New Texas Giant
| New Texas Giant | |
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New Texas Giant features steel track and overbanked turns
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| Previously known as Texas Giant | |
| Six Flags Over Texas | |
| Park section | Texas |
| Coordinates | 32°45′23″N 97°4′23″W / 32.75639°N 97.07306°WCoordinates: 32°45′23″N 97°4′23″W / 32.75639°N 97.07306°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | April 22, 2011 |
| Cost | US$10 million |
| General statistics | |
| Manufacturer | Rocky Mountain Construction |
| Designer | Alan Schilke |
| Model | I-Box – Custom |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 153 ft (47 m) |
| Drop | 147 ft (45 m) |
| Length | 4,200 ft (1,300 m) |
| Speed | 65 mph (105 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 3:25 |
| Max vertical angle | 79° |
| Capacity | 1600 riders per hour |
| G-force | 4.2 |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| Trains | 3 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train. |
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New Texas Giant at RCDB Pictures of New Texas Giant at RCDB |
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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.
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.
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.
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