Statistics
Length (feet):	2274'
Height (feet):	88'
Inversions:	0
Speed (mph):	46
Duration (m:ss):	2:51
Manufacturer:	Arrow

In 1972, Judge Hofheinz decided AstroWorld needed a new ride, a coaster the likes that had not been seen in Houston. The Judge contacted Arrow and Ron Toomer to design a steel roller coaster unlike anything they had built before based on technology that had created The Run Away Mine Train at Six Flags Over Texas and various other mine train coasters they had built.

So plans were drawn up for a much taller coaster, nearly twice the height of any previous coaster Arrow had built. This roller coaster would be built entirely of steel instead of using wooden supports and would climb over 80 feet into the sky

The result was Dexter Frebish Electric Roller Ride which opened to the public in the spring of 1972. Dexter was a work of advanced technology for the time, able to run three trains at the same time and able to put over 2,000 guests per hour on the ride.

The ride started out being dispatched from the station with a slight dip to give it momentum to navigate a 180 degree turn into the transfer building. After passing through this cavernous building (which had the capability of storing five trains) the train started the climb up the lift. At the top of the lift the train would dip about seven feet and start a long unbanked 180 turn to the left and enter the first (and only) drop. From there the trains made a left turn to the first safety brake, Brake 2. The train then entered a downward spiral and entered Brake 3. A sharp right turn followed a long straightway that led to a gradual turn around the lift structure to the pit curve, a sharp 360 turn that led back to the station. The ride was a three element coaster with the dip, the spiral and the pit curve.

Originally the plans were to build a tunnel around the pit curve but money ran out and the idea was put off until later. But the foundation for the tunnel was built as evidenced by the huge concrete blocks that made up the footings for the lift structure. These concrete footers were adjacent to the pit curve. One “feature” that came along later was a piece of trick track. This was caused by a piece of construction equipment hitting the track during the construction of Thunder River. The track was repaired, but there was a gentle reminder to the riders along that long straight track that led to the pit curve.

The safety system was simple and elegant. Excalibur had four blocks to keep the trains separated. The “brain” was an electrical relay panel that sat next to the driver. The trains had two sets of striker pads on the bottom of the train, one on the front left and the rear right. These pads would strike the limit switches on the track causing them to make a contact that would open or close a relay in the electrical panel with a loud click. The panel would indicate whether the block was clear or not, though when driving the coaster, operators would not need to look at the panel unless there was a shutdown. Operators could listen to the panel clicking and watch the trains, and with enough experience and practice, knowing where each train was at any moment became second nature. The trains were built solidly as well. The train would ride on road wheels on top of the track, guide wheels on the inside of the track steered the train and up stop pads kept the train from leaving the track.

All the brakes were skid brakes which worked fine until they got a little wet. Even then, operators were experienced in sliding trains into the station and stopping them perfectly. The brakes were reversed at one point to help with this and that's why riders would experience a little backwards motion when the brakes were released.

When Dexter Frebish opened, AstroWorld opened its first new themed area since the park opened. This area was the County Fair and contained the first skill games the park had offered. The area also contained the Nickelodeon and Horseless Carriage Pavilion museum which was a museum containing many of Judge Hofheinz personal antiques. The tour of the museum ended with a short Laurel and Hardy film containing a classic pie fight scene. Later, Der Fender opened a Bumper car ride. The County Fair area also contained a Carousel, which was removed in 1977 so the Boogie Fog Disco could be installed.

1981 brought changes as Dexter Frebish was renamed to Excalibur and the area was rethemed to Nottingham Village. The huge Dexter Frebish sign was removed and the queue house was made to look like a castle.

Driving three trains was the goal of the crew and took concentration and communication. Unlike modern coasters, stacking was not only unheard of in those days, but it would cause a shutdown. Only two trains could be in the station at any time so if the trains stacked, a shutdown would occur. Driving three trains was a juggling act that was as much art as skill. A shutdown would stop the ride until a crew member made the run to the block brake that the train was stuck on. There the train would have to be manually released with a key that would open the block. Since this would take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, it was avoided at all costs so operators could keep the lines moving. When driving, there were three sets of brakes in the station, the trim brakes, the ready brakes and the dispatch brakes. If everything was timed properly, a train would be hitting the trim brakes as another train was leaving the station.

I was fortunate to work on Excalibur in 1982 and 1983. It was a fun coaster to work. The morning would start with a safety check that involved crew members climbing to the top of the lift, Brake 2 and Brake 3. The ride had several blocks built into it, and only one train could occupy one block at any time. So we would test the system by letting the trains set up on each block brake. The crewmember would then turn a key on the block brake to release the train. The safety check consisted of letting a train stop on the trim brakes outside of the station and then letting a train set up on Brake 3. Then the train outside of the station would be brought in and dispatched to set up on Brake 2. This process continued until trains were set up on the lift, the transfer station and the dispatch brakes. We saw some glorious mornings in Houston from the top of the ride structure.

Working on Excalibur was interesting to say the least. We had a great crew that worked well together. This of course led to some interesting times. We had crew parties with picnics under the spiral. We would pull pranks on other crews by inviting them to ride the coaster after hours and douse them with water in the transfer building. We worked hard and we played hard. Normally there would be 5 people working on the ride, the driver, one person on the unloading dock and 3 people loading. The loaders would give thumbs up when each car was secured and the person loading the front car would wait until they saw thumbs up from the crew. That person would then signal the driver to dispatch the trains. As the train left the station, the employee in front would watch for lap bars being out of position as a final check. One employee was so intent on his job he walked right out of the station falling about ten feet into the bushes below.

In its later years Excalibur suffered. A new safety system was installed that allowed only two trains to be run. Despite its age and the number of coasters that were installed at AstroWorld, Excalibur was a favorite of park guests. There were long lines for this ride until it was closed.

In 1999, Excalibur was removed. The intention was to operate the ride at Frontier City but removing the ride caused so much damage, it was never re-assembled. The trains were sent to SFOT to be used on RunAway Mine Train. The legacy of Excalibur can be seen across the country. Building Excalibur gave Arrow confidence in building these types of coasters higher than they had ever imagined. As a result, the first coaster to break the 200 foot barrier opened at Cedar Point as Magnum XL-200 and started the hyper coaster boom.

Excalibur was missed. 1999 also marked the closing of the Astroneedle leaving a void at the park for family rides. Alpine Sleighs and The River of No Return were already removed for other attractions so losing Excalibur was a real blow not only to coaster enthusiasts, but families who had grown up riding it. Excalibur was a family ride and with a 42 inch height restriction, all but the smallest of children could ride it. Excalibur was many Houstonians’ introduction to roller coasters. Not only was it my first big coaster, but my son’s as well. They might make coasters bigger and faster now, but I don’t think they are as much fun!

 

-- Mike Robinson
Printed in the Winter-Spring 2006 Issue of the ACE South Central "Queue Line Chronicle"