Goliath (Six Flags Great America)

Wooden roller coaster

Goliath

Goliath's 180 feet (55 m) drop

Six Flags Great America
Location| Six Flags Great America
Park section| County Fair
Coordinates| 42°21′58″N 87°55′52″W﻿ / ﻿42.366111°N 87.931111°W﻿ / 42.366111; -87.931111
Status| Operating
Soft opening date| June 18, 2014 (2014-06-18)[2]
Opening date| June 19, 2014 (2014-06-19)[1]
Replaced| Iron Wolf
General statistics
Manufacturer| Rocky Mountain Construction
Designer| Alan Schilke
Model| Topper Track – Custom
Lift/launch system| Chain lift hill
Height| 165 ft (50 m)
Drop| 180 ft (55 m)
Length| 3,100 ft (940 m)
Speed| 72 mph (116 km/h)
Inversions| 2
Duration| 1:45
Max vertical angle| 85°
Capacity| 800 riders per hour
Height restriction| 48 in (122 cm)
Trains| 2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.

Flash Pass available

Must transfer from wheelchair

Goliath at RCDB

Goliath is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) and designed by Alan Schilke, the roller coaster features RMC's Topper Track design and opened to the public on June 19, 2014. Goliath initially set three world records among wooden coasters, having the longest drop at 180 feet (55 m), the steepest angle of 85 degrees, and the fastest speed of 72 mph (116 km/h). It still holds the record for the longest drop and fastest wooden roller coaster. In addition, the ride also features two inversions and a maximum descent that reaches 15 feet (4.6 m) below ground level.

Goliath was constructed over a nine-month period on the site previously occupied by Iron Wolf, a steel roller coaster removed in 2011 and relocated to Six Flags America. Goliath's opening allowed Great America to claim the title of having the most wooden track in one park, a recognition that was later claimed by Kings Island. Following its record-breaking debut, the coaster was well-received by the media and enthusiasts, and it has consistently ranked in the top 25 among wooden coasters in the annual Golden Ticket Awards publication from Amusement Today.

## History

[edit]

On August 5, 2011, Six Flags Great America announced on its official Facebook page that the Iron Wolf would be closing permanently on September 5, 2011.[3][4] The ride was subsequently removed and relocated to Six Flags America, where it reopened as Apocalypse: The Last Stand. For a brief period, Great America did not release any definitive plans for the site's replacement.[5]

In early August 2013, Six Flags Great America released a teaser campaign entitled "Follow the Journey".[6][7] Later that month, it was revealed Six Flags Great America would be building a 165-foot-tall roller coaster (50 m), with plans to lobby the local zoning committee to exceed the 125-foot (38 m) height limit imposed on the park.[7][8][9][10] The official announcement for Goliath came on August 29, 2013, where it was revealed the new wooden roller coaster would be manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) and open in 2014.[11] As part of the announcement, the ride's statistics were released, along with a concept computer-animated video demonstrating the ride's layout.[11][12][13] Situated on the site of the former Iron Wolf, Goliath utilized a majority of the station and line queue from the former ride, and the station was lengthened to accommodate the longer twelve-row trains.[14][15]

Final design photos were released on Great America's Facebook page on February 21, 2014.[16][17] These revealed a design change in Goliath's lift hill, which was modified to an all-steel structure as opposed to the original wood design. Another computer-animated video was also released on the park's official YouTube channel the same day.[18]

Construction began in September 2013, employing a crew of approximately 35 workers by RMC.[19] The team worked 11-hour days, six days a week through winter in occasional sub-zero temperatures finishing in May 2014,[19] which amounted to approximately 40,000 man hours.[20] Goliath was set to open on May 31, 2014, but the opening was delayed.[21] The lift hill was topped off on May 16,[5] with the first test run taking place two weeks later on May 31, the same day as the original opening.[22] Lightning struck a small section of the ride's station on June 6, 2014, causing it to catch fire briefly before being extinguished.[2] There were no reported injuries or major damage.[2] After testing was completed, Goliath officially opened to the public on June 19, 2014.[1][19]

## Characteristics

[edit]

Goliath was Rocky Mountain Construction's second ground-up wooden roller coaster following the opening of Silver Dollar City's Outlaw Run in early 2013.[23] Although the ride is located in the County Fair section of Six Flags Great America,[13] the name and theme of the ride was chosen purely on the basis of the ride's size and scale.[14] The 3,100-foot-long (940 m) ride stands 165 feet (50 m) tall; however, the ride drops a total of 180 feet (55 m) at an angle of 85° into an underground tunnel. Goliath features two inversions, two overbanked turns, and a top speed of 72 miles per hour (116 km/h).[12][14] Because Goliath was built in such a small space, the lift hill is abnormally steep at an angle of 45°.[24] The entire track was filled with grout to allow a quieter and smoother ride experience. The ride was designed by Alan Schilke.[25]

