The drop, the turn over the lake, the dive under the train station. Hercules will never be forgotten, especially by those who did not mind its roughness towards the end.
It sucks that the park that once had one of the biggest wooden coasters in the world is now a neglected regional park that isn't likely to get anything in their future. I understand from a business perspective why Dorney won't get invested into, but it still feels like a huge punch in the gut because this is my home park.
Thank you for saying that. I felt like between 1993-2005 was Cedar Fair attempting to expand Dorney Park. But since then, Dorney seems to have lost interest in expanding and upkeeping the park. A lot of rides have come and gone plus Dorney gets imports from other parks. Don't get me wrong, I like Possessed and Demon Drop, but they originated somewhere else so they are not really new. Wildwater Kingdom gets more attention. Island of Waters Works in getting updated for 2020 and rumors about Lighting Falls might go because of age. But you would think because Hersheypark and Six Flags Great Adventure are nearby, Dorney would expand. Cedar Fair dropped the ball.
texascoaster 92 or build a new RMC next to hydra and name it Hercules' revenge (of course they'd be pretty redundant having it being next to hydra the revenge)
@@brentbowman4498 Problem is, most of the space for Hercules is taken up by Hydra, so unless they’re willing to either build on top of Hydra or remove it, we’re not getting a Hercules RMC.
This coaster was enigmatic. It was actually a very good ride in it's opening year, mainly because it maintained good speed throughout the ride. In it's second year there was a minor accident in the station where two trains collided which led to Dorney Park to add a trim brake to it's large drop. Several years later maintenance costs caused the park to add a second brake to the drop. After this modification the train crawled though it's course, and it lost popularity.
It was interesting, my cousin and I rode the laser at Dorney (my first coaster) -- I'm pretty sure it was '86 when it first opened. I was 10. At the top turn, before the first drop, he was playing around and pushed me almost over the edge of the car... making me terrified of heights and coasters. I wouldn't ride one again for years. Fast forward to 1990. I'm again at Dorney, at 14, when a friend of mine dared me into riding the Hercules with him. Not wanting to look like a punk, of course I rode. 65 mph into that first turn by the lake... wow! That was it, my second, first coaster... adrenaline pumping, I was hooked again. It was one of the roughest coasters I was ever on; but, I'll never forget it... that drop was a blast. The getting knocked around was simply part of the experience. I was actually telling my son about the Hercules yesterday while we were at Hershey Park, after riding Fahrenheit and heading to ride Stormrunner. I looked online to see whether Hercules was still in operation... only to find, disappointingly so, that they tore it down a long time ago. Such is life... progress, I guess.
I was actually the first person in line to ride hercules, but the people behind me knew the guy letting the people on and they got to go on ahead of me. I think they were interviewed by the local news media. So, yeah, I was in the 2nd row of the first public ride of hercules
The coaster in the movie was Thunderhawk. I used to ride it in the 60s-70s as a kid. Great memories. Have the DVD of WAGTFs just for the Dorney Park footage.
I remember riding this the first season it opened, and a few years following. Then the next time I rode it was in 2001, and the first major difference I noticed were the trim brakes at the top of first drop: I didn't remember those being there before. I remember Hercules being rough, but by 2001 it was downright painful! It was still fun, though. That sweeping curve around the lake was great!!
That hard right at the bottom of the first drop was really the big problem for me. I hurt my back riding this, luckily it was only temporary. The rest of the ride was pretty tame and wasn't bad.
My all time favorite wood coaster shots from the man, Robb Alvey. Most of his coaster videos are spectacular and breathtaking but this one is even better. Shot as if he mounted the camera at the lowest part of the train gives you the feeling that you are riding the front car and by yourself. When you get to 1:13 all human voice fades away and you are left with the coaster talking back to you. The way he records these coaster sound effects are also amazing. U R the man Robb, thanks Paneeks/Boston
My son, Ryan and I (Denis) would ride this late at night when the crowd thinned out 5-6 times in a row!!!...First drop was the best I have ever experienced!!!! Not for the faint of heart, and rough!!!, that's why its nickname was "Bang your knees." I miss it!!!
This one made history, and this is by far the shortest-lived Dinn-built roller coaster - lasting for only 14 years and where its ridership was in rapid decline to where almost nobody rode it anymore, even on the busiest operating days.
