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Manufacturer | Giovanola | ||||||||||||||
Product | Mega Coaster | ||||||||||||||
Designer / calculations | Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH | ||||||||||||||
Type | Steel - Hyper | ||||||||||||||
Riders per train | 30 | ||||||||||||||
Hourly capacity | 1600 | ||||||||||||||
Propulsion | Chain lift hill | ||||||||||||||
Height | 235 feet | ||||||||||||||
Drop | 255 feet | ||||||||||||||
Top speed | 85 mph | ||||||||||||||
Length | 4500 feet | ||||||||||||||
Inversions | 0 | ||||||||||||||
Drop angle | 61° | ||||||||||||||
Duration | 3:00 | ||||||||||||||
G-Force | 4.5 |

Goliath is a steel hyper roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, USA. It opened on February 11, 2000, and was the fastest complete-circuit coaster in the world. That record, however, was quickly eclipsed by Millennium Force at Cedar Point three months later.
The ride is one of three coasters designed and manufactured by Giovanola. The other two are Titan at Six Flags Over Texas and Anaconda at Gold Reef City. It is almost identical to Titan, which opened a year after Goliath. However, Titan has an extra helix prior to the mid-course brake run and thus has a longer track length. Goliath is one of two hyper roller coasters in California, with the other one being Xcelerator at Knott's Berry Farm.
History
On January 29, 1999, track pieces arrived at Six Flags Magic Mountain. It was then confirmed that the new attraction would be a hyper roller coaster.[1] Vertical construction officially began in April 1999.[2]
On November 11, 1999, Six Flags Magic Mountain announced that the new coaster would be named Goliath.[3][4]
The ride opened on February 11, 2000.[5][6]
In November 2013, seatbelts were added to Goliath, along with Full Throttle.[7]
Design
Elements |
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Colour scheme
Orange track and blue supports.
Trains
5 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows, for a total of 30 riders per train.
Incident
On June 2, 2001, a 28-year-old woman died after suffering brain damage while riding Goliath. While the ride was initially closed, it reopened later that day after an inspection. The following day, an autopsy failed to find a pre-existing condition and Goliath was once again closed for investigation.[8] The ride reopened on June 14 after OSHA investigators deemed the ride safe to operate.[9]
Images
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View of the lift hill
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Goliath's station
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View of the queue line
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The stone feet
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The first drop
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The safety sign
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The tunnel
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The helix
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The backstage portion
References
- ↑ "Giovanola Track Spotted At Six Flags Magic Mountain". Ultimate Rollercoaster. February 1, 1999. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ↑ "Construction Begins At Six Flags Magic Mountain". Ultimate Rollercoaster. May 1, 1999. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ↑ "Six Flags Magic Mountain Announces Another Giant". Ultimate Rollercoaster. November 11, 1999. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ↑ Worden, Leon (November 12, 1999). "Goliath Unchained at Six Flags". The Signal. p. 1. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ↑ Wilder, Kristen (February 11, 2024). "Unleashing the Beast". The Signal. p. 1. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ↑ "Six Flags Magic Mountain Opens The New Giant". Ultimate Rollercoaster. February 11, 2000. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ↑ Dahlin, Kurt (November 24, 2013). "Seat Belts Added To Both Goliath And Full Throttle". The Coaster Guy. Archived from the original on May 14, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ↑ "28-Year Old Female Dies While Riding Goliath". Ultimate Rollercoaster. June 4, 2001. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ↑ "Six Flags Magic Mountain Reopens Goliath Roller Coaster". Ultimate Rollercoaster. June 16, 2001. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
External links
- Goliath on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
Fastest complete-circuit roller coaster February 2000 - May 2000 | ||
Preceded by Fujiyama |
Fastest complete-circuit roller coaster February 2000 - May 2000 |
Succeeded by Millennium Force |