Goliath originally opened in 1995 at Thrill Valley, a former theme park in Japan. There, the roller coaster operated under the name 'Gambit'. When Thrill Valley closed on May 6, 2002, Six Flags purchased several rides - including Gambit - from the closed park and transported them to several of their parks. Gambit went to Six Flags' newly acquired theme park in eastern New Orleans, a former Jazzland amusement park which Six Flags was committed to enhancing and expanding. Upon arrival, Gambit was repainted and renamed to fit with the DC Comics theme and surrounding attractions; it became. The roller coaster in its new incarnation opened on April 12, 2003. In 2005, Six Flags closed down its New Orleans theme park mid-season to prepare for Hurricane Katrina, which had entered the Gulf of Mexico and was heading towards Louisiana on August 29. The park's drainage system failed, leading to substantial flooding, and many of the park's rides were submerged in water for a long period of time after the hurricane, damaging them beyond repair. Batman: The Ride survived, mainly because of its high elevation and corrosion-resistant support structure. When the floods retreated, Six Flags announced that it had no plans to reopen the New Orleans theme park, and anything in the park that was still in working condition was moved to other parts of the country. On September 27, 2007, the ride moved to its new home in San Antonio, made over with a new color scheme and given a new name: Goliath. Goliath opened on April 18, 2008. It sits near the front entrance of the park.
Ride experience
After departing from the station, the train immediately begins to climb the chain lift hill. Once at the top, the train makes a sharp downward right turn into the roller coaster's first element, a vertical loop, reaching a top speed of approximately. After exiting the loop, the train then goes through a zero-g roll before entering a second loop. This is followed by an upward right-handed helix, then a downward left turn into a corkscrew. After a sharp left turn, the train enters another corkscrew. Upon exiting the corkscrew, the train makes a right turn into the brake run, which leads directly back to the station where the current riders disembark and the next riders board the train. One cycle of the ride lasts about 2 minutes.
Track
Goliath has a track length of about and reaches a top height of. As Gambit at Thrill Valley, the ride featured a painted black spine and black crossties, unpainted rails and grey supports. When it was known as Batman: The Ride at Six Flags News Orleans, the track was painted black and orange with grey supports. Today, at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, the ride has a blue track and yellow supports. Friction brakes are used to control the speed of the train at the end of the ride. The track was manufactured by Clermont Steel Fabricators located in Batavia, Ohio. Goliath is a clone of Bolliger & Mabillard's Batman model. The original was introduced 1992 and became a huge success after multiple parks introduced it to their lineup. Today, the Batman model can be found all over the world. Goliath differs from other models as it is a mirror image. It is not the only Batman model to be found in San Antonio; SeaWorld introduced one first in 1997.
Trains
Goliath operates two steel and fiberglass trains with seven cars each. Each car seats four riders in a single row for a total of 28 riders per train. The supports for the seats are orange, the seats themselves are black with yellow over-the-shoulder restraints connected to each one, and the coverings for the wheels are orange, blue, and yellow.