That Roller Coaster Destroyed all A Million of times. Even stalled at top for like half hour. Then went again after workers walked up 1/4 mile sticks to tell us to stay in cars LOL! Road that think million times with my GF. Sometimes used to get sore from left and right EXTREME shaking. I will NEVER ride A coaster cooler than that. Best ever made. Thanks for the ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This was my first roller coaster when I was maybe 6 years old.I was like a centimeter under the measuring stick but The whole line started to chant let him on,let him on, and the employee gave in and let me ride it lol
This thing was legendary when it first opened up in the late 80's (iirc)! I grew up in Bethlehem and remember eagerly awaiting it's opening. The drop and turn over the lake was easily the most memorable aspect. It definitely had some worldwide notoriety during its first few years. It's a shame the park let it go before eventually tearing it down. I know there was at least one accident that garnered some negative publicity.
The masses spoke in one way or the other and Hercules' time at Dorney Park was shortlived. I felt it was a little rough but it was nothing I couldn't stand. My wife, daughter and I rode this coaster many times up until '96 or so. Labor Day Sunday in 1994 we must have ridden Hercules at _least_ twenty times toward the end of the evening when there was no line at all.
omg i miss this ride more then anything. it was the 1st coaster i ever went on. i cried then went on 2 year's later and it was my favorite. i was so sad they took it down because this ride and journey to the center of the earth were the best rides there. i miss hercules.
Sucks how so many massive, visually impressive wooden coasters suck ass. This, Son of Beast, Mean Streak... Dinn Corp and RCCA really knew how to make disappointing rides.
Its sad but true. After the first drop those rides are pretty unimpressive. I haven't been but have heard also that texas giant and rattler were worse than they looked.
I once went on this ride when it was an overcast day 7 times in a row. I haven't been back since I had my kids and was deeply saddened to see it is gone. It was my favorite.
this ride broke down a lot...i remember one time seeing a worker climb all the way up to talk to the people in the stuck cars, they wouldn't let them out because there wasn't stairs where they were at. They were stuck up there for hours.
You are somewhat correct. Hercules did have a small collision incident where trains did collide in 1993. It did later re-open. About 15 people were injured but nobody was killed. If somebody was killed the ride wouldn't still be open in 2003. The ride closed in 2003 due to low ridership after Cedar Fair ruined the ride with the trim brakes and bad trains, and also because the maintenance for it was increasing when less and less people were riding. So, the ride did not close because of accident
We rode this a few times shortly after it opened and we all really liked it. It wasn't until years later that I read about how rough the ride was. It honestly didn't seem rougher than any other wooden coaster (I'm mainly comparing it to The Comet at Hersheypark).
You know, I've always thought Hercules was kind of cool because of it's one of a kind design, (with the approach to the lift and the long flat turn over the water). Unfortunately, it just really wasn't very much fun.... at all.
I never got to experience it but I’ve been going to dorney since 2005 or so when I was probably 5-6 years old and I’ve heard about there being a second wooden roller coaster I’m glad this video was posted because I would never have known
I LOVED this ride. I was already a coaster junkie, but this right cemented it for me. I never, ever, got off it thinking "that hurt" or was rough. I once rode it 12 times in a row. I so wish it was still there. Hydra... I don't care much for. Maybe because, subconsciously, I wish it wasn't there.
What they did not show in this and what I will never forget...is the hard foam orange bar that you held into in your seat...but it was not a typical level bar from left to right...this thing was like almost curved like and curved the opposite direction depending on if you were in the left or right side seat....I'll never forget how difficult it was as a kid to hold into that thing lol
In my opinion, getting rid of Hercules was one of the worst decisions Dorney ever made. It was a fun ride with good speed! It was rough but a lot more tolerable than Thunderhawk is and an overall much better coaster. If anything, they should have built Hydra around Hercules if possible, or gotten ride of Thunderhawk and put it there. With some retracking and proper maintenance, Hercules could have been smooth again. Maybe replacing those awful seats in the trains and putting full padded ones in would have helped. It wasn't that old, it could have been saved. I know Thunderhawk is really old and the park's original coaster but it looks terrible with the chipping paint and even with the recent work they've done to it, it's still really rough and just too far gone. The only way that ride could be smoother is if they completely renovated it and retracked the entire coaster. Regardless, Dorney really needs another woodie. Steel Force is my favorite in the park but I'd still like another woodie.
