Colossus the Fire Dragon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Colossus the Fire Dragon |
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Colossus in April 2007
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| Lagoon Amusement Park | |
| Location | Lagoon Amusement Park |
| Park section | South Midway |
| Coordinates | 40°59′01″N 111°53′42″W / 40.9836°N 111.8951°W |
| Status | Open |
| 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 |
| Height | 85 ft (26 m) |
| Drop | 81 ft (25 m) |
| Length | 2,850 ft (870 m) |
| Speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) |
| Inversions | 2 |
| Duration | 1:45 |
| Max vertical angle | 60° |
| G-force | 4.9 (Back Seat) 4.0 (Front Seat) |
| Height restriction | 46 in (117 cm) |
| Trains | 3 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train. |
| Colossus the Fire Dragon at RCDB | |
Colossus the Fire Dragon is an exciting roller coaster with two big loops. It was built by Anton Schwarzkopf and first opened in 1983. You can find it at Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, Utah, United States.
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Riding Colossus the Fire Dragon
Your adventure begins as the coaster takes you 85 feet (26 m) high up the lift hill. This is right next to the Wicked roller coaster.
After reaching the top, the train makes a smooth turn to the right. You might catch a quick view of the Wild Mouse and Spider coasters.
Then, you'll experience a fast, twisting drop towards the ground. Next, you'll zoom through two 65-foot (20 m) high-G vertical loops! These loops turn you completely upside down.
The ride continues with two exciting helix turns. A helix is like a giant spiral. The first helix is very large and goes over a bridge where people wait in line. After that, you go through the second loop.
The train then passes just above the station's roof. It turns diagonally between the two loops into another thrilling helix. This helix is sometimes called the 'slanted spiral.' It turns downward, then upward, and then downward again. This leads you back to the station.
What Makes Colossus Special?
Colossus the Fire Dragon is one of only two double-looping Anton Schwarzkopf roller coasters still operating in the United States. There used to be three, but one closed in 2008.
This coaster is also unique because it has an extra curve in one of its helix sections. You can find Colossus right in front of Lagoon's Wicked ride.
Safety Features
The trains on Colossus the Fire Dragon do not have over-the-shoulder restraints. This gives riders more freedom during the ride. There have been no incidents involving riders on this roller coaster.
How Colossus Looks
The track of Colossus is a bright blue color. It has white supports that hold it up. The two vertical loops, which are the inversions, are yellow. At night, these loops light up with orange and yellow lights. The lift hill also glows with orange and yellow lights.
The trains themselves are shiny silver and white. The front car of each train has a cool decal of a green dragon. Along the sides of the trains, you'll see two stripes. These stripes can be green, blue, or red, depending on which train you are riding.
As you go up the lift hill, you can see flags from different countries. The last flag you see as you reach the top is the U.S. flag.
The Story Behind the Name
When the roller coaster first opened, its name was simply "Colossus." The "Fire Dragon" part was added later. This was done to avoid confusion with another roller coaster called Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Even with the full name, people still often call it just "Colossus." You might also hear it called "Colossus, the Fire Dragon" or simply "The Fire Dragon."
Moving Colossus Around
Colossus the Fire Dragon is a special type of roller coaster called a portable coaster. This means it was designed to be taken apart and put back together easily. Because of this, it was not very expensive to build, costing about 2.5 million US dollars. It can even be dismantled and rebuilt in just a day or two, even though it's a big ride!
Colossus is almost exactly like another coaster that used to be called Laser at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom. The main difference was that Laser didn't have the extra curve in its helix. Laser also had purple tracks with green supports and black top rails, and it was a little bit taller.
Before coming to Lagoon, Colossus traveled around Europe for about two years. It was part of a fair circuit, moving from place to place. In 1983, Lagoon Corporation bought the ride. It was then installed at Lagoon Park in Farmington, Utah, where it has been thrilling riders ever since!
