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Park News - (3/6/10) Take a moment to scroll down and vote in our poll about if the Texas Giant will now be considered as a steel coaster following the new upgrades, or does it get to legally remain as a wooden coaster forever just because it was born that way?
    (1/27/10) Word from the SFOT Facebook page Judge Roy Scream is getting some re-tracking done this winter. Good stuff! 
    (1/21/10) A reader was kind enough to send in a few great pictures of Shockwave at SFOT. They tell us that three sections of track are being rehabbed this winter, and for now they have removed the section they replaced last winter and placed it on the ground, as you can see in the photos.  Enjoy!
    (1/19/10) Six Flags over Texas will open earlier that expected for the 2010 season, and has now posted hours of operation for February 13, 14 and 15th, instead of waiting until the previously posted March 6th date. From what I’m told, these days match up with the playing of the NBA All Star game that same weekend in Dallas, where the big game will actually be played inside the Dallas Coyboy’s new stadium.
    (1/18/10) We’ve been told that Six Flags over Texas seems to have given Titan a new fresh coat of paint… though keeping the same colors as before. We’ve also been told that it looks like Shockwave is once again going under the knife, as the piece of track that was removed and rehabbed last year is once again missing from the ride currently. Anyone feel like taking a few pictures while passing by on the freeway?

2010 - Robots of Mars - Rumor - (3/5/10) About Theme Parks has posted some new information from Six Flags over Texas confirming that Robots of Mars will open in the park’s Adventure Theater simulator.
    (2/24/10) Six Flags over Texas has promised that news about a new attraction coming to the park would be posted on their Facebook page later this week. Well… there was that rumor about a new simulator film but with the new MagiQuest rumor floating around in Chicago, I’ve got to wonder about that being a possibility in Texas too.
    (2/3/10) A new rumor from Six Flags over Texas claims that the ill-received Fly Me To the Moon film in the Adventure Theater may be replaced with Robots From Mars this season. Also the Gator McGee’s restaurant near Runaway Mountain will become J. B.’s Smokehouse this season.

2011 - Texas Giant Renovation - (3/13/10) The information about other wooden coasters with steel track sections keeps coming in. Before it was demolished, I’m told that the lift and first drop on Psyclone (SFMM) were rebuilt using steel track sections. I’m told that as much as 40% of Colossus (SFMM) is now made up of a steel beams with only 2 or 3 wooden layers on top or in some sections, uses complete steel U-Beams on the top layer, such as in the brake run. I’ve got a few photos to share that show this off rather well which makes me think that the difference between the two is narrowing quite a bit. If nothing else, this story is kind of becoming the theme park equipment of discovering that your favorite athletes have been juicing with steroids, or cheating by using hollow baseball bats. It sounds like lots of older wooden coasters have been patching things up with steel here and there as time goes by... unknown to most of us. So I guess the question is... do we care enough to be upset? Lets say your significant other admits to having some cosmetic surgery to improve their figure in all the right places... repairing things that nature has just worn down over the years. Does this change how you think of them? (Of course, some may consider the Texas Giant to be more akin to a post-op Tranny once all is said and done...)
    (3/12/10) Add Colossus to the list of wooden coasters thought to have replace certain straight sections of track with steel I-beams. While we still don’t have any close up photos of this yet, I’m told you can possibly make out a few steel sections in this video if you watch the HD version closely. I’ve also heard a couple of different stories about how the steel is used. Some claim that the I-beams have replaced entire sections while others report that the I-Beams are used to replace the lower sections of wood, but a couple of layers of wood are still put on top of it before putting on the rails. A third report claims the opposite… that there is wood on the bottom and the steel is really a top layer that acts has a protective wrap around the wood below it as well as serving as the rail for the coaster. Another reader has also sent in a picture of the American Eagle that they believe shows off one of these steel sections. Given the age of all these wooden coaster rumored to have been upgraded in their old age with some new steel track sections, this is starting to sound more like that time Grandpa went in for that hip replacement... and when
    (3/11/10) After a week of voting, over 1,700 of you have expressed your opinion on the future status of the Texas Giant. The result is that only 14% of you believe that the Texas Giant should still be considered a wooden coaster, while 59% view it as a Steel coaster now, and 27% think it needs a new hybrid classification of it’s own.
    While Six Flags social media began to immediately hype the new version of the Giant as being the tallest / steepest wooden coaster running today, much of the ‘net immediately called foul on the issue. Six Flags own official Blog was updated just a few hours ago with a story of the Giant, and it makes a few comments that sound like they’re testing the waters a bit about taking things in a new direction. The blog states at one point that the Giant “will morph itself from an entirely wooden coaster to a wood/steel hybrid”. From there the article goes back to tow the corporate line.
    On the opposite side of the argument however a new argument has come to light. I’ve been told that sections of straight track on the American Eagle (SFGAm) and on the Mighty Canadian Minebuster (Canada’s Wonderland) were replaced long ago with some steel I-beam sections. This could mean that the changes to the aging Giant may be seen more as an evolutionary step, in much the same way that it was accepted that a wooden coaster with a steel support structure was also still considered as a wooden coaster. Anyone happen to have pictures of these steel I-beam sections of the American Eagle or Minebuster to show off as proof?