Really? I think Hydra is a good ride but everyone has their opinions. I don't think it's the best coaster in the park, Talon and Possessed are better for me and Steel Force is my favorite but I still like Hydra. I'm a big fan of wooden coasters though, they make you laugh like no other coaster can and they're fun. Hercules could have done more in terms of the layout but it was about speed and feeling like you're flying like Hercules and I think it succeeded in that part. Dorney really needs another woodie though, Thunderhawk just isn't enough, especially in the condition that it's in. But they spend their money on coasters like Stinger which has been closed for this entire season due to problems. I can't speak for that ride since I've never ridden it but people say it was very jarring and there are plenty of Boomerang coasters out there. I feel like they could have replaced Laser with something better.
After riding most of America's wood coasters, including tons of defunct woodies since the early 80s, I opine that Hercules is among the top 3 WORST, most un-thrilling wood coasters I've ever been on. There are only 4 or 5 woodies that I don't mind being gone. Hercules is at the top of that list. Coaster (It's real name, I'll NEVER call it "Thunderhawk") is about 100 times better than Hercules ever was.
I never thought of this ride as hurtful, nor headache inducing. I rode it many tuned and as you can see it's less bumpy then others which were built the same time but are still operating now.
Ouch, ouch, ouch! Hercules looked awesome, but the ride just wasn’t fun. I remember one of the nicknames for the coaster was Hurt Your Knees. I also remember reading on a message board on a roller coaster website about an idea for a Hercules T-shirt: It would say “I Survived Hercules” and would show a bottle of Advil.
there was a myth that hurcules cut all the heads off of hydra so the took out hurcules and put in hydra so its like hydra came back to life and I guess killed hurcules and THATS why they call it hydra the revenge :)
0:50 that was my favorite part about the ride and what made it so unique. You start out with a little thrill of going like 20 mph just to get to the main lift!!! So sad to see this taken down when I went 4 years ago :(((((((((( ESPECIALLY because there wasn't lines for it (I guess cause it was really rough)
I was on Hercules at least ten times when it was there at Dorney it started to slow down near the end of its time it wasn't as good, but when first built that was a great coaster,... hope there new coaster they are building going to b a real good one here in 2019
Dorney put trim breaks at the top of the hill to slow the overall speed down, not sure when they did that but I first noticed them around the 1997 season
I thought this was a very unique coaster with it's lake skimming first drop and it's odd angle layout. It's a shame It left us. RIP Hercules and Lazer!
I was stuck on it in 1973! We were there with our HS band and chorus. I was in a seat with a nun! Interestingly, enough, the rollar coaster is featured in the movie, "Where Angels Go Trouble Follows" with a nun on the ride. PS - someone climbed up and gave the cart a push and off it went!
I rode this opening season 1989. It is a wooden coaster. They are rough they provide some heaviness and bumps and thrusts that no other types of caosters provide. This ride is not nearly as wild as my first ride on the Cyclone at Astroland. Try that for an awesome out of control rough thrilling ride sometime see how a real woodie feels. In retrospect it was designed to be just as a true woodi sould be.
Nick Drake what wooden coasters are you riding, coasters like Voyage, El Toro, Lightning Rod, Outlaw Run, Mystic Timbers, T Express, and many more are insane coasters and some of the best in the world
Hydra is a great coaster, but just imagine this for a second. Imagine that Dorney, instead of getting Hydra, kept Hercules, but sometime in the mid 2010s, decided to RMC it? I know they couldn't see the future but there is a missed opportunity. As mentioned, Hydra is still a great ride, so not going to complain.
No, it would have torn itself apart even more. As much as trims ruin a ride, they are put on to attempt to increase the lifespan of the track before they have to replace it again. It's just that they seemingly never bothered to actually maintain it.
I don't think that the ride was that bad on this coaster It was a shame that it was demolished this should have preserved or bought by another park. I think the ride on Knobles' Phoenix and Twister is rougher than the ride on this. Also not many parks build wooden coasters anymore because it is harder to assemble the parks nowadays like the modular construction of the steel coaster because it bolts together and there is less maintenance.
