Great Adventure Outpost

Industry => Industry News => Topic started by: rjholla2003 on January 17, 2006, 01:56:12 AM

Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: rjholla2003 on January 17, 2006, 01:56:12 AM
Goliath at La Ronde, Montreal, Canada

Quote
La Ronde?s phenomenal new steel giant will measure over 53 metres (175 feet) in height, making it 13 metres (43 feet) higher than the Monstre and 21 metres (69 feet) higher than the Vampire! After an initial drop of over 52 metres (171 feet), the intrepid passengers will take a 1,231-metre (4,039-foot) route at speeds reaching 110 km/h (68 mph) for over three minutes! Passengers will have to be at least 1.37 metres (54 inches) tall to ride the giant.

The exhilarating new Goliath will have two 36-passenger trains, each with nine cars with a capacity of four people across. To enhance this amazingly smooth and thrilling experience, the wagons will be open on the sides and the safety device will attach from bottom to top, giving passengers the impression that they are flying far above Sainte-H?l?ne Island. A significant feature of the unbeatable Goliath is that its expansive twisting track will whisk guests outside the park, to the eastern point of Sainte-H?l?ne Island, before rushing them back into the park, over a series of quick hills and drops and finally to a smooth ending in the station house, located near Tour de Ville.

The Goliath was custom-designed for La Ronde by the famous manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard of Monthey, Switzerland, a company known in the industry for the quality of its thrill-producing rides. Bolliger & Mabillard also designed La Ronde?s popular Vampire ride, installed in 2002.

The Goliath will cost $18.7 million, the largest investment for a single ride since the park opened in 1967. Construction has already begun on the giant roller coaster and will continue throughout the winter in order to be ready for thrill-seekers when La Ronde opens. Building this first-ever ride in Canada, will take close to 100 specialized workers, 300 pilings, 150 cement foundations, 106 columns, 1,750 m? (61,800 f3) of cement and 850 anchor bolts.


Construction Gallery here (http://www.laronde.com/en/virtuel/album.asp?album=7)
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: chilled182 on January 17, 2006, 02:15:49 PM
they should have named it.. Superman 15.. 15 for all of the other superman rides in the chain :D

Goliath is getting old.  It doesnt look too shabby though.

know whats really cool?  Check this out..
http://www.laronde.com/en/

Pretty good picture of GOliath huh?
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: ChuckR on January 23, 2006, 01:03:23 AM
(http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL856/4320881/9099236/126778840.jpg)

(http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL856/4320881/9099236/126808365.jpg)

Images courtesy of Thrillzone (http://www.cjb.cc/members/thrillzone/constructiongoliath.html)
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: sfgadvfreak on January 23, 2006, 03:02:28 PM
Why do they make coasters like this not over 200 feet?  It looks like a good coaster, but the colors are just screaming SUPERMAN!...

Can someone refresh me if there is a hight restriction or not at SFLR?
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: overlord on January 23, 2006, 04:35:53 PM
Quote from: "sfgadvfreak"
Why do they make coasters like this not over 200 feet?

Because its canada. What do you expect? Im surprised they didnt name it stanley cup. Alright all joking aside.

I dont like how everything has the name Superman now. There are way too many. Yes i know Six Flags has the rights to do so but why not make it "The Flash" or something. They own him too. There are lots of cartoons that they can take ahold of.
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: sfgadvfreak on January 23, 2006, 05:48:17 PM
They also could have resorted to some of those names before using Mr. Six for the name of a coaster.
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: overlord on January 23, 2006, 05:57:24 PM
Behold the power of DC Comics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_DC_Comics_characters). SO many to choose from. Swamp Thing would make a great name for a coaster flying over a swamp. Tsk tsk to six flags. :(
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: SilverBullet on January 23, 2006, 06:04:56 PM
Quote from: "chilled182"
they should have named it.. Superman 15.. 15 for all of the other superman rides in the chain :D

Goliath is getting old.  It doesnt look too shabby though.


