Iron Rattler

Steel roller coaster in San Antonio

Iron Rattler is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. Originally opening as a wooden coaster called Rattler in 1992, it was converted to steel and renamed Iron Rattler in 2013. Designed by Alan Schilke and built by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), the ride features a zero g roll inversion, which was a first among hybrid coasters made of wood and steel. The wooden Rattler was constructed by the now defunct and controversial Roller Coaster Corporation of America, opening as the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the world. It featured a height of 179 feet (55 m), a drop of 166 feet (51 m). Following head and neck injury reports, Rattler was toned down in 1994 with a major reduction to its first drop. RMC modified the wooden Rattler by placing new steel track on top of the existing wooden support structure. The first drop was steepened to 81 degrees and lowered from , resulting in a top speed of .

The Rattler had been constructed by Roller Coaster Corporation of America. When the coaster debuted on March 14, 1992, it was the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the world, with a height of 179 feet (55 m), a first drop of 166 feet (51 m), outdoing its then rival, Mean Streak at Ohio's Cedar Point. Designer John Pierce stated that the original plans kept changing as park co developers Gaylord Entertainment Company insisted on having the tallest wooden coaster in the world. It held this title until 1994, when the bottom valley of the first drop was raised by 42 feet changing the overall drop from
In late 2009, Six Flags Over Texas closed its Texas Giant wooden roller coaster for a $10 million renovation which took more than a year to complete. Idaho based firm Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) replaced the wooden track with a new steel I Box track, retaining a wooden support structure. The refurbishment was ultimately a success with "resoundingly positive reviews from riders". The park's parent company, Six Flags, immediately began looking for other rides in its chain which would benefit from a similar overhaul.

At the IAAPA 2011 Trade Show, Alan Schilke of RMC revealed that the company had two projects that it would be working on for 2013 openings – one of which was an I Box conversion of a wooden roller coaster. It was later revealed by the Spokane Journal of Business that The Rattler would be completely refurbished in 2013 with new track and trains in a manner similar to that used by the company on the New Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas in 2011. Although Six Flags had not publicly confirmed its plans, the park announced that The Rattler would close on August 5, 2012. At the end of the operating day on August 5, 2012, park personnel and select enthusiasts took the final ride, after which, The Rattler, as a wood coaster, ceased operation. Six Flags Fiesta Texas announced in August 2012 that the now closed Rattler would be revamped into a steel tracked coaster called Iron Rattler. The renovation would be performed by Rocky Mountain Construction and would feature the I Box steel track on some of the original wooden coaster supports, Rattler themed trains supplied by Gerstlauer, and a barrel roll. The new ride would open for the 2013 season. The National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives announced on April 16, 2013, that the first rides of Iron Rattler, taking place on the evening of May 17, 2013, would be auctioned off with proceeds going to the museum. A soft opening was held to the media on May 15, 2013. The grand opening of the Iron Rattler took place May 25, 2013. Following the deadly incident on the New Texas Giant on July 19, 2013, Six Flags Fiesta Texas temporarily closed Iron Rattler, pending investigation findings from its sister park, because the two rides share several similarities. In under a month, Iron Rattler reopened on August 14 with seat belts as another added restraint to the two trains.

The ride begins by exiting out of the station and turning around under Road Runner Express. It ascends a 179 feet (55 m) chain lift hill, before dropping 171 feet (52 m) at an angle of 81°. The track then ascends to the top of the quarry wall where it enters a 110° over banked turn. A 95° over banked turn leads to the left, back off the quarry wall. The ride then rises into the zero g roll which sits atop the quarry wall. A camelback hill is followed by two more over banked turns measuring 98° and 93°, respectively. The ride then drops back off the quarry wall and enters a tunnel near its base. The tunnel features fog and lighting effects. After exiting the tunnel, the train enters brake run and returns to the station.

Iron Rattler has generally been well received. Keith Miller of Funworld Magazine described the ride as "wonderfully smooth" highlighting the slow cresting of the lift hill as an "enjoyable element". He concludes by stating "there's not one restful moment on this ride". Brenda Solis of KLQB described the ride as "the most intense, craziest roller coaster ever". She also compared the renovated ride to the original ride, stating "the old Rattler wasn't as scary or intense or fast as the new one". Before Iron Rattler's debut year, Rattler was only ranked once in the Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards for the 2011 Top 50 Wooden Coasters ranked at 47 in the world, since the creation of the award in 1998. After the renovation in 2013, Iron Rattler was ranked highly by the voters. The ride was ranked the second best new ride of 2013 with 19% of the vote. It also ranked at position 11 for the world's best steel roller coasters its debut year.