But the wooden coasters seem to have their own personality, the steel ones just seem to be the same except for the differnt types of cars, like open floor or floorless, sit down stand up laydown etc. And more extreme heights, and speeds
Hercules was fast and shook like crazy from left to right. Like you would fly out at some point. At A high altitude prolly. It was the best thing ever! Fun Scary what ya want? It's A roller Coaster heh! I used to race Motorcycles. And that made me happy! LOVED THAT THING!!!!
So glad this coaster's gone. Made the mistake of riding it twice, both times it gave me a splitting headache that ruined the rest of my day. Hydra's not the best coaster in the park, but anything's better than Hercules was.
At least we can see it on POV video even though it doesn't exist for real no more due to the fact the coaster is something else, but I don't want to hurt the roller coaster's feelings if I say another word of the ride called Hercules.
Went on this, a few times actually. This ride was fun as hell, of course everyone hated it because wwwwaaaahhhh its rough... I mean deff not the best coaster ever or even the best wooden one, but it was fun and crazy fast
The 2 trim brakes on the 1st drop are wide open (not on to slow it down). How did you get a ride on it this way? The ride was like it's name big and dumb. The first drop and turn was blistering, there was nothing like it but then the rest of the ride sort of waddled around lol.
This ride tried to snap our necks on the first drop turn around the lake. This video does not capture the jerking the trains did. I wonder if that had been fixed at some point. That ride HURT.
Man, I remember riding this in Summer 2003 (it's final season, but I didn't know it until 2004 when I saw the open space and an ad for Hydra for 2005, and it was VERY rough. Looked cool, but was way less than that.
This was a very cool coaster. But, it really beat you up. The drops were cool but the turns and shaking were rough on the body. Going 1-2 times was enough.
The drop, the turn over the lake, the dive under the train station. Hercules will never be forgotten, especially by those who did not mind its roughness towards the end.
It sucks that the park that once had one of the biggest wooden coasters in the world is now a neglected regional park that isn't likely to get anything in their future. I understand from a business perspective why Dorney won't get invested into, but it still feels like a huge punch in the gut because this is my home park.
We feel your pain with Michigan's Adventure :(
Cedar Point gang
Thank you for saying that. I felt like between 1993-2005 was Cedar Fair attempting to expand Dorney Park. But since then, Dorney seems to have lost interest in expanding and upkeeping the park. A lot of rides have come and gone plus Dorney gets imports from other parks. Don't get me wrong, I like Possessed and Demon Drop, but they originated somewhere else so they are not really new. Wildwater Kingdom gets more attention. Island of Waters Works in getting updated for 2020 and rumors about Lighting Falls might go because of age. But you would think because Hersheypark and Six Flags Great Adventure are nearby, Dorney would expand. Cedar Fair dropped the ball.
@@toplaycool21 one of the issues is height requirements due to the airport, but i agree, a new coaster is needed since they removed the last one.
Dorney is getting a one off ride where laser/stinger stood for 2021 or so
just think how great of an rmc this would be
texascoaster 92 or build a new RMC next to hydra and name it Hercules' revenge (of course they'd be pretty redundant having it being next to hydra the revenge)
@@brentbowman4498 Problem is, most of the space for Hercules is taken up by Hydra, so unless they’re willing to either build on top of Hydra or remove it, we’re not getting a Hercules RMC.
It'd be amazing if RMC could figure out a way for a new Hercules to duel with Hydra. Too bad it'll never happen.
You could easily have this ride start behind Steel Force and go around the lake
They could have had it painted purple and named it “Megara”, after the love interest of the hero this coaster was named after.
Man I miss this coaster. Can't believe it's been gone for 16 years
This coaster was enigmatic. It was actually a very good ride in it's opening year, mainly because it maintained good speed throughout the ride. In it's second year there was a minor accident in the station where two trains collided which led to Dorney Park to add a trim brake to it's large drop. Several years later maintenance costs caused the park to add a second brake to the drop. After this modification the train crawled though it's course, and it lost popularity.
I don't care how rough it was. My first Roller coaster I ever road, and I loved it every time.
Mine too. I remember my first ride on this, 1993, I was 10. It scared the crap out of me.
Same
N0
Rode
SAME!
Should've gotten a B&M.... oh wait... they actually did, maybe that's why coaster studios likes Dorney
That guy just is just a kiss ass to B& M
back seat airtime was amazing after the curve... the roughness and the noise it made was a part of the experience, it made the ride for me.
