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Goliath is a
wooden roller coaster A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also be ...
located at
Six Flags Great America Six Flags Great America is a amusement park, theme park located in Gurnee, Illinois, within the northern Chicago metropolitan area. The theme park originally opened as Marriott's Great America on May 29, 1976, as one of two theme parks built ...
in
Gurnee, Illinois Gurnee ( ) is a Village (United States), village and suburb in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 30,706 as of the 2020 census. It borders the city of Waukegan, Illinois, Waukegan, and is a popular tourist attraction within ...
. 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 , the steepest angle of 85 degrees, and the fastest speed of . 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 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 Kings Island is a amusement park northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio, United States. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park was built by Taft Broadcasting and opened in 1972. It was part of a larger effort to move and expand Coney Islan ...
. 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 ''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in Arl ...
''.


History

On August 5, 2011, Six Flags Great America announced on its official
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page that the Iron Wolf would be closing permanently on September 5, 2011. 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. In early August 2013, Six Flags Great America released a teaser campaign entitled "Follow the Journey". Later that month, it was revealed Six Flags Great America would be building a , with plans to lobby the local zoning committee to exceed the height limit imposed on the park. 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. As part of the announcement, the ride's statistics were released, along with a concept computer-animated video demonstrating the ride's layout. 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. Final design photos were released on Great America's Facebook page on February 21, 2014. 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. Construction began in September 2013, employing a crew of approximately 35 workers by RMC. The team worked 11-hour days, six days a week through winter in occasional sub-zero temperatures finishing in May 2014, which amounted to approximately 40,000 man hours. Goliath was set to open on May 31, 2014, but the opening was delayed. The lift hill was topped off on May 16, with the first test run taking place two weeks later on May 31, the same day as the original opening. Lightning struck a small section of the ride's station on June 6, 2014, causing it to catch fire briefly before being extinguished. There were no reported injuries or major damage. After testing was completed, Goliath officially opened to the public on June 19, 2014.


Characteristics

Goliath was Rocky Mountain Construction's second ground-up
wooden roller coaster A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also be ...
following the opening of
Silver Dollar City Silver Dollar City is a theme park in Stone County, Missouri, near the cities of Branson, Missouri, Branson and Branson West, Missouri, Branson West. The park is located off of Missouri Route 76 on the Indian Point peninsula of Table Rock Lake ...
's Outlaw Run in early 2013. Although the ride is located in the County Fair section of Six Flags Great America, the name and theme of the ride was chosen purely on the basis of the ride's size and scale. The ride stands tall; however, the ride drops a total of at an angle of 85° into an underground tunnel. Goliath features two inversions, two overbanked turns, and a top speed of . Because Goliath was built in such a small space, the lift hill is abnormally steep at an angle of 45°. The entire track was filled with grout to allow a quieter and smoother ride experience. The ride was designed by Alan Schilke.


Track

The of track is made of six layers of laminated wood, with a steel rectangular tube acting as the topmost layer of track. 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. Additionally, this track style is designed to reduce the maintenance typically required for a wooden roller coaster and to provide a smoother ride experience.


Trains

Goliath operates with two
trains A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...
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. This configuration caters for approximately 800 riders per hour. The trains feature
polyurethane Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) is a class of polymers composed of organic chemistry, organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethane term ...
wheels A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axl ...
, allowing for a quieter ride. Riders are restrained through the use of an individual lap bar, shin bar, and seatbelt.


Ride experience

The ride begins with a left turn out of the station before ascending the
chain lift hill A lift hill, or chain hill, is an upward-sloping section of track on a roller coaster on which the roller coaster train is mechanically lifted to an elevated point or peak in the track. Upon reaching the peak, the train is then propelled from ...
at a 45° angle. From the highest point, trains drop at an angle of 85°, below ground level, reaching their top speed of . After this, cars ascend to a height of for an overbanked turnaround, followed by a descent back to the ground and a small
air-time In the context of amusement rides, air time, or airtime, refers to the time during which riders of a rollercoaster or other ride experience either frictionless or G-force, negative G-forces. The negative g-forces that a rider experiences is what ...
hill. A
dive loop Roller coasters are widely known for their drops, inversions, airtime (rides), airtime, and other intense ride elements that contribute to the ride. They are also made up of a variety of features and components responsible for the mechanical opera ...
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 A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track that utilizes some form of brakes to slow or stop a roller coaster train. There are various types of braking methods employed on roller coasters, including friction brakes, skid brakes, a ...
and a short path back to the station. One cycle of the ride takes approximately 105 seconds to complete.


Records

Goliath claimed three records upon opening. The ride's 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 . After Goliath opened, Six Flags Great America had the most wooden roller coaster track of any amusement park in the world. However, this record was later surpassed by
Kings Island Kings Island is a amusement park northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio, United States. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park was built by Taft Broadcasting and opened in 1972. It was part of a larger effort to move and expand Coney Islan ...
with the opening of
Mystic Timbers Mystic Timbers is a wooden roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. Constructed by Great Coasters International and designed by Skyline Design, the roller coaster opened in the Rivertown section of the park on April 15, 2017. The r ...
in 2017.


Reception

The opening of Goliath was widely reported across the world, 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". Marcus Leshock of
WGN-TV WGN-TV (channel 9) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, serving as the local outlet for The CW. It is owned and operated by the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, and is sister station, sister to the company ...
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. Reviewing the ride for
Shaw Media Shaw Media, Inc. was the television broadcasting division of Shaw Communications. It owned the Global Television Network, which broadcasts nationally via 13 television stations, as well as 19 specialty channels including Slice (TV channel), Slice ...
, Taylor Trimby of
American Coaster Enthusiasts American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) is a non-profit organization focusing on the enjoyment, knowledge, and preservation of roller coasters as well as recognition of some as architectural and engineering landmarks. Dues-paying members receive th ...
described Goliath as a wonderful ride, stating "You don't have time to prepare for anything. ... You're twisting and turning. ... It's great". Anthony Murphy of Theme Park Insider praised the ride for being "one of the most intense roller coasters" he has ever ridden.


References


External links

* *
Iron Rattler
at Rocky Mountain Construction * {{Six Flags Great America Roller coasters introduced in 2014 Roller coasters operated by Six Flags Six Flags Great America 2014 establishments in Illinois