Colossus the Fire Dragon

Colossus the Fire Dragon
Location	Lagoon Amusement Park
Park section	South midway
Coordinates	40°59′01″N 111°53′42″W / 40.9836°N 111.8951°W / 40.9836; -111.8951Coordinates: 40°59′01″N 111°53′42″W / 40.9836°N 111.8951°W / 40.9836; -111.8951
Status	Operating
Opened	1983
Cost	2.5 Million
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Anton Schwarzkopf
Designer	Ingenieur Büro Stengel GmbH
Model	Double Looping (with additional trackway curve)
Track layout	Figure 8
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	85 ft (26 m)
Drop	81 ft (25 m)
Length	2,850 ft (870 m)
Max speed	55 mph (89 km/h)
Inversions	2
Duration	1:45
Max vertical angle	60°
Max G force	4.9 (Back Seat) 4.0 (Front Seat)
Height restriction	4 ft 0 in (122 cm)
Colossus the Fire Dragon at RCDB
Pictures of Colossus the Fire Dragon at RCDB
Amusement Parks Portal

Colossus the Fire Dragon is the name of a double looping roller coaster by Anton Schwarzkopf that opened at Lagoon Amusement Park in Utah in 1983.

Description

The coaster sends riders 85 feet (26 m) high up the lift hill alongside Wicked roller coaster, then into a smooth 1/3 right turn. Riders get a glimpse of the Wild Mouse and the Spider roller coasters before heading into a fast, twisting plummet to the ground, then through two 65-foot (20 m) High-G inversions and two helix turns. The first helix turn is very large, arcing over the "bridge" or elevated part of the queue, then up and through the second loop. After that the train passes just over the station's roof, then down and around, turning diagonally between the two loops into the G-inducing helix back to the station. This helix is what some people call the 'slanted spiral' or the 'upward-downward helix,' because it turns downward, upward, then downward again at equal angles into a large turn that leads back to the station, giving the entire element a 'slanted' look.

Unique Aspects

It is a one-of-a kind double looping Anton Schwarzkopf roller coaster for two reasons. There were two double looping Anton Schwarzkopf roller coasters in the USA until Laser at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom closed at the end of 2008. Colossus the Fire Dragon is also unique because it has an extra curve in the helix. The coaster is located in front of Lagoon's 2007 ride, Wicked.

Safety Aspects

The trains have no over-the-shoulder restraints, offering more freedom for riders. To date, there have been no incidents involving the ride.

Appearance

Its track is blue with black top rails, white supports, and a yellow color scheme on the inversions. Its inversions are 2 vertical loops which are lit up with orange and yellow lights at night. The lift is also lit up with orange and yellow lights.

Colossus the Fire Dragon's trains are glittering silver & white with headlights and a decal of a green dragon on the front car; on the sides of the train there are two stripes of either green, blue, or red, depending on what train it is.

While going up the lift hill, riders can also see flags from different countries, ending with the U.S. as the train reaches the top.

Naming History

The roller coaster's name was actually just "Colossus" at first, but the "Fire Dragon" surname was added, so there would be no confusion between Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Colossus at Lagoon. It is still regularly referred to as simply "the Colossus," as well as "the Colossal Fire Dragon," and "the Fire Dragon."

Relocation

Colossus the Fire Dragon is a portable roller coaster, so it was fairly inexpensive (2.5 million US dollars when built) and it can be dismantled & rebuilt within a day or two, even though it is quite large. It is almost identical to the former Laser at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, except (as explained above) the Laser did not have the extra curve in the helix and its colors were purple with green supports and black top rails. Laser was also slightly taller.

Colossus made an international tour in the 1980s, going to São Paulo, Brazil, where it was the most popular ride at Playcenter amusement park.

==Other notes== Colossus the Fire Dragon is 2,850 feet (870 m) long and has a max speed of 53-56 MPH. Its max G-force is almost 5 g's. It is currently one of the most popular roller coasters at Lagoon. It has 12,000+ Lights. It has 3 trains and runs on busy days 2 trains. The coaster can accommodate 3 trains but hasn't since 1999 as it has not been needed. Lagoon uses all three trains depending on which ones need run time to keep them all with about the same run time according to what park maintenance sets for how long a train can run before needing to be taken off for a rebuild. That being said all trains get maintenance work every morning so they are all safe. This ride is used as an "assignment" as students come to Lagoon many times to not only learn about the park and rides, but to measure the G-Forces with special tools on their hands as they ride it.