It was interesting, my cousin and I rode the laser at Dorney (my first coaster) -- I'm pretty sure it was '86 when it first opened. I was 10. At the top turn, before the first drop, he was playing around and pushed me almost over the edge of the car... making me terrified of heights and coasters. I wouldn't ride one again for years. Fast forward to 1990. I'm again at Dorney, at 14, when a friend of mine dared me into riding the Hercules with him. Not wanting to look like a punk, of course I rode. 65 mph into that first turn by the lake... wow! That was it, my second, first coaster... adrenaline pumping, I was hooked again. It was one of the roughest coasters I was ever on; but, I'll never forget it... that drop was a blast. The getting knocked around was simply part of the experience. I was actually telling my son about the Hercules yesterday while we were at Hershey Park, after riding Fahrenheit and heading to ride Stormrunner. I looked online to see whether Hercules was still in operation... only to find, disappointingly so, that they tore it down a long time ago. Such is life... progress, I guess.
I was actually the first person in line to ride hercules, but the people behind me knew the guy letting the people on and they got to go on ahead of me. I think they were interviewed by the local news media. So, yeah, I was in the 2nd row of the first public ride of hercules
Matthew Alpha that’s unfair
And then everyone clapped
This coaster shook the crap out of you. I rode it in 92, and it was still fun.
It mostly got bad in its final few years.
I remember riding this at age 19 and this was the first coaster that truly made me understand “airtime”. Great memories
This is still of higher quality than some brand new POVs. Why? I don't know. I am not one to ask.
Hercules closed 10 years ago today. Does it seem like it's been that long?
OH, How I wish RMC could have saved this 10 years ago...
The coaster in the movie was Thunderhawk. I used to ride it in the 60s-70s as a kid. Great memories. Have the DVD of WAGTFs just for the Dorney Park footage.
would have been a crazy rmc
Well this was removed even before RMC was constructing coasters for Intamin sooo...yeah.
Although you really can't tell from the video, the coaster was probably the roughest coaster I ever rode. I can't say I'm upset it was replaced.
all those people who only ever go to Dorney!
@@crftrains5171 Me
Zach Potter thunderhawk isnt that rough
I don’t think it was rough
I remember riding this the first season it opened, and a few years following. Then the next time I rode it was in 2001, and the first major difference I noticed were the trim brakes at the top of first drop: I didn't remember those being there before. I remember Hercules being rough, but by 2001 it was downright painful! It was still fun, though. That sweeping curve around the lake was great!!
That hard right at the bottom of the first drop was really the big problem for me. I hurt my back riding this, luckily it was only temporary. The rest of the ride was pretty tame and wasn't bad.
that awkward moment when you accidentally click a TPR video
One of the best coasters ever, especially if you were in the LAST car.
My all time favorite wood coaster shots from the man, Robb Alvey. Most of his coaster videos are spectacular and breathtaking but this one is even better. Shot as if he mounted the camera at the lowest part of the train gives you the feeling that you are riding the front car and by yourself.
When you get to 1:13 all human voice fades away and you are left with the coaster talking back to you. The way he records these coaster sound effects are also amazing. U R the man Robb, thanks
Paneeks/Boston
I remember that ride from when I was a kid...great memories. Dorney park is the best. (But as Pennsylvanian I guess I'm biased)
My son, Ryan and I (Denis) would ride this late at night when the crowd thinned out 5-6 times in a row!!!...First drop was the best I have ever experienced!!!! Not for the faint of heart, and rough!!!, that's why its nickname was "Bang your knees." I miss it!!!
This one made history, and this is by far the shortest-lived Dinn-built roller coaster - lasting for only 14 years and where its ridership was in rapid decline to where almost nobody rode it anymore, even on the busiest operating days.
That Roller Coaster Destroyed all A Million of times. Even stalled at top for like half hour. Then went again after workers walked up 1/4 mile sticks to tell us to stay in cars LOL! Road that think million times with my GF. Sometimes used to get sore from left and right EXTREME shaking. I will NEVER ride A coaster cooler than that. Best ever made. Thanks for the ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This was my first roller coaster when I was maybe 6 years old.I was like a centimeter under the measuring stick but The whole line started to chant let him on,let him on, and the employee gave in and let me ride it lol
This thing was legendary when it first opened up in the late 80's (iirc)! I grew up in Bethlehem and remember eagerly awaiting it's opening. The drop and turn over the lake was easily the most memorable aspect. It definitely had some worldwide notoriety during its first few years. It's a shame the park let it go before eventually tearing it down. I know there was at least one accident that garnered some negative publicity.
