Oblivion

Ride experince
Dare you face your greatest fears? Dare you look into Oblivion? Only at Alton Towers can you prove it on the world's first vertical drop rollercoaster.Some people scream, some people weep tears of joy ...or terror, some people just contemplate their fate; it is rumoured that some even come back. But remember, whatever you do, DON'T LOOK DOWN!
 * See also: Lord of Darkness

Oblivion, although one of the shortest rides, it is one of the most thrilling sensations available, with a sixty metre climb, a turn, and three seconds hanging over the edge of a two hundred foot vertical drop. After being released you are plummeted down through clouds of dry ice "smoke" into the ground, before exiting the hole the other side of the sector. Once into the brakes its all over and all that's left is a desire for another go.

History
It was the last day of the 1996 season and something was afoot in fantasy world; the pirate ship and the astrodancer were closed and ready to be moved. When it came to the 1997 season fantasy land was nearly entirely empty, with only the black hole remaining. A huge fence sorrued the rest of the area, with a sign saying; WORLD'S FIRST RIDE OPENS HERE 1998. Nobody knew what ride was going to be, just a large building site with an ever growing hole. Every visit to the park saw this huge hole grow bigger and bigger. As parts of the track arrived on site suspicions grew of what secret weapon 4 would be.

March 1998 arrived and it was named Oblivion: the first vertical drop rollercoaster. Press coverage was amazing it was on the news, ads on cornflakes boxes, and it was even featured on Blue Peter.

Statistics

 * Construction started: Early 1997
 * Designed by: Tom Sargeant and Ingenieur Büro Stengel GmbH
 * Manufacture: Bolliger and Mabillard
 * Ride type: Diving Machine
 * Constructed by: JJ Cavanagh Construction
 * Ride opened: 14 March 1998
 * Total cost: Approx £12 million
 * Length: Approx. 377 metres
 * Highest drop: Approx. 60 metres (180 ft)
 * Height Above Ground: Approx 20 metres (60 ft)
 * Top speed: Approx. 110kph
 * Maximum gs: 4.5gs
 * Number of trains: 7 (only 6 in use at any one time)
 * Passengers per train: 16
 * Max throughput per hour: 1900
 * Ride duration: Approx. 76 seconds

Links

 * Oblivion on Wikipedia