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Colossus (Thorpe Park)
Encyclopedia
Colossus is a roller coaster
at Thorpe Park
in Surrey
, England
, UK. It was built by Swiss manufacturers Intamin and designed by Werner Stengel
as an adaptation of Monte Makaya
in Brazil
. Tussauds designer John Wardley
adapted the project to include an extra two inversions as well as reducing its height. Colossus was the world's first roller coaster with ten inversions; an exact replica, called the Tenth Ring Roller Coaster
, was later built at Chimelong Paradise in Guangzhou
, China
.
Manufacturers Intamin used a similar train
style to their Hyper Coaster
models which are exposed by removing the sides of the train. This caused problems as riders could lift their legs outside of the train whilst it was in motion. For a brief period in 2002 and 2003 the ride was equipped with metal bars on the sides of the train to prevent this. During 2003 the trains were fitted with new style restraints to prevent riders from doing this and the metal plates were removed.
The roller coaster is located in the Lost City area, in the south-east of the park. The ride is formed of a vertical loop, a cobra roll, two corkscrews and five heartline twists. The ride's rough theme is the ruins of a recently unearthed Atlantean
civilisation. The music for the ride and surrounding area was composed by Ian Habgood
and is shared with the roller coaster Colossos
in Heide Park
, Germany. During planning and construction Colossus was known as Project Odyssey; both names allude to Ancient Greece
, albeit in different ways.
In 2009, the ride's lift hill chain was replaced and station area was cleaned of rust.
In 2010 Colossus's signs and station were repainted.
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
at Thorpe Park
Thorpe Park
Thorpe Park is a theme park located in Chertsey, Surrey, England, UK. It was built in 1979 on the site of a gravel pit which was partially flooded, the intention of creating a water based theme for the park. The park's first large roller coaster, Colossus, was added in 2002...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, UK. It was built by Swiss manufacturers Intamin and designed by Werner Stengel
Werner Stengel
Werner Stengel is a German roller coaster designer and engineer. Stengel is the founder of Stengel Engineering, also known as Ingenieur Büro Stengel GmbH ....
as an adaptation of Monte Makaya
Monte Makaya
Monte Makaya is a steel, looping roller coaster manufactured by Intamin and located at Terra Encantada in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. When it opened in 1998, it tied Dragon Khan's then-record with eight inversions; although it and Dragon Khan were made by different manufacturers and have very...
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Tussauds designer John Wardley
John Wardley
John Wardley is a British award-winning concept designer and developer for theme parks, mainly for rides such as roller coasters.-Rides Designed By John:*Nemesis*Oblivion*Air*Thirteen *Haunted House*Runaway Mine Train...
adapted the project to include an extra two inversions as well as reducing its height. Colossus was the world's first roller coaster with ten inversions; an exact replica, called the Tenth Ring Roller Coaster
Tenth Ring Roller Coaster
10 Inversion Roller Coaster is a steel roller coaster at Chime-Long Paradise amusement park in Guangzhou, Guangdong China. Completed in 2006, Tenth Ring is the second roller coaster in the world with 10 inversions, after Colossus in England's Thorpe Park ....
, was later built at Chimelong Paradise in Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Manufacturers Intamin used a similar train
Train (roller coaster)
A roller coaster train or car describes the vehicle which transports passengers around a roller coaster's circuit. More specifically, a roller coaster train is made up of two or more "cars" which are connected by some sort of specialized joint. It is called a "train" because the cars follow one...
style to their Hyper Coaster
Hypercoaster
A hypercoaster can mean one of two things:*Any continuous-circuit roller coaster with a height or drop measuring greater than 200 feetOr, more narrowly:*A style or model of roller coaster with three features:**A height of 200–299 feet...
models which are exposed by removing the sides of the train. This caused problems as riders could lift their legs outside of the train whilst it was in motion. For a brief period in 2002 and 2003 the ride was equipped with metal bars on the sides of the train to prevent this. During 2003 the trains were fitted with new style restraints to prevent riders from doing this and the metal plates were removed.
The roller coaster is located in the Lost City area, in the south-east of the park. The ride is formed of a vertical loop, a cobra roll, two corkscrews and five heartline twists. The ride's rough theme is the ruins of a recently unearthed Atlantean
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
civilisation. The music for the ride and surrounding area was composed by Ian Habgood
Ian Habgood
Ian Habgood is a British television and film score composer, producer and instrumentalist.-Early Work:After graduating from Newcastle College in 1996 he moved to London and began composing music for Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Madame Tussauds...
and is shared with the roller coaster Colossos
Colossos (roller coaster)
Colossos is a wooden roller coaster at Heide Park in Soltau, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the first wooden roller coaster to use prefabricated track. Colossos is the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in Europe and the tallest running wooden roller coaster in the world...
in Heide Park
Heide Park
The Heide Park Resort is a theme park in Soltau, Lower Saxony. With an overall area of over 850,000 m², it is one of the biggest German amusement parks and the biggest in Northern Germany....
, Germany. During planning and construction Colossus was known as Project Odyssey; both names allude to Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
, albeit in different ways.
In 2009, the ride's lift hill chain was replaced and station area was cleaned of rust.
In 2010 Colossus's signs and station were repainted.