About Hersheypark
Located in Pennsylvania, USA, Hersheypark is more than 100 years old and was originally built in1906 by Milton S Hershey for employees of the Hershey chocolate company. As of 2016, it has been wholly and privately owned by Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company.
Hersheypark has won several awards, including the Applause Award. As of 2018, the park covers over 110 acres (45 ha), containing 76 rides and attractions, as well as a zoo called ZooAmerica – North American Wildlife Park. Adjacent to the park is Hershey's Chocolate World, a visitors' centre attraction that contains shops, restaurants, and a chocolate factory-themed tour ride.
The park opened its first roller coaster in 1923, the Wild Cat, an early Philadelphia Toboggan Company coaster. In 1970, it began a redevelopment plan, which led to new rides, an expansion, and its renaming. The 1970s brought the SooperDooperLooper, an early complete circuit looping roller coaster.
About the SooperDooperLooper
The SooperDooperLooper is a looping roller coaster . It was designed by Werner Stengel, and built by Anton Schwarzkopf. The SooperDooperLooper is located in the Hollow section of Hersheypark.
SooperDooperLooper is a terrain roller coaster. The first drop leads directly into the vertical loop, which the train later passes through the centre of. This is followed by a tunnel and the ride finishes with a helix. Like other early Schwarzkopf roller coasters, the vertical loop uses a triangular lattice of steel tubes.
| Height |
75 ft (23 m) |
| Height restriction |
42 in (107 cm) |
| Opening date |
July 4, 1977 |
| Max Speed |
45 mph |
| Ride Height |
57 feet |
| Ride Length |
2,614 feet |
| Ride Time |
1 minute, 45 seconds |
Trains
The trains on the SooperDooperLooper seat 2 riders per row, with each individual rider having their own locking lap bar to hold them in place, a common feature with Schwarzkopf looping coasters (and an upgrade Amusement Technical often makes). The coaster runs with two trains.
In 1989 the original Schwarzkopf trains were replaced with trains manufactured by Giovanola. For the 2012 season the Giovanola trains were replaced with trains manufactured by Gerstlauer. The trains were installed by Ride Entertainment Group, which handles Gerstlauer's operations in the Western Hemisphere. The control system was also updated with magnetic brakes provided by Velocity Magnetics.
Approach to control system design
The control system upgrade made in 2012 didn’t meet the exacting standards and requirements of Hersheypark. The ride was running but there were issues with certain parts of the control which not where performing efficiently and consistently. This inevitably resulted in downtime on the ride and caused temporary suspension of operation on a regular basis. Ultimately, the ride was difficult to maintain and inefficient to operate.
Unlike many of the ride manufacturers, Amusement Technical offers a niche service in providing independent assessments of existing ride control systems and, if necessary, carries out upgrades. These upgrades can include replacement of obsolete equipment, bringing rides up to the latest safety standards or enhancing the ride control system.
Amusement Technical had an established relationship with HersheyPark having delivered two successful control system upgrades the previous year. It was a natural solution to outsource the ride control upgrade to Amusement Technical.
