I just noticed there is a thread on pretty much every roller coaster except Nessie, so have at it!



Skyrider

gotta give some credit, nessy's first drop, while being 100' shorter than apollo still packs the same punch IMO. its an amazing coaster overall. the only negative is that they rarely use the lights in the tunnel which really makes the ride...

Everytime I ride it they use the lights. However, the drop in the back seat is truely insane, and the forces going through those loops are incredible.

Rode it when it opened...still love it today. Best when they ran 3 trains; you were guaranteed two trains in the interlocking loops. Still one of the most beautiful visual layouts. Can't tell you how big that coaster was in the late 70's. The lines would stretch from the queue house to the entry gates in Banbury Cross. The departure at night was awesome...the section from the station to the lift was pitch dark and quiet...I hope Griffon doesn't take that away too much. Shame they put in the brakes to the first loop.

I love Nessie. She sent me through my first loop Gotta ride it in the back seat, the first drop is phenomenal back there. The one thing they could do for the ride though: give it trains with just lap bars

I can't imagine how much hype this coaster had when it first opened. I remember my dad telling me stories about it growing up. He always used to say how awesome the interlocking loops were but I never saw any pictures of it before I visited the park for the first time in the early 90s.

Lock Ness was my first looping coaster. I remember standing in line and thinking how awesome it would be to go upside down on a coaster. After getting off the first time, all I can remember was being somewhat disappointed. I didn't realize that the positive g's would actually keep me against the seat going through the loop. I thought it would be more of a weightless or negative g sensation.

Now days I love riding Nessie just for the first drop. In the back I think it's the best drop in the park by far. Apollo's is great too, but it's more of a gradual drop even in the back. This will always be one of the greatest terrain coasters out there in my opinion.

I love Loch Ness obviously but that lift hill scares the heck out of me! You go up a yard slow down go up a yard slow down. Is that what it's supposed to do or is it just how a chain works when it gets a bit longer in years?



Skyrider

I love the lift. It's one of Nessie's unique oddities that makes her a classic

The strobe lights in the tunell are still there but they don't pack a big punch. The blink once, then a second later it blinks again. I still LOVE nessie! Second best ride in the park IMO.

I think the strobe lights are cool though because in the tunnel you can't see anything and when the light flashes, all of a sudden, you realize how close you are to the walls.

Didn't it used to have mist at the entrance and exit of the tunnel? I have a pet peeve about parks turning off small effects like that (espically with that other VA park...) I do hope it comes back one of these days, along with the mist at BBW.

I think at one time, the tunnel was entirely lit, and at another time, you would be sprayed by some water.

The tunnel effects have varied over the years...from heavy fog (really dense throughout the upper part of the cave), to a mist at the openings, to strobes (my favorite) with a glowing picture of Nessie's face just before the exit (complete with roar), to pitch black.

A glowing picture of nessie's face?!? I had this vague memory of seeing the monster painted on the wall in the tunnel, but I only saw it once. I just assumed I imagined it.

Yep...it was on the left hand side just before the exit of the cave.

My dad always told me that the glowing nessie face was his least favorite and most boring thing they've ever done with the tunnel. In his opinion that is. I don't know what you guys think about it.

The picture was a bit corny. The fog was a nice touch...except it was REALLY thick early on. Wasn't the nice smelling fog that's out there now either. The strobes were the best effect; messed with your inner ear.

I miss the effects in the tunnel, the ride was always the best when they were on. IMO the drop is amazing, especially in the back. Its just a little off from beating apollo. (griffon is gonna kill them both in the drop ) I like the back seat obviously, only rode the front 2 times, sure the drop is killer but so is the headbanging up there. In the back it seems way more smooth...

In the past Ive noticed that the first main turn after the drop has gotten a lot jerkier in past years. Is it it just me or does anybody else notice that? I still love the ride and i don't mean really jerky just like at the end of a season the track just gets weared to much.


Skyrider

Somehow I vaguely remeber the mist at the entance and exits, but that must have been awesome.

yea i noticed it was a little shakier, more so than usual... it would have been so much better and smoother if the turn was banked.

When Nessie was still young in the early 80's, she was fairly isolated in the middle of the park. Alpengeist wasn't there, so the only sounds at night you could hear while on Nessie were the Le Mans cars as you left the station, and the chain. At the top of the lift, all went blissfully and terribly silent before the plunge into darkness. There was no bridge between Oktoberfest and Italy as they did not exist; therefore, looking down the Rhine towards the river boats was very dark...the train trestle wasn't lit. The trims weren't yet employed on the hill into the first loop which made for an incredibly quiet ride from lift chain to lift chain. It was usually so dark you could not see the entrance into the tunnel save for the flicker of the strobes deep inside.

I remember several empty Thursday nights where ride-throughs were the norm!

Some of the best theming is found just by waiting in line. I love the 'expedition camp' that's set up along the path....gives you a sense of adventure and really gets you excited as you prepare yourself to take on the monster that lies ahead.... IMO

knoxville1915 - I remember the face, although I'm not sure it was painted but rather on a tapestry that hung down. Speaking of which - I also believe there used to be such a tapestry that ran the legnth of the tunnel and was made to look like the snake-like body of the beast. I dislike the strobes because I dislike seeing the track while in the tunnel. Instead I wish it were darker and they would bring back the fog/mist.

The tunnel area also used to be very wooded and the trees made for a more secluded feeling going into and coming out up the tunnel on the second lift. When lightening stuck a tree next to the 2nd lift - killing a few riders - the park cut back the trees greatly and also introduced the no riding while raining (t-storms) rule. I maybe wrong, but I believe that those are the only deaths to occur in the park.


Tip: when riding in the back or front - look straight up when going thru the loops as you will get a chance to see the faces of all others riding along with you and a better feeling of going upside down.