I disagree. It's only the 4th but and this one is destined to be Superman. All the Goliaths are truely spaced out too. Canada, Georgia, California, and the Netherlands.
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: ChuckR on January 23, 2006, 06:35:04 PM
I just find it funny that El Toro is gonna have a steeper drop.  :lol:
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: Metsman. on January 23, 2006, 06:58:01 PM
Quote from: "SilverBullet"
All the Goliaths are truely spaced out too. Canada, Georgia, California, and the Netherlands.


SFMM's Goliath is actually very compact (for a 235 ft tall coaster anyways).
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: ChuckR on January 23, 2006, 07:00:49 PM
I think he meant spaced out, being separated from each other. But you do have a point about SFMM Goliath.
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: SilverBullet on January 23, 2006, 09:30:12 PM
Quote from: "ChuckR"
I just find it funny that El Toro is gonna have a steeper drop.  :lol:


I find it funny El Toro is gonna be taller, longer, steeper and possibly smoother than it. :)

Quote from: "ChuckR"
I think he meant spaced out, being separated from each other.


Yep.
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: chilled182 on January 24, 2006, 12:41:54 PM
I'll draw the line at smoother.  B&M makes the smoothest rides. Period.


And its not so much of a bad thing that el toro has better stats.. its all about the ride and in this case, if you were living up there. be happy they finally  got a new roller coaster to begin with!
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: ChuckR on February 09, 2006, 04:28:30 PM
Goliath POV (http://www.laronde.com/gallerie/laronde/video/GoliathPOV.mpg)
(Recommended for Broadband users)

Oh yeah, right click and hit save target as it is alot easier. This is a POV they finally made for this ride.
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: overlord on February 09, 2006, 06:37:34 PM
Here, i uploaded it to my own host that way it wil be faster.

Goaliath POV (http://www.myfilehut.com/userfiles/25944/Great_Adventure/GoliathPOV.zip)

Thank you no limits. :P Is it really that poor of a park to make it on no limits for $30? Theres not even anything theming for the brakes or stations or anything. Im surprised they even put in supports. The turn around looks bad. Its just boring. I think it should have been a hammerhead turn around or something that is fast and not lolly-gagging.
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: rjholla2003 on February 09, 2006, 07:18:03 PM
That's not NL.  The NL engine looks better than that, the physics are better, the environment would be better (ie: ground not wierdly round), and there would have been things on the track like a chain actually taking the train up the lift, brakes slowing it down, and a station.

Looks like a quarter-booty job in some animation program.
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: overlord on February 09, 2006, 08:08:22 PM
Haha thats even worse then. :P It looks like a good air time coaster. Except for that turn around <_<. I like that overbanked turn they have to take you to the station. Just too bad they cant have an overbanked turn in the turn around.
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: SilverBullet on February 09, 2006, 09:25:45 PM
I didn't think I'd ever say this but......it just has too many air-time hills? It is just so damn repetitive, like MF and overbanks, one after the other of boring-ness. It looks like the king of all floaters, none of those hills look even semi ejector.
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: rjholla2003 on February 09, 2006, 11:32:52 PM
I honestly can't judge anything from that POV.  I was going to say that the hills look like they are shaped for airtime, but the physics were so poorly rendered that it drags.  But, I don't have too much faith in the shaping either.   Some of the coaster just looked non-B&M in the shaping, and not in the "they did something new" way.  The banking and some transitions just looked a bit too odd for me, and I can't back the shaping.  The rendering that they have on the site looks like the coaster will have some speed in the turnaround, and that the hills will provide some Nitroesque airtime.  As long as it does that, it should be fine.
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: Bubba Z on February 10, 2006, 09:19:31 AM
Here I'll quote myself from the other thread..

