Goliath is an
inverted roller coaster
An inverted roller coaster is a roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. This latter attribute is what sets it apart from the older suspended coaster, which runs under the tr ...
located at
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Six Flags Fiesta Texas, formerly known simply as Fiesta Texas, is a theme park located in Northwest San Antonio. It opened on March 14, 1992, in the La Cantera, San Antonio, La Cantera master-planned development and district as the first busines ...
in
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
, Texas, United States. Designed by
Werner Stengel
Werner Stengel (born 22 August 1936, in Bochum) is a German roller coaster designer and engineer. Stengel is the founder of Stengel Engineering, also known as Ingenieurbüro Stengel GmbH (or Ingenieurbuero Stengel GmbH).
Stengel first worked on a ...
and
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
manufacturer
Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard, officially Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers, Inc. and often abbreviated B&M, is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabil ...
, Goliath initially opened in 1995 at an amusement park in Japan, and has been operating at Six Flags Fiesta Texas since 2008. It stands at a height of , reaches a maximum speed of , and features multiple inversions.
History
![Aerial view of SFNO after Hurricane Katrina edit](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Aerial_view_of_SFNO_after_Hurricane_Katrina_edit.jpg)
Goliath originally opened in 1995 as ''Gambit'' at Odakyu Gotemba Family Land, a former amusement park in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
that was later known as Thrill Valley.
When Thrill Valley closed on May 6, 2002,
Six Flags purchased several of its rides, including Gambit, and transported them to various Six Flags parks.
Gambit went to one of their newly acquired theme parks,
Six Flags New Orleans
Six Flags New Orleans is an abandoned theme park located near the intersection of Interstate 10 and Interstate 510 in New Orleans. It first opened as Jazzland in 2000, and a leasing agreement was established with Six Flags in 2002 following the ...
.
It was repainted and renamed
Batman: The Ride in accordance with the park chain's use of
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
theming and reopened on April 12, 2003.
After
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
made landfall over New Orleans in 2005, the park's drainage system failed, leading to substantial flooding that submerged many of the park's rides in water and damaging them beyond repair. Batman: The Ride survived relatively unscathed primarily due to its high elevation above sea level and corrosion-resistant support structure. When flooding retreated, Six Flags New Orleans was permanently closed, and any rides that could be salvaged were moved to other parts of the country.
Batman: The Ride was moved to
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Six Flags Fiesta Texas, formerly known simply as Fiesta Texas, is a theme park located in Northwest San Antonio. It opened on March 14, 1992, in the La Cantera, San Antonio, La Cantera master-planned development and district as the first busines ...
in
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
and would be refurbished and repainted.
The coaster reopened on April 18, 2008 renamed as Goliath.
Ride experience
![Batman The Ride](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Batman_The_Ride.jpg)
After departing from the
station
Station may refer to:
Agriculture
* Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production
* Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle
** Cattle statio ...
, the train immediately climbs the chain
lift hill
A lift hill, or chain hill, is an upward-sloping section of track on a roller coaster on which the roller coaster train is mechanically lifted to an elevated point or peak in the track. Upon reaching the peak, the train is then propelled from th ...
.
At the top, the train makes a sharp
downward right turn into the roller coaster's first element, a
vertical loop
The generic roller coaster vertical loop, where a section of track causes the riders to complete a 360 degree turn, is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. At the top of the loop, riders are completely inverted.
History
The vertical ...
, reaching a top speed of approximately . After exiting the loop, the train enters a
zero-g roll
Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements".
Comm ...
inversion before entering a second vertical loop. This is followed by an upward right-handed helix and a downward left turn into a series of
corkscrews separate by a sharp left turn. The train then veers right into a
brake run
A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track meant to slow or stop a roller coaster train. Brake runs may be located anywhere along the circuit of a coaster and may be designed to bring the train to a complete halt or to simply adjust ...
and returns to the station. One cycle of the ride lasts approximately 2 minutes.
Track
Goliath has a track length of and climbs to a height of .
As Gambit at Thrill Valley, the ride featured a painted black spine and black crossties, unpainted rails and grey supports. When it was known as Batman: The Ride in New Orleans, the track was painted black and orange with grey supports. At Six Flags Fiesta Texas, the ride has a blue track with yellow supports. Friction brakes are used to control the speed of the train. The track was manufactured by
Clermont Steel Fabricators located in
Batavia, Ohio
Batavia ( ) is a village in and the county seat of Clermont County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,509 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Batavia is located at (39.077332, -84.179160).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the ...
.
Goliath is a clone of Bolliger & Mabillard's Batman model. The original was introduced in 1992 and became a huge success after multiple parks introduced it to their lineup. Today, the Batman model can be found all over the world. Goliath differs from other models as it is a mirror image. It is not the only Batman model to be found in San Antonio;
SeaWorld introduced
The Great White first in 1997.
Trains
Goliath operates two steel and fiberglass trains with seven cars each. Each car seats four riders in a single row for a total of 28 riders per train.
The supports for the seats are orange, the seats themselves are black with yellow over-the-shoulder restraints connected to each one, and the coverings for the wheels are orange, blue, and yellow.
References
External links
Official websitefor Goliath
{{Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Roller coasters in Texas
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Roller coasters operated by Six Flags
Steel roller coasters
Inverted roller coasters
Roller coasters introduced in 2008
Inverted roller coasters manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard