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Texas Giant opening date confirmed

UC said:
I don't believe the entire thing is getting re-tracked.

It was stated in earlier press reports that some of the coaster will be re-tracked, but not all of it.

Whether this means it truly will be half-and-half, or if it'll be a Steel Phantom-Phantom's Revenge kind of situation, I don't know.

I don't think they could get away with calling it a "hybrid" coaster without having some wooden track left, and they're not demolishing the entire ride, so they're more than likely not re-tracking all of it.
Click to expand...

Of course.. what would be the point of demolishing the ride if all they are doing is replacing the track? They want to keep the layout and keep the substructure but make it a better experience.

I don't know what I'm getting at.. but yeah.
 
...until the parts that were kept are changed again... in which case you have a completely different coaster than the original. :razz:

loefet - My mistake, California Screamin' is meant to look like a hybrid, but is not actually one.
 
I wonder, if the whole layout won't be tracked, how those transitions will be between the new track and old track.

With something such as Phanny, the track was an easy transition as Morgan and Arrow are essentially the same but wood to steel might not work out so well.. which was why I was leaning toward a complete retrack rather then a partial.

Of course, we won't know for absolute certainty until we get the whole layout.
 
^ It wouldn't be too hard to do the transitions between steel and wood, just look at the transitions between the track sections on the Intamin P'n'P.
 
The track is the same gauge, so there shouldn't be any noticeable transition, besides the notice of steel track being smoother. Look at SoB with the loop as an example.
 
Screamscape concurs on the layout change, reporting that the first drop will be 159 ft. tall (10 ft. taller), feature a 79 degree drop, and "numerous" new 95 degree overbanked turns.
 
A little bit more info.


Dallas Star-Telegram said:
ARLINGTON -- Six Flags Over Texas won't reopen its popular Texas Giant roller coaster until next year, but on Wednesday amusement park officials whetted the appetite of coaster enthusiasts by announcing that the ride will once again become one of the fastest in the world.

Steve Martindale, Six Flags Over Texas president, said some "serious math and physics" went into the design of a $10 million renovation. The 20-year-old ride will have a top speed of 65 mph, the steepest drop in the world at 79 degrees, the steepest bank of any wooden roller coaster at 95 degrees, and "a lot more air time."

About 15 percent of the Texas Giant's wooden structure is being rebuilt, and the steel track is being replaced. It's also getting new passenger trains, and braking and control systems, Martindale said.

"It will be as smooth as glass," he said Wednesday. "Today the real excitement begins. What we've got right here is a new crossbreed. It's going to take the entire industry by storm."

Crews on Wednesday laid the first piece of the new red track that will replace the existing mile-long rail system.

Rocky Mountain Construction Group, based in Hayden, Idaho, is handling the work. The company has worked on roller coasters at other Six Flags parks.

Park officials expect roller-coaster riders from around the world to convene in Arlington next spring for the ride's reopening. More than 700,000 guests rode the Texas Giant in the 2009 season, and that could top 1 million in 2011, Martindale said.

"Everyone is always looking for that next big thing," he said.
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^^This somewhat confirms what Screamscape said and it was also in the first article in "Amusement Today".
 
^ My mistake, I thought it was completely steel.

Well, seems like the whole track is being replaced.
 
^ I guess that most will, since it's so little left on the original layout...
 
Yep this would definitely be a new credit. Being as I've never been, it would be new anyway.. ;)
 
^And another credit for me! :p



But I really hope they don't take out the Magic Carpet ending. That's one of the BEST parts of the ride.
 
I'm not really seeing what is so exciting about this. Yeah, it's a huge change to the ride, and it will surely be smoother...but it just seems like it will take the excitement out of the ride.

If you watch a POV of Texas Giant, you will see that the ride mostly consists of turns...not too many air-time opportunities (maybe now, because the wildness of the ride can give it random moments, but with all steel track I don't think you'll be getting much air on smooth, banked turns).

You're basically taking the roughness away and replacing it with steel track, and removing the wildness by re-tracking, banking turns, etc. Sounds boring.

I'm sure it will be good for the ride as it has looked like a mess for years, but in a way it's taking the rides' character out of Texas Giant...if that makes any sense.

Then again, I could be completely wrong and like UC said only half of the ride will be re-tracked...we'll see.
 
From all the things I've read so far, almost all of it will be re-tracked, but not necessarily changed. You'd see how exciting this was if you ever rode it. If you've rode Mean Streak you should have an idea of how this will affect SFOT. In terms of roughness (in my book) this could compare to SOB and if you call that excitement then I hate to see anything less than that. This renovation is for resurrecting this ride, because it's really gone down. Sure it's not at a big park like SFGA, or SFMM, and not all woodies are made on airtime you know.


This thing is "wild" like you said, but not the good type of wild like you'd expect. It's called the "Texas Giant" for a reason. Sure it was one back in its glory days, but recently it's been so bad to where people don't want to risk hurting themselves. A 79 degree drop isn't exciting? What about it being taller? Banked turns that are past vertical aren't exciting? The character of Texas Giant isn't necessarily being wild, but showing that most of the time, "Everything's Bigger In Texas" and this renovation proves it.
 
I know what you mean. I have ridden Mean Streak, and I can only picture Texas Giant being worse. This upgrade is good in that the ride will actually be rideable now, I just can't picture Texas Giant's layout with steel track. The ride just wasn't made to be a steel coaster IMO.
 
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