Lightning Rod

**Lightning Rod** is a wooden roller coaster located at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Marketed as the world's first launched wooden roller coaster, the ride is themed to hot rod cars from the 1950s and was manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction. It was originally planned to open with the park on March 15, 2016, but a problem with the ride's unique launch system forced a delay of the opening until June 13, 2016. A mechanical issue occurred a week later, resulting in a temporary closure that caused Lightning Rod to miss most of its debut season.

## History

Lightning Rod was first unveiled by Dolly Parton at a presentation at the Dollywood amusement park on August 7, 2015. Lightning Rod is the first wooden roller coaster in the world to use a launch system instead of a traditional chain lift hill. The ride's peak speed of 73 miles per hour also makes it the world's fastest wooden roller coaster. The ride, estimated to cost $22 million, represents the largest single investment in the history of the park, and it is another component of a multi-year, $300 million expansion that began in 2013.

Lightning Rod was scheduled to open on the park's opening day in 2016, but on March 15, 2016, the opening was postponed to an unknown date. On March 24, 2016, Fred Grubb of RMC stated that the roller coaster's magnetic launch system, which was being developed by an outside contractor, "would not be able to perform at the level required for proper operation". Grubb did not elaborate on the exact problem with the launch system, nor did he estimate when the attraction would be ready to open to the public, although park officials did tell a *USA Today* reporter that they were hoping for an opening by the end of April 2016. Lightning Rod did open occasionally for "technical rehearsals", where select guests could experience the ride, but it was not until June 13, 2016 that the park declared the ride officially open to the public.

On June 20, 2016, Dollywood announced that Lightning Rod would be closed while a recalled mechanical part was being replaced on the roller coaster, by request of Rocky Mountain Construction. Park officials re-opened the ride, again as a "technical rehearsal", on June 29, 2016. On September 5, 2016, Dollywood announced that the ride was once again fully operational.

Mayfield Dairy released a co-branded ice cream flavor called "Smoky Mountain Fudge" advertising Lightning Rod.

## Ride experience

Lightning Rod's trains are themed to hot rod cars from the middle 20th century. Each train has six cars, each seating four people (in two rows of two riders), for a total capacity of 24 riders per train.

Lightning Rod departs the station via a right-hand turn and is launched up its first hill, accelerating from zero to 45 mph. After a short drop, the train crests and descends its tallest hill, dropping 165 feet and attaining its maximum speed of 73 miles per hour. Lightning Rod then climbs to the left and enters the first of several steeply-banked turns. Dropping out of the turn, the train rises to the right, then snaps to the left and back to the right again. After another right-hand turn, Lightning Rod enters another snap-left-then-right sequence. The train enters a double-up climb before descending the mountain through a sequence of four consecutive drops prior to banking right and passing near the station. The train then enters its final turn, a climbing 180-degree turn to the right, before dropping and entering the final brake run, leading to a right-turn back into the station.