Design and construction
A wooded area in the southeast corner of the park spanning 35 acre was selected as the site for the new project.[3] The area's naturally occurring, rugged terrain consisted of cliffs, hills, and ravines.[3] Utilizing the landscape, as opposed to leveling it, saved money and allowed for more investment in the layout itself.[3] Beginning in 1976, chief engineer and surveyor Al Collins, along with his assistant Jeff Gramke, spent two years researching and designing the new roller coaster with the help of Dinn and his team, who surveyed major roller coasters across the country.[1][3] Collins and Gramke would progress through tens of thousands of formulas needed to produce record-breaking results without the assistance of scientific calculators or computers.[1] "Everything had to be calculated by hand", recalled Gramke in 2014. John C. Allen, world-renowned coaster designer behind The Racer, was asked to lead the design but declined due to pending retirement. He shared design formulas, however, and acted as a consultant throughout development.[1][4] Among his important contributions were the design of several components, including a tire-driven launch system that increased capacity above 1,000 riders per hour.[1][3]
The original plans for the Beast featured an airtime hill after the first tunnel followed by a left turn and a double down. After the second lift hill, passengers would approach a trick track element and a right-handed double helix. This helix is a mirror image of the one that is used today.[5]
Primary design and construction was handled internally by Kings Island Engineering and Construction under the direction of Dinn.[6] Part of the design work was subcontracted to Curtis D. Summers, Inc., a structural engineering and architecture firm located in Cincinnati.[1] Summers was tasked with designing the roller coaster footings – underground, steel-reinforced concrete pillars that support the weight of the structure[7] – as well as a cable system for the coaster's helix finale.[1] The collaboration between Dinn and Summers would later lead to the pair teaming up and forming the Dinn Corporation, a construction firm that designed and built eleven coasters in the late 1980s and early 1990s.[8]
The initial land grading prep work began in May 1978.[1] Vertical construction of the coaster officially began the following month on June 10.[1] By November 9, 1978, approximately 60 percent of the ride was complete, which included both of the ride's lift hills and its three tunnels.[1] By March 1979, the remaining construction work was completed.[3] Materials used throughout the project included 650000 ft of lumber, 82,480 bolts, 5,180 washers, 37500 lb of nails, and 2432 sqyd of poured concrete.[1][3][9] The ride cost at least $3.2 million, equivalent to $ million in .[1]
The Beast's final design featured two vertical drops of 135 and 141 ft,[3] and it incorporated an overall elevation change of 201 ft.[1] Its three underground tunnels were designed by Jim Kiosky, with one at the base of the first drop and two more approximately a third of the way into the track layout.[1] The trains were manufactured by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters,[12] Allen's employer, who also implemented their "buzz bar" restraints.[1] An early iteration of the train's design was based on the traditional mine car concept, which employed headlamps at the front of each train. Late changes scrapped the mine car theme in favor of a flame-colored paint scheme, and a sculpted logo was attached at the front in place of the headlamps.[1] The logo, created by national advertising firm Lawler Ballard Little, would receive an award from The Advertising Club of New York later that year.[1]
Early testing revealed issues in the design of the final helix track element. The amount of side acceleration the trains experienced was more than the design intended, so the entire helix was reconstructed with a wider diameter. The delay forced Kings Island to forego the enclosing of the helix, which would eventually happen the following off-season. Also at the first tunnel's exit, it was discovered that additional banking was needed to reduce stress on the structure. Engineers managed to complete the feat overnight, considering most of the coaster's track was relatively close to the ground and large cranes were not needed. In the late 1970s, engineers didn't have the benefit of computerized devices that could measure force, and they didn't use test dummies which are common in modern-day construction. Instead, crew members of The Beast's construction team had to board the ride for test runs and push the train back to the station whenever it stalled.[1]