"Not a big fan yet , even if it is Apollo meets Nitro"

Nitro's Hills with Apollo's crossover sections.  I'll wait  till I've ridden them to give my reviews, but both of those Pov's (Goliath and this one) make the rides look slow. Even if you are being dropped from 200ft plus  :)
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: ChuckR on February 15, 2006, 11:56:05 PM
(http://www.laronde.com/gallerie/laronde/album/ChantierGoliath/photo/P1010286.jpg)

That's one steep hill!
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: rjholla2003 on February 16, 2006, 12:35:59 AM
That picture made me curse.  What is it doing?! :lol:
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: Bubba Z on February 16, 2006, 12:41:29 AM
Is that the new logo for Updates ? That's a big u or we could always Blame Canada, Blame Canada!!

Scratch what I said ,Iam now looking forward to riding this.
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: ChuckR on February 21, 2006, 06:18:19 PM
(http://www.laronde.com/gallerie/laronde/album/ChantierGoliath/photo/P1010324.jpg)

(http://www.laronde.com/gallerie/laronde/album/ChantierGoliath/photo/P1010321.jpg)

(http://www.laronde.com/gallerie/laronde/album/ChantierGoliath/photo/P1010313.jpg)

http://www.laronde.com/fr/virtuel/album.asp?album=7
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: ChuckR on March 03, 2006, 01:13:43 PM
New pictures up on LaRonde's official website...

http://laronde.com/fr/virtuel/album.asp?album=7

(http://laronde.com/gallerie/laronde/album/ChantierGoliath/photo/P1010351.jpg)

(http://laronde.com/gallerie/laronde/album/ChantierGoliath/photo/P1010348.jpg)

(http://laronde.com/gallerie/laronde/album/ChantierGoliath/photo/P1010357.jpg)

The ride is looking pretty sweet!
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: ChuckR on March 21, 2006, 12:21:02 PM
(http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/files/p3200615_914.jpg)

Courtesy of the La Ronde site

(http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/files/2_177.jpg)

Courtesy of ThrillZone.ca.cx
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: ChuckR on March 23, 2006, 12:14:55 AM
(http://laronde.com/gallerie/laronde/album/ChantierGoliath/photo/P3220628.jpg)

Damn, there speeding up!

http://laronde.com/en/virtuel/album.asp?album=7
Title: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: Nitro1118 on March 23, 2006, 03:34:29 PM
Looks like a steel Shivering Timbers....
Title: Re: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: coastersue on May 31, 2006, 06:50:58 AM
Although this one has the best view(even better than Nitro), it rides the worst of the B&M hypers.  There's a lot of vibration during the ride and the trim after the turnaround really slows the 2nd half of the ride.

Nitro's still #1.  :-)

Sue
Title: Re: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: WadeJ on May 31, 2006, 08:57:11 AM
Sue, are you speaking of the SFOG Goliath or the La Ronde Goliath?  (this is why they need to stop using the same names!)  I'm just curious if you somehow made it to Canada recently!

I know somebody that has ridden the La Ronde Goliath and somebody else that rode the one at SFOG and both have come back and said Nitro is better :)
Title: Re: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: coastersue on May 31, 2006, 10:10:13 PM
I'm talking about LaRonde.  We were there this past weekend for the WNYCC event and got a bunch of stay-on rides during the ERT session.

We have also been on SFOG's version so we have been on every B&M hyper in the USA.  I don't think either one comes close to Nitro.  I wasn't crazy over SFOG's, but I'd take theirs over LaRonde's.  The best thing about LaRonde's is the view.

Sue
Title: Re: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: WadeJ on May 31, 2006, 10:14:20 PM
Thats amazing lol  You've been to Canada and SFOG in nearly one month lol

It is really interesting because every single report I hear now (from people that I would trust the opinion of) echos the same thing.  The toughest comparison still seems to be between Nitro and Apollo with each having their own pros and cons.
Title: Re: Official La Ronde Goliath Construction Thread
Post by: coastersue on May 31, 2006, 10:53:19 PM
LaRonda apparently used Nitro for all of their promos.  Nitro is on the cover of their park maps and on signs throughout the park.   :)

Most people I know all like SFOG's the best of all of them which I don't understand at all, but to each their own.  It would be a boring world if everyone agreed on everything.

Sue