Titan (Six Flags Over Texas)


Titan is a steel hyper coaster located at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas. Unlike most hypercoasters, Titan is a combination of an out and back roller coaster and a twister roller coaster. It stands at 245 feet and contains a 255 drop at 85 miles per hour. It is the tallest, fastest, and longest coaster in Texas.

History

Six Flags Over Texas had plans to add a hypercoaster to the park for several years. An early proposal from Arrow Dynamics showed a hypercoaster over the park's reservoir next to Judge Roy Scream. In August 2000, Six Flags Over Texas announced plans to build a new steel roller coaster for the park's 40th anniversary. Although no statistics were revealed, information that was released confirmed Giovanola as the manufacturer, that the new coaster would be similar to Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain and that it would be built in the Texas section of the park. As survey markers began to appear in September it became clear that the new coaster would extend from the Texas section to the employee cantina, pool and softball fields then out into the parking lot. By the time the official announcement was made on November 14, 2000, the employee areas had been demolished, excavation had already begun and teal-colored supports were stacked in the parking lot. Construction of the ride was completed in March 2001 and testing began in early April. A media preview was held on April 26, 2001 and the coaster opened to the public the following day.

Ride experience

Titan begins with a slow U-turn out of the station then a climbs up a hill. At the crest of the hill the train drops into a underground tunnel. Immediately after the tunnel, riders are taken through a large turnaround to the right. Following the turnaround, riders encounter a large camel back that provides significant airtime. The train subsequently enters a 540 degree upwards helix which leads to the mid-course brake run. Off the mid-course brakes, the trains maneuver a left hand drop, leading into an over-banked turn. Then followed by a 570 degree downward helix with a camera installed for souvenir photos. Afterwards, the trains navigate a banked turn to the left and then another to the right. After this, the trains enters the final brake run and returns to the station.

Characteristics

Track

With one difference, the overall track layout of Titan is identical to that of Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain, the difference being that Goliath is 10' shorter in height and lacks the upward helix into the mid-course brake run, instead having a simple uphill left turn.
Titan's supports used 2.8 million pounds of steel to manufacture. When it was built, Titan was the longest roller coaster ever to be built at a Six Flags park.

Trains

Titan operates with up to three trains, each with five cars holding three rows of two riders for a total of 30 riders per train. The three trains are colored red, orange, and yellow. It will usually run only two trains on slow days, with the unused train stored in the train's storage shed.
During the summer months, as the train rolls into the station, a cloud of mist can be seen under the train. Owing to problems with the wheels on the trains overheating, water is sprayed on the wheel assembly to help cool down the wheels after the train completes the course.

Incidents

Like Goliath, Titan has been known for occasionally causing blackouts or grayouts in the helices. Some riders have complained about headaches caused by sections of the course. Most of these incidents occur during the summer when riders are dehydrated due to the extreme Texas heat. Because of the complaints about the G-forces given during the second helix, the trains have to be severely braked at the mid-course brakes, almost to the point of stopping.

Rankings