Quicksilver Express
Specific Type: Mine Train
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Bonfante Gardens is any garden-lover's dream come true. Seventy-five acres of carefully-tended, beautifully-landscaped Northern California property and the home of some unique free formations. And if you're a theme park lover, you'll enjoy Gilroy Gardens not only for the pretty scenery, but also for the rides interspersed between. While the park (formerly named Bonfante Gardens) never exactly set out to be a thrill park and rival such California coaster hot spots as Six Flags Magic Mountain or Knott's Berry Farm, the park instead takes a more relaxed approach to things and provides a family-friendly assortment of attractions based in a setting to rival even the biggest names in the world of theme parks. Upon opening on June 15th, 2001 in Gilroy, California, the theme park offered two coasters: the first being Timber Twister, a Zierer-designed twister, and the larger being the custom-designed mine train terrain coaster Quicksilver Express from Chance-Morgan Rides. The statistics of Quicksilver Express aren't what make the ride impressive at just under four stories in height and slightly beyond thirty miles per hour for a top speed. Instead, the mine train's well-themed terrain-based 2,139 feet of steel track twisting and turning through lush scenery make it a ride not to pass up. Along the course, riders of the mine train will pass by nearly 600 trees, and through two themed tunnels to enhance the experience. Like most mine train coasters, the layout of Gilroy Gardens' ride contains not one, but two lift hills. While an initial hill takes the train up to a height of twenty-six feet, a second lift climbs to thirty-eight feet, high enough to get the coaster up to top speed and finish off the ride.
Twenty passengers board the mine train-themed train and leave the station to round a left-hand curve to the first lift hill. The ride starts up the chain and climbs to twenty-seven feet underneath overhanging trees. A dip straight ahead gets things moving and the train banks to the left around a 45-degree turn, then another turn in the opposite direction, followed by two more turns banking in opposite directions. After meandering through the first banked turns, the track begins to climb, then dive with a left-hand turn built into the terrain. Riders are whisked around a banked right-hand turnaround and then approach the second lift hill of thirty-eight feet. Once the chain carries the train to the top of the second lift, the brown track begins to dive again, ducking just under some tree branches and then throwing a right-hand banked curve into the dive. Quicksilver Express completes a 270-degree banked turn diving and then climbing again towards the second lift, then twisting a sharp 225 degrees around in the opposite direction. Riders are taken under more trees as they dip and curve to the right, flying past theming and then plunging into darkness as they enter the mine train's first mist-enshrouded tunnel. Once inside, the track banks to the right and exits the tunnel continuing on with the curve. The coaster reverses direction again and starts down a left dive under a wooden structure, a hop, and around a 225-degree left turn just past several close supports on the right. With a downward carousel curve the train dives around mine theming, and then completes an S-turn into a short tunnel, with one more slight left turn bringing the train into the brake run and straight ahead into the station. |
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