For the past several years, a wonderful and revolutionary development has been shaking up the park industry and exciting park fans. Older wooden roller coasters that had become excessively rough have been given a new lease of life. Rather than literally shaking up and disappointing riders, reborn roller coasters give them incredibly smooth rides and make them smile.
Using a revolutionary technique, an innovative roller coaster manufacturer has been tearing the traditional wooden tracks off old rides and replacing them with new steel coasters, thus creating hybrid wood and steel roller coasters. The revolution began at Six Flags Over Texas with its legendary but badass Texas Giant. After Six Flags made the transformation in 2011, it dubbed the New Texas Giant hybrid coaster.
In 2015, I was able to ride the roller coaster that hybrid fashion started. So what was the New Texas Giant like? It was everything I thought it would be: deliciously smooth, yet wild, and packed with gigantic doses of airtime and fun.
Roller Coaster Statistics
- Mountain type: hybrid wood and steel tornado
- Top speed: 65 mph
- Height: 153 feet
- Drop: 147 feet
- Angle of descent: 79 degrees
- Minimum ride height: 48 inches
- Amusement Manufacturer: Rocky Mountain Construction
It’s the Cadillac of Coasters
As you approach the New Texas Giant, you can’t miss its most prominent feature – its bright orange track. Known as the IBox track (also known as the Iron Horse), its unique setup helped turn the once-ridiculed coaster into the spectacularly smooth ride that it is today. It is not a wooden mountain track or a tubular steel one that is used on conventional steel mountains. Instead, it is shaped like the letter “I”, with the train’s guide wheels snugly set in the track channels.
As you enter the station, you will be struck by the second most prominent feature of the trip: its crazy trains. They are designed like vintage Cadillacs, with chrome grills and hood trims on the main cars. Inexplicably, the trains also include side windows.
In addition to changing the track, travel manufacturer Rocky Mountain Construction also modified the design of the roller coaster. Emboldened by its rock-solid IBox track, the folks at RMC raised the height of the lift hill from the original ride from 10 feet to 153 feet. That lengthened the first drop an additional 10 feet to 147 feet. Instead of 53 degrees, RMC reconfigured the first dip to 79 degrees. All the settings increased speed from 3 mph to a pretty fierce 65 mph.
Clicking and going up, the climb up the hill, the passengers find a sign at the top. Instead of something traditional like “Don’t stand,” the sign says, “Wait! Let’s discuss this! ” You have to love joy.
The first drop was glorious. Bottling and rising, New Texas Giant delivered its first airtime pop. I rode in the rear and front of the train and found that the seats towards the front offered a more pronounced transmission time.
This roller coaster gives you the hub
Regardless of where I sat, the smooth ride of the roller coaster was evident. Instead of the clunky, sometimes jarring wooden roller coaster experience, the train hugged the track and offered a stable and safe ride. However, New Texas Giant managed to retain some of its wood mountain essence. It really felt like the combination of a wood and steel coaster, which is precisely what it is.
After the airtime hill, the roller coaster went into one of its overloaded turns. And by overloaded, I mean 95 degrees or more on the side. Still, no matter what items they encountered, the train and its passengers remained in control and free from shudders or any sudden sensations.
Turning in and out of itself, the ride offered more glorious airtime and highly steep turns before hitting a brake race mid-course. For its final act, the roller coaster featured three tunnels, the first of which is identified as the ‘Angus Oil and Gas Shaft’. After the disorienting tunnels, the still fierce but smooth ride returned to the station.
With so many wonderful things to say, you may be wondering why I give the New Texas Giant only four stars. Had I reviewed it when it debuted in 2011, it could have been more generous. However, I have been lucky enough to ride Iron Rattler at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Twisted Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain. The two hybrid roller coasters, which opened after the Six Flags Over Texas ride, owe a debt of gratitude to the original. But in my opinion they have both surpassed the New Texas Giant and brought him down a star.
The follow-up trips demonstrate the incredible potential offered by the IBox track and the hybrid concept. Still, the innovative hybrid coaster is a wonderful ride. (See how some of the roller coasters stack up to the New Texas Giant in my roundup of the best hybrid wood and steel roller coasters.)
It is easy to see why the trend to transform old forests has accelerated throughout the industry. Take a ride on the New Texas Giant and you will shout, “Long live the revolution!”
