Dolly walks around the park and u get to see her
Rode it during Thanksgiving when it was cool to Cold and man it s awsome. U are going so fast plus in the dark it s awsome. One of my favorate coasters
Wow wow love that lightning rod I seen the video that was fast love the video awesome I love it I got to come there and take that ride got my heart beating and I wasn't even on the roller coaster just watching them on the roller coaster got my heart racing I love it Hello Dolly Parton I Will always Love You Yeah I love it it's awesome beautiful I like to live there 💕💕💕💕
I've went on this wooden coaster 4 times and it's was amazing the drops don't look big in the video but I promise you the well make you scream your head off!!!
You should do an update on the Lightning Rod, since they changed to a chain lift system. 😢
The lines out the door jeez it’s gonna be like a 5 hr wait
Two weekends ago when we went, we got there a little before opening and the wait was already two hours long. Later on in the day it was delayed due to rain. But now I REALLY want to do it
My soul left my body for a minute on this ride lmao so scary
I went on this ride the first day it opened and I cried on it
I went in it and it is very fast up the big hill
It's the world's first and only launched wooden roller coaster!!
Wow 😳 wow 😮 Wow 😮 that's awesome I love that roller coaster I just seen the video wow feels like I'm on the roller just by watching the video I love that beautiful roller coaster 🎢 I. Will. Always Love you. Dolly Parton 💋💋🥰
This ride was really fun but it had a EXTREMELY Long line!
Still was worth it
They can only run one train due to a glitch with the launch system, and it's a really popular ride.
Kristen, Grayson, Graham and I rode this.
I went on that and I did not breath
no disrespect these RMC's are fantastic rides, but hybrid and wooden coaster are two completely different animals
This isn’t a hybrid coaster.
technically you're right, but it's a rmc with a topper track, so in my book it doesn't count as a traditional woodie
Rob Kenna Sure. But it’s still wooden. And having ridden both on topper track and I-Box, they have a completely different feel. Although topper track may not feel exactly like traditional wooden coasters, it certainly doesn’t feel exactly like a steel coaster, either (like I-Box coasters feel like).
@@triple7marc Got ya. I think my original argument was a speed comparison between this and a traditional wood coaster isn't apples to apples. with all the steel structure built into the banking and the different track design, to some degree in my book its a hybrid no matter what. I do agree topper track is not the same as a box type track like steel vengeance or twisted timbers but the topper track has to have a friction advantage over strip track on older coasters
I went on it. It's was amazing.
I went on it I scared me a lot
Just under 2 minutes? Yeah like a minute under 2 minutes.
Closed before I went there 😭
But where is the wooden coaster? It's a hybrid coaster.
It was wooden from when it opened to 2021. 57% of it has now been converted to steel track.
I rode this a few months ago it was really scary I don’t think I will go on a roaller coaster again
lol this ride was down most of the year I heard that its still not running
So son of beast isn’t a thing
Son of Beast closed 13 years ago.
He should’ve sat in the middle or In tha back like where I was when I rode it in june
I went on this last year for a school trip to dollywood and my friend forgot to remove her phone out of her shirt and it came flying out and went 10 feet down...let’s just say she wasn’t so happy after that
10 feet? Didn't she see the cubbies on the other side of the ride station and think to put her phone in one?
I went on that today boy that is fast the gas on that and the 50s diner
Gas?
Outlaw Run's faster brother
Legit this ride is fast and my friend passed out and I threw up
It’s a wooden shell roller coaster
This didn’t age well as it’s no longer the world’s fastest wooden coaster
It’s the fastest wooden rollercoaster by one mile per hour...
it is the best i have road it like 5 times
Good luck catching it open when you visit Dollywood. It seems like it is down most of the time- not a good investment. If it is not going to work most of the time I think Dollywood needs a refund from RMC.
It was called to have a lot of Downtime,,,,,its New technology I heard Sister parks new in 2013 "Outlaw Run"had it The first few Years
Man fury was shut down for weeks at a time when it opened. Id rather have that than a disaster.
