I've heard rumors, the Big Bad Wolf at BGE is going to be removed soon to make room for a new hamlet, in the former Drachen Fire area. This comes on the Wolf's 25 birthday. I dont like this...

I dont see this happeneing....one of the of the suspended coasters out there, if not the best? Did you here this from the Dippin Dots guy?

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I really, really doubt that. BBW is constantly rated one of the best suspended coasters in the world. Probably the best in America, at least.

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^Well, from what I hear, the second best suspended in the world... now that Eagle Fortress has become more famous in the coaster community (thanks to the recent Theme Park Review trip) it's pretty safe to say that Eagle Fortress is the "new" best suspended coaster... actually, didn't it reach #2 or #3 in the Mitch Hawker's Steel Poll? (Overall) Which I dub that one as the most accurate poll out there.

But BBW is much more accessible to us Americans, so it will have to do for now. (Until I fly to South Korea...)

It's a done deal. Get your rides in while you still can.

No links? No sources?

BBW is so played out anyways

I like it and all.. But I'd rather ride Whatevergun at Kings Island or Vortex at Canada's Wonderland.. And maybe even Vampire at World of Adventures (if it was night)

BBW removed? Yeah I hardly see that happening. Granted it is rather tame, it is still a classic ride. Besides, BGE has quite a bit of empty property to add a ride without sacrificing a coaster. BBW still has at LEAST a good 10 years left in it, if not a lot more. And like someone said, where is the article? Sources? Something????

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Here is where the rumor is from.. Its a site called SCREAMSCAPE . Here is the speculation Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Seems strange to me that they would remove it.. Its possible that it is true, my guess is cost to run the ride. Could be they are in need of new trains and maybe some track repair that maybe they feel its simpler to tear down and put new. ... Personally its a RUMOR and as all rumors go its the same as assume... and we all know what that makes out of you and me. Knowing Lance pretty well and reading what he wrote there maybe some truth to it. I know B&M have a buisy year for installs, so maybe its time for the floorless coaster to go in. Funny how the rumors have to do with Draken fire area.. Now I am starting silly rumors..

But think about this, old arrow coaster gets removed at BGT then another old arrow coaster gets removed at BGW (as in bbw if its true),, things that make you go HMMMM.

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Screamscape is not where I heard the news. We've been discussing this over on Coaster101 since May. The truth is in the month of April alone the number of riders for BBW just barely edged out Dark Kastle. If the amount of riders declines and yet operating costs continue to rise (I've heard it is the most expensive coaster at BGE to maintain) then the economics becomes clear.

Sorry, I know its being discussed elsewhere.. (just one of my petpeves people just post things with now foundation across alot of sites)... If true that BBW is getting removed I would say its a cost thing. Low rider ship, and high maintainance and the age of the ride. While I would hate to see a unique coaster go away, have to wonder what the new design teams will come up with for a future ride. What I have to wonder is and this goes for alot of rumors is it just speculation or is there some foundation to the rumors. Personally it really dont matter to me if it stays or goes, I am not much on coaster nistalgia, I have ridden it so no biggie if its gone.. Its only the ones I havnt had a chance to ride that I worry about...
Just think when we are all much older or well you all are much older I will be gone, But think about the day when you see a ride like MF get removed.. I know it wont happen for a long time but its just weird to think one day it could happen.

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Screamscape is relatively trustworthy, but I hope it isn't true.

Big Bad Wolf is the only coaster at BGW that everybody can ride. Some people are afraid to be too tall, others don't like to go upside down, the wolf is good for anybody. They still have a lot of room where Drachen Fire was, and I can't see how Big Bad Wolf's area would be useful. Most of the terrain was hard enough to build on, and it's all forest that would be bothersome to cut down to build something new. I guess we'll see.

Yeah, I have to agree that it must be a decision based on cost to maintain it. Plus I don't think that particular ride is drawing any NEW guests to the park. If a coaster has to be removed I would've liked to seen Loch Ness taken out first as Big Bad Wolf is the best suspended coaster I have been on (out of three).

I don't want them to remove anything. All the coasters there are outstanding, including Nessie.
I would also hate to see them replace BBW with yet another B&M. Doesn't BGE have enough of those yet?

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this actually comes from BGESCAPE.com and the reasons its being speculated:
-the area around drachenfire is a dead end, and this contributed to the fact that no one could find the ride (supposedly) (i never got that seeing as italy is a dead end and people are always going to apollo...) so removing BBW would allow for a circular path, eliminating the dead end
-the ride is a maintenance child, and if youve ever seen it you know the swinging mechanism is ridiculously complicated. this is exacerbated by the fact that arrow cannot fix the ride, so they get vekoma to do it. (which i hear they hate since they dont work with vekoma elsewhere) and the track is supposedly deteriorating
-special effects have been slowly and methodically removed from the ride
-BGE decided to remove Le mans raceway (a loved classic of the park) to make way for Griffon. althoguh they had "plenty of land" elsewhere to work with, proving that even if they dont have to take stuff out to make way for new stuff, sometimes they will
-unconfirmed reports from "management" (on other forums...)

Thanks for the information, sometimes its difficult when there is stuff on other sites and it all kinda just gets repeated.. I just like lots of details.
Makes sense if its in the way of devolping the park for the future. One can only assume that a new section would bring many of addition such as a flat or two and a coaster. HMMM. Anyway BBW was fun I hope to get up to BGW to do the early morning ride up the chair on Griffon and do some photos of BBW and AP as I dont have good photos of either.