### Track

[edit]

Goliath's zero gravity stall inversion

The 3,100 feet (940 m) of track is made of six layers of laminated wood, with a steel rectangular tube acting as the topmost layer of track.[20] This type of track is known as Topper Track and allows for more dynamic roller coaster elements to be performed on a wooden roller coaster.[20] Additionally, this track style is designed to reduce the maintenance typically required for a wooden roller coaster and to provide a smoother ride experience.[20]

### Trains

[edit]

Goliath operates with two trains manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction. Each train is made up of six cars, with riders being arranged in two rows of two for a total of 24 riders per train.[14] This configuration caters for approximately 800 riders per hour. The trains feature polyurethane wheels, allowing for a quieter ride. Riders are restrained through the use of an individual lap bar, shin bar, and seatbelt.[12][26]

## Ride experience

[edit]

A train going through an overbanked turn on Goliath

The ride begins with a left turn out of the station before ascending the 165-foot-tall (50 m) chain lift hill at a 45° angle. From the highest point, trains drop 180 feet (55 m) at an angle of 85°, 15 feet (4.6 m) below ground level, reaching their top speed of 72 miles per hour (116 km/h). After this, cars ascend to a height of 125 feet (38 m) for an overbanked turnaround, followed by a descent back to the ground and a small air-time hill. A dive loop is next, where riders are inverted before descending a half loop. The track then enters the second inversion, a zero gravity stall, where the train is suspended upside-down as it crests over a hill underneath the lift hill. This element is followed by a second overbanked turnaround, leading to the brake run and a short path back to the station.[27][28] One cycle of the ride takes approximately 105 seconds to complete.[14]

## Records

[edit]

Goliath claimed three records upon opening. The ride's 180-foot-tall (55 m) drop at 85° was the steepest and is still the longest in the world for wooden roller coasters. The steepness record is now held by Switchback at ZDT's Amusement Park, whose train at one point goes 87 degrees. Goliath is also the fastest wooden roller coaster in the world, with a top speed of 72 miles per hour (116 km/h).[12][13] After Goliath opened, Six Flags Great America had the most wooden roller coaster track of any amusement park in the world.[29] However, this record was later surpassed by Kings Island with the opening of Mystic Timbers in 2017.[30]

## Reception

[edit]

The opening of Goliath was widely reported across the world,[31][32] with those experiencing the ride giving positive reviews. Jessica D'Onofrio of ABC7 Chicago stated Goliath was the smoothest roller coaster she had ever been on, describing it as "a great adrenaline rush".[1] Marcus Leshock of WGN-TV commended the uniqueness of the zero-g stall element, stating "it's something I've never really felt on a coaster before". He describes hanging upside down as a "really nice, fun, exhilarating feeling" without feeling disoriented.[5] Reviewing the ride for Shaw Media, Taylor Trimby of American Coaster Enthusiasts described Goliath as a wonderful ride, stating "You don't have time to prepare for anything. ... You're twisting and turning. ... It's great".[33] Anthony Murphy of Theme Park Insider praised the ride for being "one of the most intense roller coasters" he has ever ridden.[26]

Golden Ticket Awards: Best New Ride for 2014

Ranking  |

3[34]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters  Year | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024

