The first
roller coaster opened at
Paramount's Kings Dominion, the Rebel Yell is a
single out and back wooden
twin-style coaster. Designed by John Allen and built by
Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, both tracks of Rebel Yell have been operating since the park opened on May 3, 1975. The red side (which is red in name only, as the entire coaster is actually painted white) runs trains forward through 3,369 feet of track; the blue side makes a nearly identical trip backward. Riders must decide early on whether they want to see the fifty-degree drop at the end of the 85-foot
lift hill - there are two entirely separate lines for each track, and the line for the red side is typically shorter. The two tracks are sometimes coordinated to race trains, but to maintain the
capacity of 1200 riders per hour, one train may leave the station before the other is finished loading. The entire trip takes two minutes and fifteen seconds, and the trains reach a respectable speed of 56 miles per hour. There are four trains total - two per track - and each can handle thirty riders at a time with five cars per train. Riders, who
must be at least 44" tall, are arranged two across in three rows.
Although it has not been designated an
ACE Coaster Classic, the Rebel Yell did receive a commemorative plaque from
American Coaster Enthusiasts in 2003. It was also featured in the 1977 movie
Rollercoaster, along with a
Six Flags Magic Mountain coaster called
Revolution. Although a coaster is destroyed in that movie, it was neither the Rebel Yell nor the Revolution - instead it was the
Rocket from
Ocean View Amusement Park, which was closed in 1978.
Sources
http://www.rcdb.com/installationdetail88.htm
http://www.pkdplace.com/index.php?page=rebel_yell
http://www.geocities.com/cdspinner2000/rebelyell.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076636/
My trip to PKD on
April 24, 2004