Baron 1898

Baron 1898 is a steel Dive Coaster at the Efteling theme park.^[4] The first test ride was held on 8 May 2015, after construction of the track was completed, and the first manned operation was conducted on June 18, 2015.^[5] Music was created by the Brussels Philharmonie symphony orchestra and several producers, under the direction of René Merkelbach.^[6] The ride opened on July 1, 2015.^[7][8] It is the first dive coaster manufactured by B&M that doesn't feature a turn between the lift hill and the first drop.

Efteling's YouTube channel posted infrequent informational videos on the progress made on Baron 1898, with 10 full-length videos uploaded to date. Each video carefully details and outlines the processes used in each step of the construction of the roller coaster, including features such as aesthetics and track layout.^[9]

Story

In 1898, the wealthy baron Gustave Hooghmoed (whose last name is a variation on the Dutch word Hoogmoed, which loosely translated means haughty or overconfident) is led to discover a nearby cave that is rich in gold deposits by a spirit known as the Witte Wieven ("Wise women", "Dames Blanches" or "White ladies"); however, this spirit gives Hooghmoed the admonition that if he disturbs the gold in any way, he will suffer terrible consequences for the remainder of his life. In an attempt to circumvent the spirit's threat, Hoogmoed presses the destitute locals into working in his newly opened gold mine, where many of the workers suffer catastrophic accidents or are chased out of the cave by the "Witte Wieven" and her supernatural cohorts.

After the Baron is called out of his office to tend to an emergency in the mine shaft, mine overseer Laars will help guests into his specially designed mine elevator vehicles that are capable of traveling both vertically and horizontally. After the guests board the special mine cars, Laars and the machine shop are suddenly attacked by vengeful spirits of miners who have previously vanished under the influence of the "Witte Wieven". Before Laars's office apparently explodes, he sends the miners out of the mine; as the car ascends, a giant fireball bursts from the opening of the machine shop and almost reaches the rear car of the train. As the train is about to leave the mine, it stops as the "Witte Wieven" can be heard singing from the pit, from which smoke pours and lights can be seen. After a few seconds, the "Witte Wieven" scream, "You shall not evade my curse! Prepare to forfeit your lives!" as the miners plunge down the exit of the mine.^[10]

Personnel

• Story/Plot - Jacques Vriens^[11]
• Music - Brussels Philharmonie
• Composer - René Merkelbach
• Vocals - Paul van Gorcum (Baron Gustave Hooghmoed)
• Vocals - Anneke van Giersbergen (the Witte Wieven)
• Construction - Bolliger & Mabillard^[10]
• Head of engineering - Mark Jansen^[12]
• Designer - Sander de Bruijn^[12]

Ride

Guests to the Efteling theme park take on the role of one of Hooghmoed's employees; the queue begins with guests crossing an iron bridge over a creek to the mine's central offices and barracks, where guests will have an audience with the headstrong Baron who will, via an application of projections and animatronics, give his newly minted employees a brief safety lecture before sternly warning them against believing in the legend of the "Witte Wieven". Guests will move on from the office into the mine's machinery and maintenance shop to board the special mine cars. The spirits suddenly attack the cars; this effect is achieved through projection technology and animatronics (projected ghosts fly over rider's heads, and several pipes seem to burst.) As the train is about to drop off the lift, it stops as the "Witte Wieven" can be heard screaming from the pit, from which smoke pours. After a few seconds, the riders plunge 37.5 meters into a smoke-filled pit and pull out into an Immelmann loop and return into the same direction. After the first loop, riders experience airtime and drop a second time. This later leads the riders into a zero-g roll before traveling through a fast-paced spiral. The final brake run follows, which leads into the mine complex's equipment storage area, where guests disembark.

The exit hallway is still themed and leads to a cafe named 't Melkhuisje (literally the milkhouse). This is due to a tradition in which miners would generally have a glass of milk after hours of labor work in the mines.^[12]

• 

  December 2014.

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  February 2015.

• 

  February 2015.

• 

  February 2015.

Reception

The ride was well received by critics and amusement park fanatics, with praise going towards the theming and the overall quality of the ride. Dave Adams of the Theme Park Insider gave the ride a positive review stating "the Efteling has really done itself proud with this one."^[13] Minor criticisms came from the duration of the actual ride, which was much shorter than many had expected.

A negative review came from Edwin Rasser, who complained that the operating staff were cranky and uninterested.^[14]

Incidents

Since the opening of the ride on July 1, 2015, Baron 1898 has been involved in 3 minor incidents involving mechanical failure. None so far have been proven fatal, and all of the affected riders were evacuated and escorted away without any injuries.

• July 5, 2015 – A software error prevented the platform from lowering, hindering the ride's operation.^[15]
• July 12, 2015 – Visitors were stranded atop the lift for 45 minutes before evacuation.^[16][17]
• July 19, 2015 – The ride spontaneously ceased to function and a faulty switch was subsequently found to be the cause. The ride resumed operation on July 21.^[18][19]
• August 13, 2016 - The ride broke down twice with technical difficulties, leading to visitors having to wait an additional 30 minutes

References