Goliath (Six Flags Magic Mountain)

Roller coaster in the United States
Watch the on-ride POV
Goliath
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Location Valencia, California, USA
Park section Goliath Plaza
Status Operating since February 11, 2000
Cost $30,000,000 USD
Rider height 48 inch minimum
Statistics
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
HELP

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 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]

The ride opened on February 11, 2000.[4]

A small error was made while the ride's parts were being manufactured by Giovanola. The very last track piece before the final brake run was about 6 inches (152.4 mm) too short. The mistake was found while the final piece was being bolted to the ride, and a supplementary track piece had to be made to fill the gap.[5]

In November 2013, seatbelts were added to Goliath, along with Full Throttle.[6]

Design

Elements

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.[7] The ride reopened on June 14 after OSHA investigators deemed the ride safe to operate.[8]

Images

References

  1. "Giovanola Track Spotted At Six Flags Magic Mountain". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  2. "Construction Begins At Six Flags Magic Mountain". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  3. "Six Flags Magic Mountain Announces Another Giant". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  4. Six Flags Magic Mountain Opens The New Giant - Ultimate Rollercoaster
  5. "The Bankruptcy of a Giovanola: The Final Coasters - Anaconda, Goliath & Titan | Expedition Extinct". Expedition Theme Park.
  6. "Seat Belts Added To Both Goliath And Full Throttle". The Coaster Guy.
  7. 28-Year Old Female Dies While Riding Goliath - Ultimate Rollercoaster
  8. Six Flags Magic Mountain Reopens Goliath Roller Coaster - Ultimate Rollercoaster

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


Articles on Six Flags Magic Mountain