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I think that it could be lock ness, Because they did take out python in tampa

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But Loch Ness Monster is so obvious in the middle of the park, I don't think it has that low ridership.

I originally thought it would be Loch Ness because of Python's removal and a similar ride, Orient Express at Worlds of Fun, was taken down a few years ago. I guess I need to look at a park map again because I don't understand how BBW was hard to find and creates a dead end.

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I'm not too sure about any of this. A source on screamscape that can't spell things right and get other small info wrong (apollo's height requirement is 52" not 54") I find to be shaky anyway. Makes me wonder what they would have in mind to replace it if it were to go.

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Well I would say a flyer or a floorless B&M

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Before they remove it, they need a Family Coaster there (I KNOW THEY HAVE GROVER BUT They need that Next Step. Like Cedar Creek at Cedar Point, Gold Rusher at SFMM, Whizzer at SFGAm, They Need that Family/Thrill Coaster. When Wild Maus got removed, BBW was the Kiddie Coaster.)

^^Like I said, BGE has enough B&Ms as it is. If they do add anything, it should be something new. Already, half their coasters are B&Ms. If they add another and take out BBW, it will be a 4:2 ratio, and one of those two is a kiddie coaster that many guests won't even know exists. That's a little much.
^That's exactly what BBW is. An outstanding family coaster. I agree, that's an essential part of any park. I think BGE would be doing its guests a disservice by removing it...

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That's exactly what I was saying. You see what I mean when you have three 200 ft. tall coasters, a fourth with a tangled mess of track visible to anybody who gets past England, and the fifth doesn't even get 30 ft. off the ground.

Big Bad Wolf is the middle man. It isn't huge, It doesn't go upside down, but it's still fast and exciting.

just to clear it up. BBW is not a dead end. it connects oktoberfest and italy. but Drachen Fire used to be. its one of the reasons the park used to explain its removal. people didnt go back there because it wasnt a park of the "circle" of pathways that go around the Rhine river. And Loch Ness is going nowhere. so lets not start that rumor up. its an icon of the park, and in an inconvenient place to have anything replace it. its actually almost protected by the other coasters around it and the river. It would be a PAIN to take down. and no one wants it down anyway.

The word I'm hearing is that one of BGE's coasters is DEFINITLY gone next year and BBW is the most obvious choice. As far as themeing goes, that whole area of the park is one of the most under themed areas and greatly in need of a makeover. It makes perfect sense that they would build a new land back here with a big new coaster... but for that to happen, BBW has to go. As much as I would hate to see it go, it only makes sense.

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I have a rough time beliving they are removing BBW cause it is the only coaster that all ages can ride. Although with the new Elmo land in the old petting zoo which is just way out of place and not within the theme of the park they did install a kiddy coaster there. BBW has seen reduced ridership in the last few years but most of the people are waiting in line for the bigger coasters. I just pray they don't turn the park in to another seasame place The have taken over the Globe Theater and the petting Zoo. I really wish they would put a train station in Germany though behind the Festhaus and put a rear entrance in so you walk through festhaus. With the park having low admissions I would be surprised to see them do anything for 2010. They have cut the length of the Irish dance show by 2 numbers and seem to be concentrating on pay as you go items like behind the scence tours. But in closing I feel it would be a bad decision to remove BBW for anything. They have more land there to develope and if you take the train past Italy you can see the are building something next to the roman rapids turntable near the pasture for the Clydesdales

The park is not turning into Sesame Place. They wanted it because they've already had a nice relationship with Sesame Workshop at Sesame Place and Sea World and really saw ample room for improvement with their kid-friendly entertainment. They took over the petting zoo because that area was being used for nothing, other than howl-o-scream and put the movie in globe because it's close enough to justify and because Pirates has been there for quite some time, the new movie was already made, and it was getting time to put something new in. The park has not at all had low admissions, (believe me, I've gone plenty of times this year) and I wouldn't see anything for 2010 either since Busch Gardens has never really put in major projects in consecutive years, excepting Pompeii and Alpengeist. I do see that they have jumped back in the game of adding things, it's just not necessarily a roller coaster each year. 2005: DarKastle, 2007: Griffon, 2009: Forest of Fun, the next year in that pattern is...

I believe they are concentrating on pay as you go because they understand the bad economy right now and don't want people to believe they are paying for things that they won't get to use or don't need. Oh yes, and the "construction" by the train tracks is Wicked Woods moved. Sesame construction started at the old wicked woods spot and WW just got moved. I believe it will be at its same new location this year and they have the fence up just to keep it from being easily recognized while on the train.

Back on the subject of Wolf, for whatever reason they might have for removing it I find it hard to believe because it really is easily accessible, gets great ridership for its age and design (though the numbers are low compared to all other coasters in the park) and would be a shame to remove something as historic as it really is.

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I'll start to believe the BBW side if we see destructive/continued closed action on Eagle Fortress in Korea. I can confirm EF's awesomeness. The Scape reported how Eagle Fortress was down. They just love to have certain rides/parks down in Korea. In late 2006 a government inspection kept Lotte World closed when I arrived in SK in April 2007. No Lotte World and pre-T-Express. Korea was awesome otherwise though.

I remembered being forced on BBW as a kid. It's my first major/closed eyed coaster: epic to me.

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^I'm glad I wasn't the only one forced onto my first "big" coaster - Demon at SFGAm for me.

Still praying that this won't happen. I want to ride that thing again before I die.

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