

Template:Fix On August 29, 2013, Six Flags Magic Mountain announced that they would run Colossus backwards for a limited time during the 2014 season. The cars on one side of the track were also run backwards, using the old trains from the now defunct Psyclone roller coaster. The valley between the coaster's pair of camelback hills was leveled off and received block brakes in 1991.ĭuring the Halloween season, the coaster's web-like structure was accompanied by a giant black spider, and the height restriction became 54 inches (1,400 mm). In 1987, the original trains supplied by Philadelphia Toboggan Company were replaced with ones from Morgan Manufacturing. The "speed hill" between the second drop and the double-up hill was reprofiled in 1979. ModificationsĬolossus underwent a number of changes over the years.

It was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, as well as the first to feature two drops over 100 feet (30 m). At a final cost of $7 million, Colossus opened to the public on June 29, 1978. During construction, a tornado caused part of the structure to collapse, but the roller coaster was still completed on schedule. The design was finalized in May 1977, and construction began a few months later in August. A member of the design team traveled to Mexico City to study Montaña Rusa – the largest wooden roller coaster in the world at the time – in order to help plan for the project. IAD in turn subcontracted Bernard Brothers Construction for the construction of the ride, Continental Consultants for all of the mechanical systems, and Lorenz & Williams for the structural engineering and electronic systems. They hired Ohio-based International Amusement Devices (IAD), who began designing Colossus in January 1977. Twisted Colossus opened on May 23, 2015.įor their next attraction to debut in 1978, Magic Mountain wanted a wooden roller coaster for the classic "rumble and sway" experience that they felt was missing from steel coasters. It was renovated by Rocky Mountain Construction to feature barrel roll inversions, and a near-vertical drop. Within two weeks of its closure, Six Flags announced that the roller coaster would reemerge in 2015 as a hybrid wood and steel roller coaster named Twisted Colossus. Colossus became well known after appearances in film and television, including the box-office hit National Lampoon's Vacation.Īfter more than 36 years in operation, Six Flags announced in 2014 that Colossus would be closed permanently on August 16, 2014. It was the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world and the first with two drops greater than 100 feet (30 m). Originally designed and built by International Amusement Devices, the roller coaster opened as Colossus on June 29, 1978. Twisted Colossus is a steel roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