Brian Rica it has technology never been on a coaster so it has kinks to work out. All new coaster will have some kinks to work out
Brian Rica anyway it's up most of the time now
@@ehsbe1056 closed half this year its never opened
what is GP?
General public
the people who don't know anything about coasters
It's kind of weird because it broke the record by 1 MILE! was it worth the down time?
I want to ride
Wow that GP tho
I've heard it's good but the wait is way too long. I spent an hour and a half waiting for my friend to get off of it and the park had just opened
That's because it's new. New rides always have long waits.
Some alternatives to having to wait 1.5 hours for a friend:
1. Go with her through the line but just don't ride when you get to the station.
2. See the wait time and go do something else in the park while she waits in line.
3. Ride with her.
Come on. The fact that you waited so long is no fault of the ride.
except every 5 minutes IT BREAKS DOWN
Yeah the year this video was made and it was also the year it opened now it is getting the iBox track conversion which should help for reliability and smoothness
I just got of that really!
So fast
Anyone else seeing the wood structure bending at 1:30?
I'm pretty sure that's the trees. though every ride vibrates, I don't think it would shake that much.
If it doesn't Shake it's gonna Brake,,,,,kinda like ThunderRoad RIP when it came back into the brake Run it shook No Structure damage was There it went for Waterpark expansion
Coasterfan3657 no it is shaking that much, when goliath first opened the dive loop shook that much, if it didn't the structure would snap
Loki Dominoes ...
Your so gp dude. it's supposed to do that
I just rode it wensday
1:32 THE SUPPORTS MOVED
Anthony Flores It's designed to do that. If it didn't, the wood would break.
Anthony Flores their supposed to do that, show me a wooden coaster where the supports don't move
oml they all gon fucin die
Anthony Flores It’s supposed too. It’s okay to be Gp
I rode it before
Technecly this is a Hybrid witch is a mix of wood and steel, so in my book it does not clarify as the fastest WOODEN roller coaster..
Supercarracer13 its is wooden the company who made it ,RMC, has two types of tracks topper and IBox. When using IBox the coaster is steel but when using topper it’s wooden cause it still uses wood track just with a metal top
This isn't a hybrid. RMC makes hybrid coasters (steel track on wooden supports), wooden coasters (wooden track on wooden supports), and steel coasters (steel track on steel supports). Lightning Rod is entirely wooden.
They will probably dismantle this in 5 years (or less). But its great and cant wait to try it.
Why in the world would they do that? It's a world-class roller coaster. One of the best roller coasters on Earth, if not the best.
Dollywood's not getting rid of this coaster anytime soon. It's in the top 5 coasters of most enthusiasts.
@@angrygrouse4989 Yep! My personal #3/176!!
Road this today never again 😅
Lol it aint really anything like a normal wooden coaster
How so? At opening it had wooden track and wooden supports, just a thicker steel beam and more modern banking and forces. And a launch.
@@triple7marc I think he means that it is different than other wooden coasters. It launches...I mean it is rmc.... nothing they do is normal lmao
So is this Rm. son of beast the one without the loop
Wait what? No, this is nothing like Son of Beast.
I rode the lighting rod the first drop is 20 story's high
The rush is not the Drop at least it hasn't broke down and left ppl Stranded that High up,,,,it's The launch
16 stories
I went on it fun
I past out on it
It looks fun, but 165 foot drop: it's a no for me Lol
The drop is nothing compared to the intensity of the extreme launch
yeah 165 isnt that tall there are so many rides out there that are *way* taller than this
OFFtheWallBRE it's actually over 200 feet tall because it uses the terrain really well
@九鬼飫富 165 is actually fairly tall for a roller coaster. Most parks don't have a coaster even close to that height.
I rode the lighting rod ! I am not liying!😇
It was "The Awesome"?????
