Several Rocky Mountain Construction Coasters Closed Due to Recall
Shockwaves are being felt throughout the coaster and park enthusiast community today as several Rocky Mountain Construction coasters around the world have been closed “until further notice” due to an apparently defective train cylinder.
Kolmården Park issued a very detailed statement late Saturday, saying a cylinder on the rides’ train is to blame for the delayed opening.
On a banner on their homepage, Dollywood posted: “Lightning Rod is closed today. The ride manufacturer ordered all of its roller coasters closed until further notice as a recalled mechanical part is replaced.”
However, several RMC coasters are still operating as of this evening.
The Joker at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has been experiencing quite a bit of downtime since officially opening late last month, although an exact cause for it has not been announced. It, along with Twisted Colossus are currently open as of Saturday afternoon.
Storm Chaser at Kentucky Kingdom was operating as of noon Saturday afternoon. Its current status is unknown. Wicked Cyclone has been closed at Six Flags New England as of Saturday afternoon.
Hayden, ID-based Rocky Mountain Construction has yet to issue any statement on the recall or what was the impetus for removing their rides from service so suddenly and abruptly. Sadly, this has led to rampant speculation and rumors online.
Stay tuned to Great American Thrills for the latest on this developing story…
Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain Catches Fire, Partially Collapses
Screenshot from KTLA-TV’s live helicopter footage.
Colossus – the wooden racing coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain that has been closed for several weeks to undergo a massive renovation, caught fire today in an area where workers were removing track pieces. A portion of the lift has completely collapsed, but the rest of the circuit appears to be in good condition, based off of video taken from the scene. The park was closed at the time – no injuries have been reported.
First reports of the fire came in around 2:30pm and immediately photos began to “light up” social media. The park and ride became a trending topic almost immediately:
The official statement from the park confirms that:
“(The fire) happened while work was being done to disassemble the ride. The park was closed and there were no injuries. Colossus has been closed since August 17 for renovation. Plans for the spring debut of Twisted Colossus are still on track.”
The Coaster Guy reported just a few days ago that he saw what appeared to be burn marks where track had been removed on the lift. The ride is being renovated by Rocky Mountain Construction, who have done several other ride modifications, but never on this large a scale.
So how will they accomplish such a quick turnaround? The answer is simple – they’ve got everything they need already on site to repair and replace: Because the re-design of the ride does not incorporate all of the original layout, there will be literally thousands of board feet of lumber on the site that can easily be recycled into repairing any damaged sections of the ride.
TO RECAP – an apparent construction accident caused Colossus’ lift to catch fire today – while it was under renovation and NOT open ot the public. Thanks to the efforts of both the park and Los Angeles County Fire Department, the blaze and subsequent damage to the structure was quickly contained -no one was injured.
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