The ride begins by departing the station and ascending a lift hill with a small, tight turn before descending toward the park's Rhine River. A large upward hill crosses over the park's 'Land of the Dragons', bringing the ride to the first of two interlocking loops, after which the ride accelerates through a descending, spiraling tunnel. The train descends 2.75 spiraling revolutions in a tunnel, subsequently ascending its second lift hill, making a wide turn and dropping into the second loop—ascending one final time before stopping. For years, there were special effects in the tunnel section of the ride, including lights, mist, and a mural of the Loch Ness Monster. These effects have not operated for years, and the mural has since been removed from the tunnel wall. In 2018 Busch Gardens restored the effects except for the mist and mural.
History
Construction
opened in 1975 with one roller coaster, Glissade. In 1976, with the opening of the Oktoberfest portion of the park, two new rollercoasters were added; Das Kätzchen, a children's coaster, and its adult counterpart, Die Wildkatze. However, neither Glissade nor Die Wildkatze were considered major roller coasters. Then general manager John B. Roberts announced the plans to build an ambitious, major roller coaster for the park for the 1978 season. In his 1978 press release, Roberts boasted highly of the record breaking ride, stating "There has never been anything like it. For openers, it's the tallest and fastest coaster-style ride with the steepest drop in the world... and the only one with interlocking loops. On top of that, part of it's in total darkness." On July 27, 1977, Busch Gardens Williamsburg announced that Loch Ness Monster would be coming in 1978. It would be located in the center of the park in the Scotland themed area. Loch Ness Monster was going to be the first major roller coaster at the park, as well as the park's first roller coaster with inversions. During construction, a section of track leading from the bottom of the second loop to the brake run before the station was incorrectly formed, bending left, instead of right. Workers heated the track to physically bend it to the correct position, resulting in a sharp bump, which remains noticeable to riders. The ride was originally designed with four trains with six cars per train. Designers realized that 4 train operations would often result in backups throughout the ride experience and revised the layout to three trains with seven cars per train. In 2016, the roller coaster opened with 2 train operations, where previously it ran a maximum of 3 trains on the busiest days of the season. This change was a result of several factors, and coincided with similar changes in the operation of other roller coasters in the park, including Alpengeist and Verbolten.
Operation
The ride officially opened on June 6, 1978 and due to its popularity and historical significance—as the first coaster with interlocking loops, the tallest and fastest coaster at the time of its construction—the American Coaster Enthusiasts designated the Loch Ness Monster an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark on June 17, 2003. For decades of its operation, the ride experience included two trains passing through the intersecting loops simultaneously, though this is no longer the case. The ride, upon opening, ran with four trains. Soon after, it was decided that it ran best with three trains. At a point in the 2014 season, the park decided again to change the number of trains from three to two. As a result, the ride no longer "duels" in the loops. The ride still has the ability; however, it is unlikely as the second train must be dispatched as soon as the first train leaves the first lift hill. With two trains, this would cause a period of time with no train in the station. For the 15th anniversary of the ride's opening, the parachuting Elvis impersonators known as the "flying Elvi" parachuted into Busch Gardens, subsequently riding the Loch Ness Monster in full costume. For the 40th anniversary of the roller coaster's opening, new trains were installed from S&S Worldwide.
Incidents
On June 13, 1989, a Loch Ness train collided with a downed tree. Just after two trains had left the station, operators learned of a rapidly approaching storm and began shutting down the ride, unaware of a downed tree crossing the tracks. The front train carried 25 passengers, with five receiving injuries, including a 16-year old who suffered a broken leg. Though the occupied first train was stopped in an area of the ride not intended for stopping, the ride's safety systems intervened to prevent a collision when the unoccupied second train stopped on the second lift hill. A subsequent $2 million lawsuit claimed a rider suffered internal injuries, the rider ultimately receiving $250,000. In June 1992, two riders claimed the special misting water effect at ride's tunnel entrance was caustic and temporarily blinding — causing emotional distress. A park public relations manager testified the mist sprayed only water - and had been subsequently removed, independent of the suit, for unknown reasons.
