Iron Rattler opened to the public on May 25, 2013 at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio — but that date is only the final step of a build that actually started months earlier, on the bones of a coaster that had already stood on the site since 1992.
Iron Rattler is a steel hybrid roller coaster built by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), created by grafting the company’s I-Box steel track onto the original wooden support structure of the former Rattler. Its track weaves in and out of a real limestone quarry wall, reaching 179 feet tall and 70 mph, and it was one of the first hybrid coasters ever to feature a zero-g roll inversion.
Quick Answer
Iron Rattler was built in 2013. Construction began in late August 2012, shortly after the original wooden Rattler closed on August 5, 2012, and took roughly eight months to complete. The finished coaster opened to the public on May 25, 2013.
Stats at a Glance
Park: Six Flags Fiesta Texas, San Antonio, TX. Manufacturer: Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC). Built/Converted: 2012-2013. Opened: May 25, 2013. Height: 179 ft (55 m). Drop: 171 ft (52 m) at 81°. Top Speed: 70 mph (110 km/h). Length: 3,266 ft (995 m). Inversions: 1 (zero-g roll). Conversion cost: approximately $10 million.
When Was Iron Rattler Built? A Full Timeline
The land Iron Rattler sits on has a longer history than the 2013 opening suggests. The site’s original coaster, simply named Rattler, opened on March 14, 1992 as the tallest wooden roller coaster in the world, a title it held until 1994. By the 2010s, decades of wear and mounting complaints about roughness had made the wooden Rattler a candidate for a major overhaul rather than routine maintenance.
Six Flags closed the wooden Rattler to the public on August 5, 2012 to begin the transformation. On August 30, 2012, Six Flags Fiesta Texas formally announced the project in a press release confirming that construction on Iron Rattler was already underway, with the conversion expected to take about eight months and the new ride targeted for a spring 2013 debut. RMC designer Alan Schilke led the engineering, reusing the Rattler’s existing wooden support structure while bolting on RMC’s patented I-Box steel track.
Construction ran through the fall and winter of 2012 into spring 2013. Six Flags Fiesta Texas held a media soft-opening on May 15, 2013, followed by charity-auctioned first public rides on May 17, 2013, before the coaster’s official grand opening to all guests on May 25, 2013 — the date most commonly cited as when Iron Rattler was ‘built’ or ‘opened.’ The full conversion, from the wooden frame to finished steel hybrid, cost roughly $10 million.
The Ride Experience
Riders begin with a chain lift to 179 feet before plunging down an 81-degree drop at 70 mph — one of the steepest first drops on any hybrid coaster. The layout then threads through the quarry terrain with four overbanked turns ranging from 93 to 110 degrees, keeping lateral forces unusually high throughout.
A zero-g roll at the top of the quarry wall delivers a moment of sustained weightlessness before a tunnel section near the base, enhanced with fog and lighting effects, closes the ride. The Gerstlauer trains feature serpent-themed styling, lap bars, and seat belts, seating 24 riders per train in a 2-across, 2-row configuration. The 48-inch height requirement reflects the intensity of the experience — this is firmly a thrill coaster, with no gentle moments once the lift crests.
From Rattler to Iron Rattler: The Conversion Story
The conversion dramatically raised the drop from 124 to 171 feet, boosted top speed from 65 to 70 mph, and added the signature zero-g roll — a first for the I-Box format at the time. RMC’s approach kept the original wooden Rattler’s footprint and much of its timber substructure intact, which is why the new ride still snakes through the same quarry canyon that made the wooden version famous.
The Iron Rattler project is widely cited as one of RMC’s most successful early hybrid conversions, following the company’s earlier rebuild of the New Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas. Its success helped establish RMC’s I-Box track — and the whole ‘build it new on old bones’ approach — as the dominant model for reviving aging wooden coasters across the industry.
Awards and Legacy
Iron Rattler earned an 11th-place ranking among the world’s best steel coasters in its debut year at the Golden Ticket Awards, later climbing to 4th place in 2017. More than a decade after its 2013 build, it remains one of the signature thrill rides at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and a frequently cited early landmark in RMC’s hybrid coaster catalog.
Iron Rattler construction history FAQs
When was the Iron Rattler built?
Iron Rattler was built between August 2012 and May 2013. Construction began shortly after the original wooden Rattler closed on August 5, 2012, and the finished steel hybrid coaster opened to the public on May 25, 2013, about eight months later.
How long did it take to build Iron Rattler?
The conversion took roughly eight months, from the wooden Rattler’s closure in early August 2012 to Iron Rattler’s public opening on May 25, 2013, including a media soft-opening on May 15, 2013 and charity-auctioned first rides on May 17, 2013.
What kind of roller coaster is Iron Rattler?
Iron Rattler is a steel hybrid coaster built by Rocky Mountain Construction using their I-Box track system mounted on the original wooden support structure of the former Rattler. This combination of a wood frame and steel track gives it an unusually smooth ride despite its aggressive layout.
What was Iron Rattler before it was converted?
Before its 2013 transformation, the ride operated as The Rattler — a wooden coaster that opened on March 14, 1992 as the world’s tallest wooden roller coaster. Rocky Mountain Construction rebuilt it as Iron Rattler after the original wooden version closed in August 2012.
How fast and tall is Iron Rattler?
Iron Rattler stands 179 feet tall and sends riders down a 171-foot drop at an 81-degree angle, reaching a top speed of 70 mph. The total track length is 3,266 feet.
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