Holiday World Unveils Train Cars for New Boomerang Coaster Debuting in 2024
As construction continues on Good Gravy, the newest addition to Holiday World & Splashin' Safari scheduled to be completed and ready to ride when the park opens for the 2024 season in May, officials with the park and the coaster's manufacturer gave fans a glimpse at what's to come on Tuesday with the unveiling of the coaster's train cars.
Good Gravy Boomerang Coaster Scheduled to Open in May 2024
Rumors began to spread this summer that the park had plans to construct a new roller coaster after a few internet detectives caught wind of the park placing orders with Vekoma Ride Manufacturing B.V., an amusement park ride manufacturer based in the Netherlands. Initially, officials with the park would not confirm the rumors, but they wouldn't deny them either. In early July, the park began dropping hints of its own that something new was in the works for the 2024 season and eventually confirmed work on a new coaster was underway inside the park's Thanksgiving-themed area in early August.
Described as a "family boomerang" coaster, it will be suitable for all ages (who meet the height requirement, of course), and will be the first of its kind in North America.
Unlike a standard roller coaster which is essentially one long "loop" that begins and ends at the same place, a boomerang coaster pulls riders backwards up an inclined piece of track and then releases them to start the ride. It ends at the top of another steep hill where the coaster loses momentum and then sends the riders over the track backward to the starting point.
Official Good Gravy Train Cars Unveiled
Representatives from both Venkoma and Holiday World were on hand Tuesday during the 2023 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo in Orlando to unveil the cars riders will sit in once the ride is up and running. While they do look similar to computer-generated cars in the video above, there are a couple of noticeable differences. Each car will seat three people each, whereas the video shows two per car. Additionally, each car will have a blue and yellow design painted on it that appears to look like stalks of wheat and flower blooms, reminiscent of the old Corningware dishes you're grandma likely used. Finally, the full train will look like one long gravy boat with the front car molded to look like a spout. The company only revealed what appears to be the two lead cars, so it is unknown at this time if the final car will have a molded handle on the back like the one shown in the video.
Take a look:
READ MORE: Indiana Theme Park Shares Video Update on New Coaster Construction
Assuming goes as planned, and as of now that appears to be the case, visitors to the park should be able to take a ride on Good Gravy when the park opens its doors for the 2024 season in early May.
[Source: Holiday World & Splashin' Safari on Facebook]
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