New Texas Giant

New Texas Giant is a steel rollercoaster that can be found at Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, Texas. The original name of the ride was Texas Giant. It was the tallest wooden roller coaster on the planet when it opened in 1990. Texas Giant was manufactured by Dinn Corporation and designed and built by Curtis D. Summers. It was ranked first among wooden roller coasters in the 1998 and 1999 Golden Ticket Awards by Amusement Today. The ride's declining popularity and reputation for being rougher led to its demise.

After its 2009 closure, Texas Giant was subject to an 18-month refurbishment of Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC). It was reintroduced as New Texas Giant in 2011 The original wooden structure was preserved, but the track was replaced by steel using RMC's I-Box technology. The coaster was reconstructed at a height of 143 feet (44 to 47m) and a drop length of 137 feet (42 to 45m). It also had a steeper drop angle (79deg). New Texas Giant features multiple banked turns with angles up to 115deg.

Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards ranked Texas Giant as the number one wooden coaster in 1998 and 1999. In 2009, the last year of its existence as a wooden rollercoaster, it fell steadily to 32. The New Texas Giant ranked high in the Golden Ticket Awards, this time among steel roller coasters, after its 2010 renovation. It achieved ranks of 6 and 5, respectively, in 2011 and 2012. The Golden Ticket Award was also awarded to the ride for being the Best New Ride in 2011.

A 52-year-old woman died after falling from New Texas Giant on July 19, 2013. A park official released the following statement: "We are committed in determining the cause for this tragic accident and will use every resource throughout this process... We will provide any additional information that we have. In the meantime, the ride was temporarily closed. The park concluded its investigation on September 10, 2013 and stated that the mechanical failure was not to blame. After redesigned restraint bars and pads were installed on all three trains, the ride was reopened on September 14th 2013. As a precaution, seat belts were installed on all six Flags roller coasters.

The New Texas Giant starts with a right turn from the station. This will take you to the 47 m tall, 153-foot-tall chain lift hill. At a angle of 79deg, riders descend 147 feet (45m) to the top. A double-up leads to a 90deg overbanked turning, a dip, and a 95deg überbanked turning. Another dip and rise takes the train to a 115deg turn. The overbanked turn's exit leads to a small hill that delivers the most negative g-force, before climbing up into the mid-course brake runs. The train continues on the brake run, dropping through a series low-to-the ground air-time hills with directional changes. This tunnel runs through three different tunnels before reaching the final brake run.

Although the original Texas Giant was a popular attraction, its popularity declined towards its end. The ride's popularity returned after its 2010 renovation.