The masses spoke in one way or the other and Hercules' time at Dorney Park was shortlived. I felt it was a little rough but it was nothing I couldn't stand. My wife, daughter and I rode this coaster many times up until '96 or so. Labor Day Sunday in 1994 we must have ridden Hercules at _least_ twenty times toward the end of the evening when there was no line at all.
omg i miss this ride more then anything. it was the 1st coaster i ever went on. i cried then went on 2 year's later and it was my favorite. i was so sad they took it down because this ride and journey to the center of the earth were the best rides there. i miss hercules.
Sucks how so many massive, visually impressive wooden coasters suck ass. This, Son of Beast, Mean Streak... Dinn Corp and RCCA really knew how to make disappointing rides.
Its sad but true. After the first drop those rides are pretty unimpressive. I haven't been but have heard also that texas giant and rattler were worse than they looked.
alexf02071999 The Voyage and the original Hades are the only two big wooden coasters that I like.
+Beesweet You obviously haven't been on el toro... Probably my no.1 favorite roller coaster of all time.
usablefiber I have been on El Toro, I just forgot to put it in my list for some odd reason.
Don't forget Drachen Fire.
Mt. Olympus in the Dells could rebuild Dorney Park’s Hercules & have The Gravity Group Do the work to build the new Hercules.
I once went on this ride when it was an overcast day 7 times in a row. I haven't been back since I had my kids and was deeply saddened to see it is gone. It was my favorite.
this ride broke down a lot...i remember one time seeing a worker climb all the way up to talk to the people in the stuck cars, they wouldn't let them out because there wasn't stairs where they were at. They were stuck up there for hours.
You are somewhat correct. Hercules did have a small collision incident where trains did collide in 1993. It did later re-open. About 15 people were injured but nobody was killed. If somebody was killed the ride wouldn't still be open in 2003. The ride closed in 2003 due to low ridership after Cedar Fair ruined the ride with the trim brakes and bad trains, and also because the maintenance for it was increasing when less and less people were riding. So, the ride did not close because of accident
We rode this a few times shortly after it opened and we all really liked it. It wasn't until years later that I read about how rough the ride was. It honestly didn't seem rougher than any other wooden coaster (I'm mainly comparing it to The Comet at Hersheypark).
I used to love this coaster. Its actually the first coaster I ever liked. Loved the part where it feels like you are going into the lake.
You know, I've always thought Hercules was kind of cool because of it's one of a kind design, (with the approach to the lift and the long flat turn over the water). Unfortunately, it just really wasn't very much fun.... at all.
I never got to experience it but I’ve been going to dorney since 2005 or so when I was probably 5-6 years old and I’ve heard about there being a second wooden roller coaster I’m glad this video was posted because I would never have known
I miss this Roller Coaster. I had my first Roller Coaster ride on it. Hercules you are missed by me.
I LOVED this ride. I was already a coaster junkie, but this right cemented it for me. I never, ever, got off it thinking "that hurt" or was rough. I once rode it 12 times in a row. I so wish it was still there. Hydra... I don't care much for. Maybe because, subconsciously, I wish it wasn't there.
That drop just keeps going, seems to take forever. Wish I could have ridden this monster.
What they did not show in this and what I will never forget...is the hard foam orange bar that you held into in your seat...but it was not a typical level bar from left to right...this thing was like almost curved like and curved the opposite direction depending on if you were in the left or right side seat....I'll never forget how difficult it was as a kid to hold into that thing lol
If Dorney had waited a few years and had CCI build this coaster, I think it could have been much better and may still be around.
In my opinion, getting rid of Hercules was one of the worst decisions Dorney ever made. It was a fun ride with good speed! It was rough but a lot more tolerable than Thunderhawk is and an overall much better coaster. If anything, they should have built Hydra around Hercules if possible, or gotten ride of Thunderhawk and put it there. With some retracking and proper maintenance, Hercules could have been smooth again. Maybe replacing those awful seats in the trains and putting full padded ones in would have helped. It wasn't that old, it could have been saved. I know Thunderhawk is really old and the park's original coaster but it looks terrible with the chipping paint and even with the recent work they've done to it, it's still really rough and just too far gone. The only way that ride could be smoother is if they completely renovated it and retracked the entire coaster. Regardless, Dorney really needs another woodie. Steel Force is my favorite in the park but I'd still like another woodie.