When I went and I rode it we where in front of the line and they closed it for maintenance and then 10 minutes later it open again they didn't tell us anything why they shut it down for those 10 minutes then when they opened it again we rode it it was awesome and sooo fast but then later in the day we saw some of our friends I asked did you ride it yet they said no somebody had told them that the wood had snapped somewhere on the ride
El toro is probably better
It isn’t.
I saw it wobble
It is supposed to do that to absorb the weight. If it didn't the boards would snap.
Gaming and Coasting Meant to do that
Lol when people want to go to Dollywood and they don’t even know where it is or anything about it. Hint this coaster breaks down all the time
I live in Ohio and I'm going to dollywood this summer and I don't want to drive 8 hours just to see that the most anticipated ride of my life is closed for the day
Kendyll :3 it has all the bugs out of it now. I live 30 mins from it a ride it all the time. The tech told me that it uses new types of sensors and a new custom computer system and had bugs. These systems control, brakes, restraints, lift, and safety. So they shut the computer down and reprogram it everytime a bug is found.
Brad Garst okay thanks. I rode it 3 times in a row last month and had no problems with it!
I saw the coaster bend and shake a little and it acted like it was gonna fall it 1:32 anyone see that?
Blox Builder2016 if it doesn't shake it's going to break
The ride is meant to sway like that for safety reasons and to withstand storms. If it didn't shake back and forth the whole structure would crack into two with strong winds.
The ride is meant to sway
Blox Builder2016 It is supposed to shake or else the structure would break
son of beast still would’ve been faster
Son of Beast was trash though.
this was a scary video noting the the lighting rod was the first roller coaster I ever went on
Hope you had fun!!
1:15 I lost it
Johnny ramon Why
Marc Weiner You wouldn't understand. So much gp.
thatRaGe Thanks, but I’m a roller coaster enthusiast. Been one for about 4 years now. But yeah, thanks.
this is not a wooden coaster, you can see the steel track
@Nicolas Bjorling no I'm not stupid, the difference between hybrid coasters and wooden coaster are that a hybrid coasters track are steel beams, a wooden coasters track are laminated wood with steel strips where the wheels go.
@Nicolas Bjorling RMCs topper tracks are still considered steal coasters. The wood does not have steal strips on it, it's literally a steal track placed on top of wood. The coaster is connected to the steal track, it's a steal coaster
@Nicolas Bjorling exactly, the track isn't like a wooden coaster track, cause it's a steel track on a steal coaster.
You know that you keep making my point, "it's just like a wooden coaster, but it's different". They are steel coasters, If you look at the track, some people may see it as a wooden coaster, but when your actually smart and not a gp, you know it's a steel coaster and not a wooden coaster.
@@ericgrochowski8400 It really does not matter what your opinion on this matter is. Lightning Rod, Outlaw Run, Goliath and Wildfire ARE wooden roller coasters. Sorry. You are wrong.
Absolutely hate this ride! I went to Dollywood in June of 2019 and rode this. It literally was the worst ride ever. The floating in your seat is the worst and made me so sick🤢🤮
The "floating" on this ride is why it's one of the greatest wooden roller coasters ever built.
Six Flags claims its new ride Goliath is the world’s fastest wooden roller coaster and the one with the biggest drop. Assuming those facts are true, does this mean it’s the best roller coaster thrill this park has to offer? Not quite.I took on Goliath on July 7, 2014, a few weeks after its debut. I got to the park early and was in line at 10:30 a.m., the opening bell, and it was still a 75-minute wait. (For perspective: It was a 150-minute wait when I got off the ride, and I read it was a six-hour wait to experience Diagon Alley at Harry Potter land at Universal Studio in Orlando when it debuted this month).Here are my impressions of the ride itself:The Drop: Although undeniably intimidating with its 180-foot drop, 85-degree angle and tunnel-into-the-ground finish, there are better drops, most notably on Raging Bull, a steel coaster on the other side of the park. Still, this one isn’t for the faint of heart.The Speed: The ride is very fast (74 mph at top speed) and smooth. It doesn’t really feel or sound like a traditional wooden coaster. And since the oval-shaped, twisting-back-on-itself track was shoe-horned in the small footprint that Iron Wolf occupied, the ride is very short.The Inversions: The coaster goes upside down a couple times, once in an attempt at simulating zero gravity.