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Ranking  | 23[35] | 14[36] | 13[37] | 13[38] | 19[39] | 27[40] | 26[41] | 26[42] | 32[43] | 24[44]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Figalora, Sarah (June 19, 2014). "Six Flags Opens Goliath, a Record-Breaking New Roller Coaster". Good Morning America. ABC News. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
2. ^ a b c "Minor Fire Reported Near New Six Flags Great America Roller Coaster". NBC. June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
3. ^ Six Flags Great America (August 5, 2011). "After a long 21..." Facebook. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
4. ^ Coasterholic14 (August 6, 2011). "Six Flags Great America Losing Long-time Stand-Up Coaster". COASTER-Net. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2011.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
5. ^ a b c Koss, Nick (August 15, 2014). "Goliath: Documenting a Giant Six Flags Great America 2014". YouTube. Cutback Productions. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
6. ^ "Six Flags Great America Follow the Journey 2014". Six Flags Great America. YouTube. August 1, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
7. ^ a b Casas, Gloria (August 19, 2013). "Great America Planning to Add New Coaster in 2014". Patch Media. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
8. ^ "Agenda of the Regular Meeting of the Gurnee Planning and Zoning Board – August 21, 2013". The Village of Gurnee. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
9. ^ Moran, Dan (August 18, 2013). "Proposal for new roller coaster at Great America is on the table". Lake County News-Sun. Archived from the original on August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
10. ^ "Great America gets OK on 150-ft.-high coaster". Chicago Sun-Times. Wrapports LLC. June 12, 2010. Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
11. ^ a b "Goliath | New for 2014 at Six Flags Great America". August 29, 2013. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
12. ^ a b c d McCoppin, Robert (August 29, 2013). "Six Flags boasts latest ride will be world's fastest wooden rollercoaster". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on August 30, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
13. ^ a b c "New Great America roller coaster Goliath due in 2014". WLS-TV. American Broadcasting Company. August 29, 2013. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
14. ^ a b c d e Salemi, Hank (August 29, 2013). "Goliath – Media Event – Q & A". YouTube. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
15. ^ Marden, Duane. "Iron Wolf (Six Flags Great America)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
16. ^ "Drum roll please... Six Flags Great America unveils final design artwork for Goliath, The World's Fastest Wooden Roller Coaster with Tallest and Steepest Drop!". Facebook. February 21, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
17. ^ "Updated Artwork for Goliath". February 21, 2014. Archived from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
18. ^ "Goliath New for 2014 | - Virtual Ride". Six Flags Great America. YouTube. February 21, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
19. ^ a b c McCoppin, Robert (May 6, 2014). "Goliath rises in Great America skyline". MSN News. Archived from the original on May 10, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
20. ^ a b c d Snyder, Elizabeth (June 26, 2014). "Go Goliath: Record-setting wooden coaster opens at Six Flags". Kenosha News. United Communications Corporation. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
21. ^ "Grand Opening For Goliath, World's Tallest, Fastest and Steepest Wooden Roller Coaster, Delayed". 27 May 2014.
22. ^ "Goliath – Six Flags Great America FIRST TEST RUN". YouTube. May 31, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
23. ^ Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Search Results (Rocky Mountain Construction)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
24. ^ Schilke, Alan (June 25, 2014). "Alan & Scott Ride Goliath". NewsPlusNotes (Interview). Retrieved June 28, 2014.
25. ^ Schilke, Alan (20 November 2013). "Alan Schilke Interview". NewsPlusNotes (Interview). Retrieved 21 November 2013.
26. ^ a b Murphy, Anthony (June 21, 2014). "New record-setting wooden coaster, Goliath, opens at Six Flags Great America". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
27. ^ Marden, Duane. "Goliath (Six Flags Great America)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
28. ^ Leshock, Marcus (August 22, 2013). "Record-breaking wooden roller coaster coming to Six Flags Great America: How big will it be?". WGN-TV. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
29. ^ "Medusa & Goliath: Rocky Mountain screams into Six Flags". Park World Magazine: 38, 39. July 2014.
30. ^ Carol Motsinger (July 29, 2016). "Kings Island reveals new ride: Mystic Timbers". Cincinnati.com. Gannett Newspapers. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
31. ^ "Video: Take a virtual ride on the new world record-breaking roller-coaster Goliath". The Australian. News Corporation. June 20, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
32. ^ "New rollercoaster breaks three records". MSN New Zealand. Microsoft. June 21, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
33. ^ Bustos, Joseph (26 June 2014). "Six Flags unveils Goliath wooden roller coaster". Kane County Chronicle. Shaw Media. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
34. ^ "Park and ride winners". Amusement Today. September 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
35. ^ "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 38–39\. September 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2016.wood+Roller+Coasters&rft.volume=18&rft.issue=6.2&rft.pages=38-39&rft.date=2014-09&rft_id=http://www.amusementtoday.com/backissues/at_gt_2014_web.pdf&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Goliath+(Six+Flags+Great+America)" class="Z3988">
36. ^ "2015 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 45–46\. September 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2016.wood+Roller+Coasters&rft.volume=19&rft.issue=6.2&rft.pages=45-46&rft.date=2015-09&rft_id=http://goldenticketawards.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/AT-GoldenTix-2015-LoRes.pdf&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Goliath+(Six+Flags+Great+America)" class="Z3988">
37. ^ "2016 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
38. ^ "2017 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
39. ^ "2018 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
40. ^ "2019 Top 50 Wood Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
41. ^ "2021 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2021. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
42. ^ "2022 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2022. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
43. ^ "2023 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Amusement Today. 27 (6.2): 71–72\. September 2023. Archived from the original on September 10, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
44. ^ "2024 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2024. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2016.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Goliath at the Roller Coaster DataBase
* Iron Rattler at Rocky Mountain Construction
* Media related to Goliath (Six Flags Great America) at Wikimedia Commons

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