Six Flags’ Texas Giant Gets a Steel Makeover for 2011
For months we’ve known that Texas Giant was closed and would not be open until the 2011 season. It was pretty clear that Six Flags was going to give the 24 year old woodie some needed rehab and/or re-tracking. But recently it was announced that Rocky Mountain Construction Group is going to give Texas Giant a first-ever upgrade. The company has been working for three years on a new steel track that will sit on top of the wooden coaster support structure. They’ve described it as a “Super Hybrid”, as the wooden coaster will have steel track. Read more about the new steel track at Rocky Mountain Construction’s website.
Goofy Titles, Marketing-Speak, & Real Classifications
So, does Texas Giant really become a new breed of roller coaster? Will it’s classification be switched from wood to steel? Here’s my take starting with the definition of a wooden coaster. According to Wikipedia a wooden coaster is defined as:
A wooden roller coaster or woodie is most often classified as a roller coaster with laminated steel running rails overlaid upon a wooden track. Occasionally, the structure may be made out of a steel lattice or truss, but the ride remains classified as a wooden roller coaster due to the track design.
If you like this definition, Texas Giant will no longer be a wooden coaster as it will have a completely steel track. There are other steel roller coasters with wooden support structures. (That’d be a great quiz question.) The odd looking Excalibur at Valleyfair! and the twin track racing coaster, Gemini at Cedar Point come to mind first. RCDB lists 22 Steel (Hybrid Structure) Roller Coasters. Many of them are mine train roller coasters. Included in the list is Texas Giant. So, as I figured, the Roller Coaster Database has now classified Texas Giant as a steel roller coaster. Although, it will be the strangest looking steel coaster on the planet!
A Real Super Hybrid
Texas Giant might be worthy of a new classification or the moniker of “Super Hybrid” if it had both steel and wooden track sections. That could be the best of both worlds. The fastest and most intense sections could be at the beginning of the ride as the steel track would lessen the abuse on the riders. Then, the coaster could finish the final third or so with traditional wooden 
track like in a ‘magic carpet-like’ or bunny hill section towards the end. Son of Beast had a steel section when it had a loop. Why couldn’t it be done again only with hills and turns and not with an inversion?
A Giant Improvement or An Abomination?
My first reaction to the news was excitement. I’ve never hesitated to share my disdain for being punished by wooden coasters. So, anyone that’s out to make them smoother and require less maintenance is doing the right thing in my eyes. I do wonder whether the end product will be too smooth. Even so, I’m not the type of enthusiasts that will mind. El Toro is my top wooden coaster and it’s as smooth as glass. That’s an odd wooden coaster in it’s own right with it’s fast and quiet lift hill and steel-like ride. Some woodie purists don’t like El Toro for that reason and I’m sure there will be some Texas Giant detractors for the same reasons. I would imagine there are some that are going as far as calling the overhaul plans an abomination! Where do you fall on the rehab? I’m just glad that I haven’t been to the park yet so I’ll get to experience it along with everything else that will be new to me like Titan, Shockwave, and Mr. Freeze.
Six Flags Continues the Era of Rehabs/Re-Themes
This news continues Six Flags trend of rehabbing roller coasters instead of cranking out new ones. Texas Giant’s rehab is reported to cost $10 million. That’s easily equivalent to the cost of a small to medium sized new roller coaster. Personally, I like the move and I’d like to see them continue to improve what they already have in their parks. While, I haven’t ridden either of the Bizarros yet and while they may not have “needed” those upgrades, I do like the thinking behind the revamps. I just hope that they focus their attention on more of the older rides that really need the enhancements. Coasters like Cyclone at Six Flags New England and Rolling Thunder at Six Flags Great Adventure could really use a new lease on life. Increasing the popularity and ridership on older rides is a great idea.
What’s Your Take?
What do you think of the Texas Giant hybrid makeover? Have you ridden Texas Giant? Do you like Six Flags’ rehab/re-theme business model? Leave a comment below.
