Iron Rattler | |
---|---|
Previously known as The Rattler | |
Six Flags Fiesta Texas | |
Park section | Crackaxle Canyon |
Coordinates | 29°35′55″N 98°36′47″W / 29.59861°N 98.61306°WCoordinates: 29°35′55″N 98°36′47″W / 29.59861°N 98.61306°W |
Status | Operating |
Opening date | May 25, 2013 |
General statistics | |
Type | Steel |
Manufacturer | Rocky Mountain Construction |
Designer | Alan Schilke |
Model | I-Box |
Track layout | Terrain |
Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
Height | 179 ft (55 m) |
Drop | 171 ft (52 m) |
Length | 3,266 ft (995 m) |
Speed | 70 mph (110 km/h) |
Inversions | 1 |
Max vertical angle | 81° |
Capacity | 850 riders per hour |
Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
Trains | 2 Gerstlauer trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train. |
Iron Rattler at RCDB Pictures of Iron Rattler at RCDB |
Iron Rattler is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas. The ride opened in 2013, replacing The Rattler, a wooden roller coaster, by putting a new steel track on top of The Rattler's wooden support structure. The distance between the lowest and highest points of the first drop was increased from 124 to 171 feet (38 to 52 m) and the drop was made steeper by changing the angle to 81 degrees. The resulting modifications increased the speed of the trains from 65 to 70 miles per hour (105 to 113 km/h). It is the first hybrid wood and steel roller coaster to feature an inversion, in which riders are turned upside-down and then back upright. The inversion is a zero-g-roll, which is when the train goes through a combination of a loop and a roll.
The Iron Rattler was designed by Alan Schilke and built by Rocky Mountain Construction. The wooden Rattler had been constructed by Roller Coaster Corporation of America. When it opened in 1992, it was the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the world, with a height of 179 feet (55 m), a first drop of 166 feet (51 m) and a top speed of 73 mph (117 km/h).
Six Flags Fiesta Texas announced in August 2012, that they would be revamping their wooden coaster, The Rattler, into a steel track coaster, to be called Iron Rattler. The renovation would be performed by Rocky Mountain Construction and would feature the I-Box steel track on some of the original wooden coaster supports, Rattler-themed trains supplied by Gerstlauer, and a barrel roll. The new ride would open for the 2013 season.
The Rattler had been constructed by Roller Coaster Corporation of America. When the coaster debuted on March 14, 1992, it was the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the world, with a height of 179 feet (55 m), a first drop of 166 feet (51 m) and a top speed of 73 mph (117 km/h), outdoing its then rival, Mean Streak at Ohio's Cedar Point. Designer John Pierce stated that the original plans kept changing as park co-developers Gaylord Entertainment Company insisted on having the tallest wooden coaster in the world. It held this title until 1994, when its first drop was shortened from 166 to 124 feet (51 to 38 m), resulting in a reduction of its top speed from 73 to 65 miles per hour (117 to 105 km/h).