Iron Rattler

Coordinates: 29°35′55″N 98°36′47″W / 29.5986°N 98.6131°W / 29.5986; -98.6131
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Iron Rattler
Flash Pass available
Iron Rattler at RCDB

Iron Rattler is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. Originally opening as a wooden coaster called Rattler in 1992, it was converted to steel and renamed Iron Rattler in 2013. Designed by Alan Schilke and built by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), the ride features a zero-g-roll inversion, which was a first among hybrid coasters made of wood and steel.[2][3]

The wooden Rattler was constructed by the now-defunct and controversial Roller Coaster Corporation of America, opening as the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the world. It featured a height of 179 feet (55 m), a drop of 166 feet (51 m). Following head and neck injury reports, Rattler was toned down in 1994 with a major reduction to its first drop. RMC modified the wooden Rattler by placing new steel track on top of the existing wooden support structure. The first drop was steepened to 81 degrees and lowered from 124 to 171 feet (38 to 52 m), resulting in a top speed of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h).

History

Wooden coaster

The Rattler had been constructed by

Gaylord Entertainment Company insisted on having the tallest wooden coaster in the world.[4] It held this title until 1994, when the bottom valley of the first drop was raised by 42 feet changing the overall drop from 166 to 124 feet (51 to 38 m).[5]

The Rattler in 2006, showing the raised first drop.

In late 2009,

I-Box track, retaining a wooden support structure. The refurbishment was ultimately a success with "resoundingly positive reviews from riders". The park's parent company, Six Flags, immediately began looking for other rides in its chain which would benefit from a similar overhaul.[7]

Hybrid refurbishment

At the

IAAPA 2011 Trade Show, Alan Schilke of RMC revealed that the company had two projects that it would be working on for 2013 openings – one of which was an I-Box conversion of a wooden roller coaster.[8] It was later revealed by the Spokane Journal of Business that The Rattler would be completely refurbished in 2013 with new track and trains in a manner similar to that used by the company on the New Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas in 2011.[9] Although Six Flags had not publicly confirmed its plans, the park announced that The Rattler would close on August 5, 2012.[5][10] At the end of the operating day on August 5, 2012, park personnel and select enthusiasts took the final ride, after which, The Rattler, as a wood coaster, ceased operation.[11]

Six Flags Fiesta Texas announced in August 2012 that the now-closed Rattler would be revamped into a steel-tracked coaster 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.[2][12]

The

media on May 15, 2013. The grand opening of the Iron Rattler took place May 25, 2013.[14][15] Following the deadly incident on the New Texas Giant on July 19, 2013,[16][17][18] Six Flags Fiesta Texas temporarily closed Iron Rattler, pending investigation findings from its sister park, because the two rides share several similarities.[19][20] In under a month, Iron Rattler reopened on August 14 with seat belts as another added restraint to the two trains.[21][22]

Characteristics

Iron Rattler uses overbanked turns and steel track

Iron Rattler is located in the Western-themed Crackaxle Canyon area of Fiesta Texas, sitting next to the

trains manufactured by Gerstlauer. Each train is made up of six cars which seat riders in two rows of two.[24] Riders are restrained through the use of a lap bar and a seat belt.[21][24]

The table below compares the original Rattler, with the updated Iron Rattler ride. The original ride by the Roller Coaster Corporation of America was approximately 1,800 feet (550 m) longer due to a 900° helix atop the quarry walls. The refurbished ride by Rocky Mountain Construction features a steeper and longer first drop, thus achieving a faster speed.[25][26]

Statistic The Rattler[26][27] Iron Rattler[25]
Years 1992–1994 1994–2012 2013–present
Manufacturer Roller Coaster Corporation of America Rocky Mountain Construction
Designer John Pierce Alan Schilke
Track Wood Steel
Height 179 ft or 55 m
Drop 166 ft or 51 m 124 ft or 38 m 171 ft or 52 m
Length 5,080 ft or 1,550 m — 3,266 ft or 995 m
Speed 63–73 mph or 101–117 km/h 65 mph or 105 km/h 70 mph or 110 km/h
Inversions 0 1
Max vertical angle 61.4° 81°
Trains Morgan PTC Gerstlauer

Ride experience

The ride begins by exiting out of the

brake run and returns to the station.[12][25][28][29]

Reception

One of the themed trains departing the station

Iron Rattler has generally been well received. Keith Miller of

About.com gave the ride 4.5 out of 5 stars. Levine applauded Six Flags for replacing a bad wooden roller coaster with "a wonderful, remarkably smooth, thoroughly fun and enjoyable ride". He also gives kudos to Rocky Mountain Construction who manufactured the I-Box track and redesigned the ride.[30] Brenda Solis of KLQB described the ride as "the most intense, craziest roller coaster ever". She also compared the renovated ride to the original ride, stating "the old Rattler wasn't as scary or intense or fast as the new one".[31]

Before Iron Rattler's debut year, Rattler was only ranked once in the

Golden Ticket Awards for the 2011 Top 50 Wooden Coasters ranked at 47 in the world, since the creation of the award in 1998.[32] After the renovation in 2013, Iron Rattler was ranked highly by the voters. The ride was ranked the second-best new ride of 2013 with 19% of the vote.[33][34] It also ranked at position 11 for the world's best steel roller coasters its debut year.[35]