I remember thinking hercules was pretty good, but IMO hydra is really lame. Just boring,run of the mill B and M ride.
Really? I think Hydra is a good ride but everyone has their opinions. I don't think it's the best coaster in the park, Talon and Possessed are better for me and Steel Force is my favorite but I still like Hydra. I'm a big fan of wooden coasters though, they make you laugh like no other coaster can and they're fun. Hercules could have done more in terms of the layout but it was about speed and feeling like you're flying like Hercules and I think it succeeded in that part. Dorney really needs another woodie though, Thunderhawk just isn't enough, especially in the condition that it's in. But they spend their money on coasters like Stinger which has been closed for this entire season due to problems. I can't speak for that ride since I've never ridden it but people say it was very jarring and there are plenty of Boomerang coasters out there. I feel like they could have replaced Laser with something better.
mhtube01 I wouldn't have minded if Dorney Park renovated this coaster with the help of GCI or The Gravity Group.
mhtube01 Yea Hercules when faster then hydra
After riding most of America's wood coasters, including tons of defunct woodies since the early 80s, I opine that Hercules is among the top 3 WORST, most un-thrilling wood coasters I've ever been on. There are only 4 or 5 woodies that I don't mind being gone. Hercules is at the top of that list. Coaster (It's real name, I'll NEVER call it "Thunderhawk") is about 100 times better than Hercules ever was.
I never thought of this ride as hurtful, nor headache inducing. I rode it many tuned and as you can see it's less bumpy then others which were built the same time but are still operating now.
Ouch, ouch, ouch! Hercules looked awesome, but the ride just wasn’t fun. I remember one of the nicknames for the coaster was Hurt Your Knees. I also remember reading on a message board on a roller coaster website about an idea for a Hercules T-shirt: It would say “I Survived Hercules” and would show a bottle of Advil.
I wish we could start a petition for that
probably the quietest and roughest wooden coaster
there was a myth that hurcules cut all the heads off of hydra so the took out hurcules and put in hydra so its like hydra came back to life and I guess killed hurcules and THATS why they call it hydra the revenge :)
0:50 that was my favorite part about the ride and what made it so unique. You start out with a little thrill of going like 20 mph just to get to the main lift!!! So sad to see this taken down when I went 4 years ago :(((((((((( ESPECIALLY because there wasn't lines for it (I guess cause it was really rough)
It looks fun.
i wish I got to ride it.
I was only 5 when they closed it.
Miss this ride
Cool ride, never been on it. But I love Hydra, so. It kinda is cool they moved it.
I was on Hercules at least ten times when it was there at Dorney it started to slow down near the end of its time it wasn't as good, but when first built that was a great coaster,... hope there new coaster they are building going to b a real good one here in 2019
Dorney put trim breaks at the top of the hill to slow the overall speed down, not sure when they did that but I first noticed them around the 1997 season
Never got to ride it as for the structure of the coaster itself looks amazing and extremely massive.
WOW THIS LOOK SICK
Awesome i love wooden rollercoasters there the best rollercoasters in the whole wide world!!!!
My kidneys hated this ride. Roughest ride ever built
I thought this was a very unique coaster with it's lake skimming first drop and it's odd angle layout. It's a shame It left us. RIP Hercules and Lazer!
My neck hurts just remembering this. The drop was awesome though!
_i can feel the rattle on the first turn in my bones_
I was stuck on it in 1973! We were there with our HS band and chorus. I was in a seat with a nun! Interestingly, enough, the rollar coaster is featured in the movie, "Where Angels Go Trouble Follows" with a nun on the ride. PS - someone climbed up and gave the cart a push and off it went!
Marky Mark no that’s Thunderhawk
I rode this opening season 1989. It is a wooden coaster. They are rough they provide some heaviness and bumps and thrusts that no other types of caosters provide. This ride is not nearly as wild as my first ride on the Cyclone at Astroland. Try that for an awesome out of control rough thrilling ride sometime see how a real woodie feels. In retrospect it was designed to be just as a true woodi sould be.
