Colossus the Fire Dragon
| Colossus the Fire Dragon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lagoon Amusement Park | |
| Location | Lagoon Amusement Park |
| Park section | South midway |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | 1983 |
| Cost | 2.5 Million |
| General statistics | |
| 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 |
| Inversions | 2 |
| Duration | 1:45 |
| Max vertical angle | 60° |
| G-force | 4.9 (Back Seat) 4.0 (Front Seat) |
| Colossus the Fire Dragon at RCDB | |
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. 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.
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. The trains have no over-the-shoulder restraints, offering more freedom for riders. To date, no one has fallen out of the cars. 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.
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.
Colossus made an international tour in the 1980s, going to São Paulo, Brazil, where it was the most popular ride at Playcenter amusement park.
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."
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 toprails. Laser was also slightly taller.
Colossus the Fire Dragon's trains are glittering silver & white with headlights and a painting of a green dragon on the front car; on the sides of the train there are two strips of either green, blue, or red, depending on what train it is.
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 but the park rarely uses the 3rd train. 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.