Now there's info I never heard!

When I worked the skyride in the early 80's, we had two jumpers; no deaths, though. I worked BBW for a brief spell and had the 1st chain pop loose and spray the riders with grease!

Never heard that about the deaths. Doesn't suprise me about the lightning. Saw several strikes in and around the park when I worked there.

wow info ive never heard. two jumpers... you mean jumping out of the car? lol where on the ride, hard to believe they werent killed in the act

My father told me about the LNM incident, which did happen, but he says that nobody was killed. There were were several people with extreme injuries that were hospitalized and were not released for many months.

I apologize in advince Admin, but this is a bit off the Loch Ness topic...

One jumped out over the Rhine...suicide attempt.

The other paniced when we had to stop the skyride for a mechanical issue. They thought(!) they could safely jump onto a tree below them. Umm...they missed a bit.

The only Loch Ness things I remember were people tossing pennies in the loops from the Loch Ness coaster trains and from the the Rhine bridge into the loops.

Wasn't there an a painter struck by a passing BBW train in the early 90's?

Anyways. I'd have to agree with Flying Machine Freak. The darkenss of a tunnel makes it more mysterious and fun. Plus there is the option of shouting random vile words without knowing that poeple are staring at you.

I know a painter tragically fell while repainting Big Bad Wolf I believe in '04? But all of this is off-topic really. Nessy is an amazing coaster and certainly packs its fair-share of thrills. I still think the first drop on that thing is one of the best around by far, especially in the back seat. It is one of the last remaining drops that actually takes my stomach still

Ok - sooo. I was wrong. No one died when the tree fell on the car while on the lift. My adolescent memory failed me this time. However the incident was not the last time trees got in Nessy's way (thus I surmize the reasoning behind the foliage cut back). The first incident I talked about happened in June 1989 and only caused serious injuries - although it did take an absorbant amount of time to rescue the stranded passengers. Here is a link to an archived Daily Press article here.

The second time was in 1992 in which a couple sued because a tree limb fell on the car. Which I believed happed between the first loop and entering the tunnel (but then again my memory might be off again ).

Lastly, and oh so sadly, in trying to find articles on the tree incidents I stumbled upon a possible solution as to what happened to the mist in the cave?? The park was sued by a yankee duo who claimed the mist contained a chemical which caused them harm. I am willing to bet they lost, but as a precaution the park cut back the effect dramaticly. Click here to see that article which contains a refernce to the second tree incident as well.


As for other injuries there have been many - but perhaps in another post! --see Ferg for details

Do they ever run three trains simultaneously anymore?

It was one in the station, one on the first lift and another in the cave which provided the two trains in the loops which was oohh soo cooool!!!

That's the one thing Nessie has over its soon to be four younger siblings. If you have never experienced it...trust me...it's amazing.

^ I don't believe so. the closest I've seen the two trains run is when one train comes down the first hill, the second train hits the brake run.

About all this tunnel talk, I have no recollection of fog or any other effects other than the strobe lights and an image along the top or side of the tunnel that resembled what was supposedly the Loch Ness Monster.

I'm going to BGE next summer for the first time ever, and Lochness Monster should be a really interesting Arrow Looper.

About all this tunnel talk, I have no recollection of fog or any other effects other than the strobe lights and an image along the top or side of the tunnel that resembled what was supposedly the Loch Ness Monster.

Some of this was in the 1979-1985 era.

^bump up the years on the tail end of that knoxville. we will say 1979-1990 era.

I do remeber they had quite the television advertisement campaign when they added the tunnel enhancements. They were emphasizing the thrill aspect of a thrill ride.

I think they were also trying to 'one up' Beast at King's Island.

Trying to 'one up' a park over 10 hours (driving) away? That just seems very random, espically for the time period when KI was obviously bigger, now of course BGE taking the prize for best seasonal park ever.

BG was trying to establish itself as the main mid-coast and lower northeast amusement destination. When Beast came out, it was huge news...it made Nessie seem a bit diminished.

Also, BG was still fresh in Ohio residents minds since they decided to build in Va. rather than just outside Columbus.

I have thought about it long and hard and the loch ness monster is by far the best rollercoaster on earth to me. It has a home touch to me and i love a ride like that. And a major +++ is that the lines are always short. I love all the other rollercoasters but i love LNM

1. LNM
2. Griffon?
3. Ag
4. Ap
5. BBW

LNM best coaster in the world? It's not even in the top 50 list and Apollo's Chariot is #5 in that list

^ Notice he said "best roller coaster on earth TO ME"...

It is still one of the most beautiful...to me.

i have always loved loch ness monster. to me its one of the most "complete" rides out there. it has every element a good coaster needs; a large drop, inversions, and a tunnel plus some excellent landscaping and scenery. while in todays standards it may not be as thrilling as the newer coasters i think it is one of the most "fun" coasters. just a quick question, the tunnel has been there ever since it opened in 78 right? and they just added the effects later on, right?

I'm pretty sure that the tunnel was an original component. I hope BGE will never get rid of LNM, regardless of its dwindling audience. It's a staplemark of the park.

I couldn't agree more, but i think they should put like an animatronic nessie in there. it would make th ride even more thrilling than it already is .

What row is the best on LNM? I'm planning to ride it in the back row, since the front row is not really much on Arrows.

I personally like the back row.

I always head to the very back row (prettymuch on everything). Ive sat in just about every row on all of these coasters and that always seems to be the best (tho my first ride im riding griffon in the front), Nessy in particular. Typically you get a smoother ride in the front seat but when i rode it in the front i got serious headbanging... Back is perfect

Nessie has headbanging? I thought it was the 2nd smoothest Arrow Looper behind Tennessee Tornado.

We'll say it's the second to least rough then