Colossus
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Colossus
Six Flags Magic Mountain · US · International Amusement Devices Dual-track wooden coaster
“Valencia gave wood two tracks and called it Colossus.”
UNOFFICIAL · NOT PARK-ENDORSED
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Fast facts
- Opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain on June 29, 1978, in Valencia, California. en.wikipedia.org
- Built by International Amusement Devices as a dual-track wooden coaster. en.wikipedia.org
- Stood 38.1 metres, or 125 feet, tall and reached 100 km/h, or 62 mph. en.wikipedia.org
- Ran without inversions and was listed for 2,600 riders per hour. en.wikipedia.org
- Opened at a final reported cost of seven million dollars. en.wikipedia.org
- Closed permanently on August 16, 2014, after more than 36 years in service. en.wikipedia.org
- Its wooden structure was retained in part for the 2015 steel-track conversion, Twisted Colossus. prnewswire.com
The story of Colossus
For its 1978 season, Magic Mountain sought the older music of timber, a rumble and sway that the steel coasters of the day could not quite supply. International Amusement Devices began the design work in January 1977, and construction followed that August, giving Valencia a great paired course of wood. en.wikipedia.org
When Colossus opened to visitors on June 29, 1978, it was presented as an engineering achievement of unusual scale. At 38.1 metres tall and 100 km/h, it stood among the grandest wooden rides of its day, and its two tracks allowed the afternoon crowds to move in handsome procession. en.wikipedia.org
The ride was altered as the years passed. In 1979 it closed for about ten months while several hills were reprofiled, and later train and braking changes followed. Colossus remained a park landmark through these revisions, a broad timber presence for generations of Southern California visitors. en.wikipedia.org
Six Flags marked August 16, 2014, as the final operating day for Colossus, closing its 36-year reign at the park. Later that month the company announced Twisted Colossus, a 2015 conversion using Iron Horse steel track while retaining much of the old wooden structure. s204.q4cdn.com· prnewswire.com
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org Acceptable source
- prnewswire.com Acceptable source
- s204.q4cdn.com Acceptable source