Park section Texas Cost US$10 million Height 47 m Height restriction 1.22 m | Status Operating Max speed 105 km/h | |
 | ||
Opening date April 22, 2011 (2011-04-22) Hours Open today · 2–10PMSaturday2–10PMSunday2–10PMMonday2–10PMTuesday2–10PMWednesday2–10PMThursday2–10PMFriday(Cesar Chavez Day)2–10PMHours might differSuggest an edit Similar Mr. Freeze (roller coaster), Judge Roy Scream, Runaway Mine Train (Six Flags Over Texas) | ||
New texas giant front seat on ride hd pov six flags over texas
New Texas Giant, formerly known as Texas Giant, is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas. The ride underwent an 18-month refurbishment, transforming from a wood track to Steel and reopening in 2011. Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction, the New Texas Giant stands 153 ft (47 m) tall and features a 79° drop stretching 147 ft (45 m). The ride also features multiple turns banked up to 115° and over 4,506 feet (1,373 m) of track.
Contents
- New texas giant front seat on ride hd pov six flags over texas
- New texas giant real pov six flags over texas roller coaster media day 2011
- History
- 2013 accident
- Characteristics
- Ride experience
- Reception
- References
The original Texas Giant was manufactured by Dinn Corporation and designed by Curtis D. Summers. For more than a decade after its opening in 1990, the Texas Giant remained popular, ranking in the Golden Ticket Awards as the number one wooden roller coaster in 1998 and 1999. However, throughout the 2000s the ride's popularity declined as a result of the ride becoming rougher. Despite maintenance attempts by the park, Six Flags Over Texas announced the ride's closure in 2009. Much of the original wooden structure was kept, with the track being replaced with steel.
After the ride's relaunch in 2011 as the New Texas Giant, its popularity returned, winning Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Award for Best New Ride of 2011 and ranking highly in industry polls. On July 19, 2013, a woman died after falling from the ride, resulting in modifications and additions to the ride's restraint system.
New texas giant real pov six flags over texas roller coaster media day 2011
History
The Texas Giant was originally constructed by Dinn Corporation, with Curtis D. Summers as the designer. The ride was made up of over 900,000 board feet (2,100 m3) of wood. The trains were manufactured by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. The Texas Giant officially opened on March 17, 1990. At opening, the ride was the world's tallest wooden roller coaster, standing 143 feet (44 m) high.
Following the ride's opening it had several modifications and renovations, which included reprofiling parts of the ride, shortening the seven-car trains to six-car trains, and performing maintenance on the wooden track. Six Flags Over Texas performed over 1,200 feet (370 m) of trackwork on the ride in the 2008–2009 offseason, with the ultimate aim of improving the ride's smoothness. Although the maintenance did improve the ride, park officials needed a more permanent solution. Initial speculation indicated the ride would be removed entirely from the park; however, Six Flags Over Texas denied any intention or consideration to do so. In March 2009, the park announced the closure of Texas Giant prior to a $10 million renovation. Following Fright Fest for that year, the ride closed on November 1, 2009.
Renovations began almost immediately and involved the removal of all of the wooden track and modifications to some of the support structure. On March 3, 2010, Six Flags Over Texas and Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) unveiled the steel I-Box track which would be used on the refurbished ride. The track was developed over the course of three years by RMC owner Fred Grubb, and Ride Centerline, LLC engineers Alan Schilke and Dody Bachtar. The steel track was designed to be a replacement for any existing wooden track structure, with the rail shape, approximate weight, and dimensions remaining the same. Schilke designed the modifications to the layout, giving specifications to Grubb for manufacturing at RMC's Idaho plant. There, two-dimensional plates of steel were machine-welded to form the three-dimensional track parts. The redevelopment saw much of the track get reprofiled; the lift hill was increased by 10 feet (3.0 m), the first drop was steepened to 79 degrees, and several overbanked turns (ranging from 90° to 115°) were added. The renovated ride, dubbed the New Texas Giant, reopened on April 4, 2011.
2013 accident
On July 19, 2013, a 52-year-old woman fell to her death while riding New Texas Giant. A park official released a statement saying, "We are committed to determining the cause of this tragic accident and will utilize every resource throughout this process ... When we have new information to provide, we will do so." The ride was closed indefinitely pending further investigation. The park completed its investigation stating on September 10, 2013, that mechanical failure was not to blame. The ride reopened on September 14, 2013, with all three trains featuring a re-designed restraint bar, pads, and seat belts. The incident resulted in the introduction of seat belts as a precaution on other roller coasters throughout the Six Flags chain.
Characteristics
As the name suggests, New Texas Giant is located within the Texas section of Six Flags Over Texas. It was Rocky Mountain Construction's first installation of I-Box track. New Texas Giant operates with three trains manufactured by Gerstlauer. The trains are themed to 1961 Cadillac Devilles. Each train is made up of six cars, each seating riders in two rows of two. Riders are restrained through the use of an individual hydraulic lap bar and a seat belt.
The original Texas Giant by Dinn Corporation was 10 feet (3.0 m) lower in height than its Rocky Mountain Construction counterpart. The refurbished New Texas Giant features a steeper and longer first drop, and therefore achieves a faster maximum speed. Additionally, a 540° helix after the mid-course brake run was converted into a 180° turnaround, resulting in its track length being shortened by approximately 400 feet (120 m).
Ride experience
The New Texas Giant begins with a right turn out of the station. This leads directly to a 153-foot-tall (47 m) chain lift hill. Once at the top, riders drop 147 feet (45 m) at an angle of 78°. A double up leads into a 90° overbanked turn, a dip and a 95° overbanked turn. Another dip and rise leads the train into a 115° overbanked turn. The exit from the overbanked turn leads into a small air-time hill, which delivers the greatest negative g-force on the ride, before ascending up into the mid-course brake run. The train drops from the brake run and continues through a series of low-to-the-ground air-time hills and directional changes. This runs through three separate tunnels, finishing with the final brake run and short path back to the station.
Reception
The original Texas Giant was well received, though its popularity had declined towards the end of its operation. Following its 2010 renovation, the ride's popularity returned.
In Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards Texas Giant ranked as the number one wooden roller coaster for 1998 and 1999. Its ranking slowly declined to position 32 in 2009, its final year of operation as a wooden roller coaster. Following its 2010 renovation, the New Texas Giant again ranked highly in the Golden Ticket Awards (this time amongst steel roller coasters), achieving ranks of 6 and 5 in 2011 and 2012, respectively. The ride also won a Golden Ticket Award for being the Best New Ride of 2011.