Drayton Manor strikes gold with new coaster
Unique Gold Rush offers two distinct rides
Forwards or backwards? That’s the question passengers getting ready to ride Gold Rush, the coaster that opened in late July at Drayton Manor in Staffordshire, England, are pondering. The highly unique attraction has two distinct ride experiences, and guests don’t know which cycle they will be getting and which direction they will be going until they reach the top of its lift hill.
Located in the park’s new Wild West-themed land, Frontier Falls, Gold Rush is a mine train coaster with attitude. Manufactured by Intamin, it is a family launch coaster like DarKoaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. But its custom layout and design allows it to behave unlike any of the model’s other rides.
Leaving the station, the train climbs a booster-wheel propelled lift hill. Then, one of two things happen (and it appears to be random which might occur). In one scenario, the train descends the first drop as expected, twists and turns through some elements, including an airtime hill, makes its way into a fog-filled shed and comes to a halt. A tire-propelled launch then catapults the train backwards to retrace the course up to that point in reverse (thereby delivering some rearwards-facing airtime). It climbs the first drop and stalls at the top of it. After a few beats, the train then drops down the hill going forwards again and picks up speed in the shed with a rolling launch. After a few more twists and turns, it rolls back into the station.
If that’s all the coaster did, it’d be great. But, some trainloads of passengers get a wholly different experience. They climb the lift hill and, instead of descending down the first drop, stop at the precipice. Hesitating for a moment, the train then rolls back down the lift hill and, thanks to a switch track, proceeds backwards through the course until coming to a stop in the fog-enshrouded shed. The train reverses direction by launching forwards and retracing the route. Climbing the lift hill, the train makes it down the first drop this time, coasts into the shed again, and accelerates through it to navigate a few more twists and turns before returning to the station.
It’s a clever design that leverages switch tracks and launch systems to great effect. With a minimum height of 1 meter (39 inches), Gold Rush is accessible to fairly young children. Described as a “family thrill ride,” it doesn’t go too high or fast, but nonetheless appears to pack a punch. Here is an official POV video of the coaster in which it stalls at the top of the hill and drops backwards to start the ride.
With Gold Rush and other new and recent rides such as Holiday World’s Good Gravy! and Busch Gardens Tampa’s Phoenix Rising, we are in the midst of a family coaster rennaisance. It’s great that budding park warriors can experience multiple launches, inverted trains, backwards-facing rides, and other elements previously reserved for older guests. It’s also great that families can board these novel coasters together.
Frontier Falls also incorporates older attractions, including the Blasting Barrels teacup-like ride; The Haunting Mad House ride; and Accelerator, a family boomerang coaster from Vekoma. The park also modified its stand-up coaster, Shockwave, by converting with sit-down trains, a new paint scheme, and a new name, The Wave. Drayton Manor Resort includes a zoo as well as a hotel that includes Thomas & Friends- and Viking-themed rooms.
Have you or your gang been on any of the more recent family coasters? Would you like to hop aboard a coaster like Gold Rush with multiple ride experiences?