Latest Updates > Construction Updates

12/20/05 El Toro Update

(1/1)

jglonek:
12-20-2005 - El Toro Topping Off and a small construction update
Many thanks to the PR staff at Great Adventure for allowing us to be a part of this day!

Here are some interesting facts about this update:

For Immediate Release: December 20, 2005

Six Flags Great Adventure Completes Towering Lift Hill of Monstrous Wooden Coaster 'El Toro'
JACKSON, N.J. - The construction team at Six Flags Great Adventure today reached an important milestone in the erection of El Toro, an enormous, new wooden roller coaster set to debut this spring at the world's largest regional theme park. After placing the top portion of the 188-foot-tall wooden track support slowly and carefully into position, El Toro now ranks as the second tallest wooden coaster in America, and the third tallest in the world.

The thrill ride, which incorporates the most daring features of the world's best wooden roller coasters combined with the smooth speed of a steel coaster, will be the star of a vibrant, newly-themed area of the park, Plaza del Carnaval. Just around the corner, families with young children will explore exciting, pint-sized adventures in the all-new Bugs Bunny* National Park kids' area, featuring new rides and attractions designed just for them. Both new areas, including monstrous El Toro, are set to open next season.

El Toro's unique design, inspired by the agility and strength of the brave Matadors, features a hybrid design including a classic "out and back" track with four fast-charging drops, multiple highly-banked turns and a beastly "twister" finale. El Toro will also deliver nine "airtime" opportunities, giving riders the highly-sought thrill ride sensation of weightlessness.

Reaching 70 mph, El Toro will also rank among the fastest wooden roller coasters in the world. Its 4,400 feet of mountainous track includes records for second tallest, fastest and longest drop of all wooden coasters in America and features the world's steepest drop on a wooden roller coaster, 76 white-knuckled degrees.

The new Bugs Bunny National Park, and Plaza del Carnaval featuring El Toro, are slated for a spring 2006 opening. Guests can take a virtual ride on El Toro and receive up-to-the-minute news throughout the park's winter construction project on www.sixflags.com.

El Toro Topping Off Facts:
* El Toro's tallest support section, known as a "bent," is 188 ft. tall, nearly 19 stories
* This 188-foot-tall support is known as "bent 55" of 613 total bents
* Fun facts about bent 55
* 208 boards of lumber
* 192 bolts
* Each bolt measures 24 mm x 440 mm
* 22,500 lbs.
* 34.5 feet wide at the base
* Bent 55 is separated into two sections, a top and a bottom.
* The "topping off" piece is the bent's top section
* Fun facts about bent 55's top section:
* 87.5 ft. tall
* 19.8 ft. wide at the splice
* 56 boards of lumber
* 7,500 lbs., placed on top of a 15,000-lb. base
* The crane lifting bent 55's top portion is 260 ft. tall
* Approximately 10 workers climb bent 55's top portion to secure it to the structure
* Temporary bracing of bent 55's top portion takes approximately 2 to 3 hours

Upon arriving we are greeted by a small Christmas....ummmm.... "Holiday Tree" at the current highest point of El Toro.
After spending 2-3 hours prepping the bent, it is finally ready to go up!
Up it goes.
Now that its vertical they must hoist it on top of the lower half of the bent already in place.
We were amazed by how controlled everything was considering how windy it was.
Up it goes... Watch your head ----alright, that was lame.
Almost there!
This goes VERY slowly.
Just a tad to the left.Now the crews must prepare to anchor the bent.
The crane continues to hold the top as the bolts go in.
They really don't seem to mind the 5 degree windchill today.
It took another 30 minutes for the workers to secure the bent.
A view of the completed lift hill. Well, minus the track ;-)
El Toro will be just as cool to look at as it will be to ride it.
Here is Diana hugging her true love, Rolling Thunder.
For those that STILL seem to think El Toro will use a chain lift... Guess What? You are wrong :-)
Notice anything odd about the exit ramp?
El Toro's loading platform will be much lower than Vipers so they had to cut out under the exit ramp so that it can be lowered.
A LOT of work has happened in the station since our last update. All of the station footers are installed and ready to receive the track.
There are huge holes in there about 5 feet deep.
All of the footers are installed for the 1st drop.
Here is a closer view. They are covered with plastic to protect them from the weather.
All of the footers are also prepared for the rest of the 1st section of the ride. Richard Beane informed us that the ride will be built in the direction of travel.
From Left to Right - Chuck, Wade, Angel, Bubba, Richard Beane, George, Kristin, RJ and Raquyyah. Not pictured is Diana (Thanks for taking the picture!) and Coastin Steve
From Left to Right - Coastin Steve, Bubba, George and Chuck
The "new" view from the parking lot.
We hope you enjoyed the update and we hope you all have a GREAT holiday! We'll be back in January with some updates on El Toro and Bugs Bunny National Park.

Navigation

[0] Message Index