    (3/4/10) Amusement Today went out to check on the new Texas Giant renovation project and were shown off a major surprise in the form of a brand new track system. Texas Giant will use what is being called the Iron Horse Coaster track system. Iron Horse track is a new steel I-beam design that will place sections of “Chinchillian Red” painted track that is pre-welded together into 40-53 foot prefabricated pieces. The unique thing is that the new track design uses no wood on the track bed or track bolts, and features an entirely new backbone design to support the track.
    When it reopens in 2011, the Texas Giant will stand a little taller… 10 feet taller actually, peaking out at 153 feet tall before plunging down a new 79º first drop and through numerous new 95º overbanked turns at 65mph. The one thing that it may not be however is technically classified as a wood coaster. If the new track is all steel now there really isn’t much difference between the new Texas Giant and say a Mine Train style coaster who’s steel track is on wooden supports. The all new Texas Giant may have more in common with Gemini at Cedar Point now. While I’m sure everyone will appreciate a newly improved ride experience, I don’t think the wood coaster aficionados are going to be too happy with this turn of events.
    (1/4/10) A reader sent in four pictures of the Texas Giant taken over the weekend during the end of Holiday In The Park. So far, it looks like the only work done to it was the removal of the turn before the lift, trains and signage removal and a few other things. Otherwise there was no sign of new timber anywhere nearby or any sign that they would be ready to begun full fledged re-construction until things warm up a bit in a couple of months.
    (11/17/09) With a nod from Bugs Bunny to begin, a bulldozer and a chainsaw wielding construction crew began to pull a section of the Texas Giant apart. According to this article, most of the structure of the Giant will remain intact, but this particular section (the turn over the lift hill) needed to come down. They also reported that about 15% of the track configuration will be changed by the time the ride reopens in 2011.
    (11/2/09) Yesterday was the final day to ride the Texas Giant until it reopens in 2011. Details were still not announced yet, but they did say that when it reopens it ‘will incorporate elements never before used in a wooden coaster.” The remodel will also carry a hefty $10 million price-tag, nearly double what it cost to build the Texas Giant in the first place. If your hoping to take home a piece of the Giant as they shed old wood for new, then you may be in luck, as sections of the ride will be used to make Christmas ornaments to be sold this winter at Holiday In The Park.
    (10/1/09) Amusement Today has reported some new details about the makeover of the Texas Giant for the 2011 season. Six Flags is expected to release all the details after the coaster closes on November 1st. So far they have mentioned that the rebuild will be done by Rocky Mountain Amusement of Idaho, who were the people who installed El Toro at SFGAdv. The layout will actually be modified a bit to feature one of the steepest banks and will be a far faster and smoother ride. Of course I’d got to take that with a grain of salt since they also announced that Gerstlauer will be the ones making the new trains for the Texas Giant… and G-Trains aren’t known for their smooth rides. Still… anything is possible and the Texas Giant is in need of major improvements for sure, so lets hope for the best… and that they don’t rename it Green Bizarro Lantern or something.
    (3/17/09) Six Flags has confirmed that the Texas Giant will be closed for the 2010 season so they can perform a major renovation of the aging ride in time to relaunch it for the 2011 season as part of the 50th Anniversary of Six Flags. Six Flags has mentioned that the planned renovation will cost them $10 million, so I can only imagine that pretty much most of the Texas Giant is going to be “rebuilt” as well as adding all new trains, most likely with an onboard soundtrack if the system going into Terminator Salvation this year works out well Magic Mountain. Now lets just keep Lex Luthor away, shall we?
    (2/2/09) According to a source the big ride in development for Six Flags over Texas may end up waiting for the 2011 season as that will actually be the year that Six Flags and SFOT will celebrate it’s 50th anniversary.
    (1/31/09) Screamscape sources have confirmed that a big ride is in the long term planning for SFOT for either 2010 or 2011. I can only assume that this may be the long rumored plan to add a new wooden coaster to the park.
    (8/1/08) The earliest the park will get a new wooden coaster is now 2010, but a lot can change between then and now.
    (7/8/08) The exact 2009 plans are still unclear as there are just too many rumors going around right now claiming everything from a parade to a new wooden coaster. What seems to be coming in more and more however may be the removal of Flashback to make room for whatever it is. Stay tuned.
    (5/8/08) According to a new rumor posted to SFOT.net, Six Flags may be planning on removing Flashback and dropping in a new wooden coaster in that general location. This does make sense as my sources tell me that Six Flags may very well have two new GCI wooden coasters in the works for 2009, but they also had two originally planned for 2008 which was eventually cut back to just one. I wouldn’t be surprised if this project falls back to 2010 however if true since the park is opening Tony Hawk this year and 2009 may be too soon. The funny thing is that the Bumper Cars in this area of the park were closed down late last year in anticipation of building a new coaster project in this very area of the park… only back then our sources tell us it was a Dark Knight Coaster project that was eyeballing the site. For an unknown reason the Dark Knight project was cancelled and management made the choice to install Tony Hawk instead.