By what this article says,goliath is the fastest wooden coaster and not lightning rod..it hits top speed of 74 mph which is one mph faster than lightning rod which hits 73 mph.NBC you just goofed up bad!!
actually six flags claim it's the tallest and steepest.
Goliath is 72 mph. It is slower than Lightning Rod.
rcdb.com/rhr.htm?t=2
No it's not 😒
+Becca Bayless it is. goliath is more intense though so it feels faster.
Lightning Rod is the fastest, YOU goofed up bad. Goliath hits a top speed of 72 MPH.
Dollywood season pass holders for season 2020 got THE ROD alright but it wasn't the Lightning Rod. Guests who purchased their season passes in good faith have been locked out of the park. No refunds just promises.
Dude just be patient. You’ll get your refund. And “locked out of the park...” what?
@@triple7marc Everyone is already "locked out of the park" You really should wake up and get off the couch at least once a week.
456swagger Yes, but there’s a REASON people aren’t allowed in. I was just confused why you would phrase it that way. And I have a job lol what’s with the animosity?
@@triple7marc Animosity? Oh you're confused about that as well. That's okay. I'm sure you can't help it.
456swagger Why do people like you exist lol
Under 2 minutes? Ha yeah try one minute! For real, that's how long (or should I say 'short') this ride is. Way too short. Sad too, but it is a real waste of a coaster to not give it the extra 1,500-2,000 feet of track it deserves!
If it had a lift hill (Which would be impossible for this layout) it would actually be 2 minutes or more
EDIT: even then, a lot of launched roller coasters are about a minute
That's why you need to ride this coaster at least 2 times! It's so fast, you can't even absorb what's happening the first time.
1:31 - the wood is flexing under the weight? Not good.
LiftedX it's supposed to do that.
It's supposed to sway to absorb the weight. If the wood was completely stiff it would snap.
Yeah I heard ThunderRoad had structural damage No The station shook when it came back into The brake Run it wouldn't have had last Rides:):):) it's supposed to shake and sway
LiftedX It's good. If it didn't, the wood would snap. It's designed that way
It's not a wooden coaster
Yeah it, it's Wooden but with steal to lift it up.
So stfu
its has steal track Jessica Parker
+Joe Shmo no it doesn't. Rmc ( the manufacturer of the ride) has a speculative type of wood track. Basically the track is wood but the top is steel. They call it the topper track. So it makes the ride smooth. So basically it's wood.
True it's a hybrid
No, it's pure wood. It used 3 stacks of wood followed by 1 layer of steel, just like a wooden coaster. The only difference is that RMC covers the entire top with steel, and fills with concrete, whereas a "traditional" wooden coaster is a steel rail on the outsides of a wood beam.
liar
What? Who's lying.
thatRaGe they say its the worlds fastest roller coaster. And No its not. DUMB NEWS
Wooden roller coaster. WOODEN
Joe The pizza Guy Wood, steel, same thing. They're both solid unlike water rides which are made out of water.
I'm Dolly Parton's cousin
Donnie Young great no one cares...
Donnie Young BS
King da ka is the fastest and littlest
Um... First of all, Kingda Ka is the second fastest coaster in the world. It's also not the littlest... uh... it's the tallest. I think that's what you meant to say? Now that that's cleared up, this is actually saying that this is the fastest *wooden* coaster- Kingda Ka is a steel coaster. And it isn't the fastest steel coaster either. So neither of those claims are true, and neither are relevant.
Da faq.
dude my parents and i are going there this year some time in may and gatlinburg can't wait im from canton Ohio yeeeeehaaaaa