Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon (formerly known as Starchaser and Nightmare at Phantom Cave) was a twister roller coaster at Great Escape amusement park in Queensbury, New York. The relatively simple steel coaster was enclosed in a warehouse-like building allowing the cars to run in the dark giving a heightened sense of disorientation around sharp twists and turns. The ride was situated in the park's Ghosttown area and was appropriately-themed to the Old West.
| Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon | |
|---|---|
 Building exterior and entrance to the Nightmare. | |
| Great Escape | |
| Park section | Ghosttown |
| Coordinates | 43°21′09″N 73°41′33″W / 43.352491°N 73.692515°W |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | 1999 |
| Closing date | 2006 |
| Darien Lake | |
| Coordinates | 42°55′44″N 78°23′06″W / 42.929°N 78.385°W |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | 1996 |
| Closing date | 1998 |
| Kentucky Kingdom | |
| Coordinates | 38°11′42″N 85°44′49″W / 38.195°N 85.747°W |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | 1987 |
| Closing date | 1995 |
| Beech Bend | |
| Coordinates | 37°01′26″N 86°23′42″W / 37.024°N 86.395°W |
| Status | Removed |
| Closing date | 1984 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Enclosed |
| Manufacturer | Anton Schwarzkopf |
| Model | Twister roller coaster |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 44 ft (13 m) |
| Length | 1,765 ft (538 m) |
| Speed | 31 mph (50 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon at RCDB | |
History
editBefore arriving at The Great Escape, Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon was located at Beech Bend Park, Kentucky Kingdom as Starchaser and at Darien Lake as Nightmare at Phantom Cave. The 2006 season was the last season that the roller coaster was open at The Great Escape. The park later confirmed that the coaster had been scrapped, possibly shortly after its closure. In 2013, at The Great Escape during Fright Fest (Halloween event) the building is used for a haunted house.
Capacity issues
editThe trains were single cars with two rows of two riders each, for a total capacity of four riders per car. The low capacity could result in long wait times. To remedy this, the new Flash Pass system (named for the Flash, a licensed DC Comics character) was introduced in 2006. Riders arriving at the attraction were given a ticket and asked to return at a designated time, when lines were noticeably shorter.