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SFMM Colossus Iron Horse renovation rumors

tomahawk

tomahawk

Strata Poster
via Screamscape
2014-2015 - Colossus Refurbishment - (1/10/13) Screamscape sources tell us that management at Six Flags Magic Mountain may have received early confirmation that Colossus will be tapped to be the next Six Flags coaster to get the Iron Horse treatment following the transformation of Rattler to Iron Rattler at Fiesta Texas this year. No word yet on just how much will be changed, but the iconic support structure is expected to remain essentially the same. If true, look for Colossus to go away forever before the end of the year, though it seems like the park may try to promote the final days of Colossus rather than just quietly shut it down, so you may get some early warning.
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I've been waiting for news on this to pick up some steam ever since hearing about it at the Texas Giant media day. If this is true, I can really see them running an advertisement campaign running both sides racing like it originally did, probably starting around Memorial Day or July 4. Maybe market it with Full Throttle and bring in the older generation to "relive" a ride of their past.

Wonder if they would keep it as a racing or throw it into a single, giant track coaster.
 
For its age this is a remarkably smooth wooden coaster.

I would hope that should these rumors be true, any layout revisions not be too radical - the classic racer layout is no place for overbanked turns and wild inversions.
 
Thinking about it more today, I would love to see one side left alone with the return of the double down, eliminating that awful brake run, while the other side could be given the higher drop, faster speeds, overbank, but still keep the same pace as the other side so they actually race still, if that makes sense.

I would be willing to bet that no matter what happens, the double down returns in some fashion.
 
Colossus is perfectly fine as it is in my opinion.
If anything, the trim brakes kill a lot of the speed, but I don't see the point in completely re-tracking the ride. ..
 
I agree with most of what's been said, especially Marc's comment about America's classic woodies. Anything other than a topper track treatment would be negative. This baby has seen quite a few refurbs, but the Iron Horse is not the way to go.
RMC has been asked to restore Cyclone at SFNE to it's original glory & there's no reason for that not to happen with this baby. The minimum would be to restore the pair of camelback hills on the parking lot side & remove the block brake that was added. Let it duel again & keep the backwards train for Fright Fest!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1ZyHga34hk[/youtube]
 
A shame the brake blocks were added as the last bend is taken so slowly when u should be slammed into the train's paddng :--D

I agree wih ECG, keep it totally wood, remove the brakes & add the double up/down & def backwards riding during Fright Fest, put the coaster back to it's original form. :--D

I'll like to see "Grand National" / "Big Dipper" at BPB or any at Thorpe / Alton have a backwards facing train.
 
In many ways, you could consider Gemini be completely ahead of its time - at a time when wooden racers were the thing, they went steel! :razz:
 
I've never ridden the ride, never even been to Magic Mountain. But if this ride would get the Iron Horse treatment I would definitely be one step closer to booking my flights!
 
So... New Colossus or Iron Colossus?

Anyway, it's nice to (possibly) see an old ride get some attention. Whether it will be better or worse than it was when it was new remains to be seen, but it's certainly better than doing nothing.
 
The actual structure seems to be stable and appears to have a large amount of redundancy. I wouldn't mind at all if they added black and red topper track. As I said before chaining the layout would be sacreligious.
 
To be fair, this and maybe SFNE's would be the only two that are actually 'classics' - Texas Giant and Rattler were both relatively modern before they got done up.

Having said that, I liked Colossus as it is and don't think it's crying out to be ripped down just yet.

Eh.
 
Colossus was OK, but nothing special. If it gets the Iron Horse treatment, hopefully it'll get restored back to how it used to ride before the Morgan trains, and block section were put in. The lift hill slowing to a dead stop at the top also makes the first half of the ride forgettable.

Texas Giant and Rattler must have been costing Six Flags a fortune to maintain, so if this happens to Colossus you could only think the same thing must apply, and it's more beneficial to the business to have it as a hybrid coaster and market it as a new ride.
 
Colossus is a GIANT bore, there is not a single stand out moment on the ride. I'm all for this change if it will finally make for an exciting, airtime filled ride.

What good is a "classic" wooden coaster when it doesn't do anything but meander for 3 minutes? As noble as it sounds to just give it a topper track makeover, to me that still isn't going to make for an exciting ride.

Steeper drops, wicked curves and added airtime hills are what's going to make this ride worth coming out for.
 
^I think you missed the whole point. Topper track will make it smoother, trims will be removed to make it faster, camelbacks will be added back in for more airtime & the coasters will race again. Restoring the coaster to its former glory without giving it the Iron Horse redo will make it more exciting & fun to ride. Simple as...
 
No I get it, I just don't agree.

I know I might be in the minority here, but I don't trust Six Flags to do that type of renovation correctly.

I'd prefer it become a wood/steel hybrid like Outlaw Run, Rattler ect... I find it amazing the types of things the guys at RMC are able to do.
 
But no one has even been on the two coasters you have mentioned so how do you know they are any good?

Out Law Run to me looks average and should just be steel coaster, that's my view on it and I know I seem to be the only one who thinks it does not look great.
 
Newtrek5 said:
I know I might be in the minority here, but I don't trust Six Flags to do that type of renovation correctly.
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We talking about RMC doing the renovation, like they've started with the Cyclone at Six Flags New England & Tremors at Silverwood, so you trust them to do an Iron Horse renovation & should trust them with a topper track one. It's amazing what they've done with topper track on both of those coasters I've ridden & trust me, it will not meander around for 3 minutes if RMC restored it back to its original layout or a modification thereof.
 
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