If it had hung on for another 4-6 years I wonder if it would have been RMCed.
My guess is there be new coaster after they pull out possessed.
Hurt-Your-Knees
Wooden coaster's were much more fun back then meaning, less saftey devices. Now it's slower it's like a kids ride!
Nick Drake what wooden coasters are you riding, coasters like Voyage, El Toro, Lightning Rod, Outlaw Run, Mystic Timbers, T Express, and many more are insane coasters and some of the best in the world
Man, I hated this ride as a kid. Really cool concept and design, it just shook the shit out of you.
Why did it sound like you were pounding your desk the whole time??? 😂😂
That looks like it was a great ride!!
Air time ,baby! Air time.
This was one of the coasters you built in Roller Coaster Tycoon where you had a cool drop, but then you lost interest so you hit "auto-complete"
@koolkillax it was demolished because the supports that were sitting in the small lake were sinking into the loose soil
Well, I have to thumbs down you for never going on it, was a great ride : P
Hydra is a great coaster, but just imagine this for a second. Imagine that Dorney, instead of getting Hydra, kept Hercules, but sometime in the mid 2010s, decided to RMC it? I know they couldn't see the future but there is a missed opportunity. As mentioned, Hydra is still a great ride, so not going to complain.
No, it would have torn itself apart even more. As much as trims ruin a ride, they are put on to attempt to increase the lifespan of the track before they have to replace it again. It's just that they seemingly never bothered to actually maintain it.
“Hurt-yur-knees”
Hercules - Hurt-your-knees
I don't think that the ride was that bad on this coaster It was a shame that it was demolished this should have preserved or bought by another park. I think the ride on Knobles' Phoenix and Twister is rougher than the ride on this. Also not many parks build wooden coasters anymore because it is harder to assemble the parks nowadays like the modular construction of the steel coaster because it bolts together and there is less maintenance.
It was a great coaster, but one of the problems was it would sometimes stop before it was back at the station
I never even knew about this ride until now
But the wooden coasters seem to have their own personality, the steel ones just seem to be the same except for the differnt types of cars, like open floor or floorless, sit down stand up laydown etc. And more extreme heights, and speeds
My neck is still messed up from this ride
My first roller coaster! I wouldn’t do another for like 10 years bec this one terrified me. Haha
Hercules was fast and shook like crazy from left to right. Like you would fly out at some point. At A high altitude prolly. It was the best thing ever! Fun Scary what ya want? It's A roller Coaster heh! I used to race Motorcycles. And that made me happy! LOVED THAT THING!!!!
So glad this coaster's gone. Made the mistake of riding it twice, both times it gave me a splitting headache that ruined the rest of my day. Hydra's not the best coaster in the park, but anything's better than Hercules was.
This was the first coaster I ever went on a year after it opened... I think I was still in middle school...
😔 my favorite coaster
not to fear people who live in the area the Hercules was transferred to k nobles theme park i rode it last summer.
At least we can see it on POV video even though it doesn't exist for real no more due to the fact the coaster is something else, but I don't want to hurt the roller coaster's feelings if I say another word of the ride called Hercules.
Went on this, a few times actually. This ride was fun as hell, of course everyone hated it because wwwwaaaahhhh its rough...
I mean deff not the best coaster ever or even the best wooden one, but it was fun and crazy fast
The 2 trim brakes on the 1st drop are wide open (not on to slow it down). How did you get a ride on it this way? The ride was like it's name big and dumb. The first drop and turn was blistering, there was nothing like it but then the rest of the ride sort of waddled around lol.
God I miss it.
i really don't know how people felt it was rough. i went on it several times and always felt it was smooth
This ride tried to snap our necks on the first drop turn around the lake. This video does not capture the jerking the trains did. I wonder if that had been fixed at some point. That ride HURT.
Great first drop....but where was the rest of the ride? Hills? Sharp curves? You know, the usual stuff roller coasters have???
Man, I remember riding this in Summer 2003 (it's final season, but I didn't know it until 2004 when I saw the open space and an ad for Hydra for 2005, and it was VERY rough. Looked cool, but was way less than that.
This was a very cool coaster. But, it really beat you up. The drops were cool but the turns and
shaking were rough on the body. Going 1-2 times was enough.
@mauldune Errr.... No. lol. This was torn down and scrapped in 2003.