Awards

Golden Ticket Awards
: Top steel Roller Coasters
Year 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023
Ranking 11[35] 12[36] 19[37] 21[38] 4[39] 7[40] 7[41] 12[42] 14[43] 15 (tie)[44]

References

  1. ^ "These 17 roller coasters have been named the best rides of 2017". Berlin, Germany: Business Insider. September 17, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Morton, Neal (August 30, 2012). "Steel up for Iron Rattler". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
  3. ^ Seifert, Jeffrey (2013). "2013 North American Park Preview". Amusement Today. 17 (2): 6–7.
  4. ISSN 0896-7261
    .
  5. ^ a b Pack, William (July 9, 2012). "Fiesta Texas' famed Rattler is going silent". MySanAntonio. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  6. Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original
    on June 24, 2009. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  7. ^
    IAAPA. Archived from the original
    on August 17, 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  8. ^ Schilke, Alan (November 16, 2011). "IAAPA 2011". Theme Park Review (Interview). Interviewed by Robb Alvey. Orlando, Florida.
  9. ^ McLean, Mike (January 19, 2012). "North Idaho roller coaster maker expands to accommodate innovations". Spokane Journal of Business. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  10. ^ Six Flags Fiesta Texas (July 9, 2012). "Last Chance to Ride The Rattler as it Slithers Away". Press Release. Six Flags. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  11. ^ Rutherford, Scott (2012). "Parks removing icons to gear up for 2013 new rides". Amusement Today. 16 (6.1): 10.
  12. ^ a b c Thompson, Mike (2012). "Rattler to get the kinks ironed out". ACE News. 25 (1). Zanesville, Ohio: American Coaster Enthusiasts: 6.
  13. ^ National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives (April 16, 2013). "The NRCMA is holding an auction to..." Facebook. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  14. ^ Morton, Neal (May 15, 2013). "Enthusiasts get a shaky first ride on Iron Rattler". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  15. ^ "171-foot free fall! Natalie Tejeda's hilarious scream down Iron Rattler". kens5.com. May 15, 2013. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  16. ^ Wilonsky, Robert (July 19, 2013). "Breaking: Woman dies on Six Flags' Texas Giant roller coaster". dallasnews.com. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  17. ^ Kretz, Chelsea; Collins, Calvert (July 19, 2013). "Six Flags: Woman died while riding Texas Giant". KDFW FOX 4. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  18. ^ James, Michael; Shaw, Alexis (July 20, 2013). "Witnesses on Six Flags Over Texas Roller Coaster Death: 'That Could Have Been Me'". ABC News. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  19. ^ "Iron Rattler remains closed as Six Flags investigates woman's death". KENS. July 22, 2013. Archived from the original on July 22, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  20. ^ "Fiesta Texas temporarily closes Iron Rattler". News4 San Antonio. July 22, 2013. Archived from the original on July 26, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  21. ^ a b "Six Flags adds seat belts to Iron Rattler after deadly fall in Arlington". kens.com. August 15, 2013. Archived from the original on August 15, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  22. ^ Ibanez, David (August 14, 2013). "Iron Rattler reopens at Fiesta Texas in San Antonio". ksat.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  23. ^ Morton, Neal (August 30, 2012). "Steel up for Iron Rattler". MySanAntonio. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
  24. ^ a b "Snakes on a train". Park World Magazine: 38. July 2013.
  25. ^ a b c Marden, Duane. "Iron Rattler  (Six Flags Fiesta Texas)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  26. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Rattler". Roller Coaster DataBase. Archived from the original on December 9, 2009. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  27. ^ "World's tallest wooden coaster 'Rattler' strikes at Fiesta Texas in March" (Press release). Fiesta Texas.
  28. Theme Park Review. YouTube. Archived
    from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  29. ^ "Six Flags Fiesta Texas debuts Iron Rattler". Park World Magazine: 16. June 2013.
  30. About.com. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original
    on July 13, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  31. ^ Morton, Neal (May 15, 2013). "Enthusiasts get a shaky first ride on Iron Rattler". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  32. ^ "2011 Top 50 Wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 46–47. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  33. ^ Baldwin, Tim (September 2013). "Silver Dollar City, Dollywood win Best New Rides" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  34. ^ "Park and ride winners" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 4. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  35. ^ a b "2013 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 34–35. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
  36. ^ "2014 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 46–47. September 2014.
  37. ^ "2015 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 49–50. September 2015.
  38. Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today
    . September 2016.
  39. Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today
    . September 2017.
  40. Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today
    . September 2018.
  41. Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today
    . September 2019.
  42. Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2021. Archived
    from the original on November 15, 2021.
  43. Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2022. Archived
    from the original on September 12, 2022.
  44. ^ "2023 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Amusement Today. 27 (6.2): 66–70. September 2023. Archived from the original on September 10, 2023.

External links

Preceded by World's Tallest Wooden Roller Coaster
1992–June 2000 		Succeeded by

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