I’ve got to thank Eric for his News Flash on Theme Park Syndicate on the Texas Giant. It spurred me to write this post.
March 9, 2010 at 10:21
I'm calling it a Reverse Hybrid.
Wood Coasters:
Woodie (All Wood)
Hybrid Woodie (Wood Track, Steel Supports)
Steel Coasters:
Steel (All Steel)
Reverse Hybrid (Steel Track, Wood Supports)
March 9, 2010 at 12:11
CC, I think you mean Rolling Thunder not Thunder Road.
March 10, 2010 at 17:55
Yep. That's Rolling Thunder at SFGADV.
March 11, 2010 at 03:05
i was a little confused reading that, i was thinking: " wait that is it`s name… right?"
March 10, 2010 at 04:10
great idea, but i`m not going to call it a woodie anymore. not that i`m calling it an abomination, but it`s not a woodie, just saying… or, typing. I`m not exactly saying it`s a problem not being a woodie. I don`t think think it will look bad though, thewre were some pictures on the site.
March 10, 2010 at 11:29
Although having never ridden this ride I am totally in favor of doing this sort of renovation/revamp. On the other hand I have to question the overall thought process of Six Flags when they are changing the most popular rides in the park. I hope they learned that changing the already popular rides was not very effective and with this they find out that revamping old rides can really help and they continue to do this with other rides.
March 12, 2010 at 17:02
Errr… aren`t you prettey much copying CC saying that?
March 11, 2010 at 15:39
I think Texas Giant should start a whole new classification of Roller Coasters. The way it is described sort of sounds like the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad coasters at Disney. I also think that it should be given a new name other than Texas Giant when it reopens for 2011. Like you said CC, they shold do this to more woodies like Son of Beast (after a fairly decent enough reaction is built). Oh and Excalibur at Valleyfair! shold be torn down. I hate it. It is too rickety. We need a B&M up here.
March 11, 2010 at 15:45
I just followed the link on this article to RMC's website, and they helped vekoma with the Deja Vu clones! From one of he pictures, it looked like they built the vekoma creations. If the Deja Vu clone downtime says anything about what will and can happen to Texas Giant, I am worried to find out. CC, review it when it reopens, okay?
June 12, 2010 at 10:24
I worked for CCI from 1996 to the end, missing the construction of the Texas Giant, I've since worked for a couple of different companies. In my professional opinion it's gonna be interesting. I kinda have a problem believing the structure will hold up. While the track is a solid piece of wood, 8 layers thick, it still flexes as the train goes past. Combined with the structure flexing, this creates a shock absorber effect, which I believe is much easier on the ride. I'm pretty sure you won't get the same effect when it is tracked with steel. I'm not an engineer(yet) so I really don't know the long term implications, but I'm sure looking forward to reading the posts…
November 16, 2010 at 12:23
I'll be checking for posts too, I never thought it could never effect it like that, but I hope it dosen't.
November 13, 2010 at 18:33
I would just like to point out that the only part of Son of Beast's loop that was steel (or any other part of the track for that matter) was the spine and supports for the loop, the running rails that the trains actually rolled on were just like standard wooden coaster track, pieces of wood sandwiched together with a thin piece of steel keeping the train wheels from indenting the wood.
April 21, 2011 at 13:53
I've been going to this park since the Giant opened. I was like 10 or so. I'm 32 now. While I've loved this coaster for a long time, the last few years of it had become such a brutal beating that I didn't want to ride it but once a trip anymore. My girlfriend flat out refused after the last time she rode it. I was sore everytime I got off it. This renovation was absolutely called for and any who say it wasn't, haven't ridden it in the last 5 years. I'm stoked about it and I'll be making a trip to Six Flags in the next few weeks to ride the legend once again. Good move Six Flags.
October 2, 2011 at 16:54
The New Texas Giant is an incredible ride its so smooth and full or airtime and extremely banked turns and a plus is the theming is pretty great for a non-disney/indoor coaster. I highly recommend this coaster and all of the others in the park