Texas Cyclone was a wooden roller coaster that opened on June 12, 1976, at Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston, Texas. It was built as a near mirror-image tribute to the original Coney Island Cyclone in New York, after AstroWorld’s operators decided it would be too costly to purchase and relocate that historic ride instead.
Designed by William Cobb and Don Rosser and built by the now-defunct Frontier Construction Company, Texas Cyclone quickly became one of AstroWorld’s signature attractions, prized among coaster enthusiasts for its relentless out-and-back layout and sustained airtime. It operated for nearly three decades until Six Flags AstroWorld closed permanently in October 2005.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Six Flags AstroWorld (Houston, Texas)
- Manufacturer: Frontier Construction Company
- Opened: June 12, 1976
- Closed: October 30, 2005 (demolished March 2006)
- Height: About 93 feet
- Top speed: About 60 mph
- Length: 3,180 feet
- Inversions: 0
The Ride Experience
Texas Cyclone’s chain lift climbed to 93 feet before releasing riders down an 80-foot first drop angled at 53 degrees, launching the train into a rapid-fire sequence of twisting turns and camelback hills. The out-and-back wooden layout was engineered for airtime rather than height, packing a 2-minute, 15-second ride into a compact footprint typical of classic Cyclone-style coasters.
Six-car trains carrying 24 riders in a 2-across, 2-row arrangement gave the ride a rattling, old-school wooden-coaster feel that fans often compared favorably to its Coney Island namesake. Its reputation for rough, forceful negative-g moments made it a cult favorite among coaster enthusiasts touring Texas parks in the late 20th century.
Legacy After AstroWorld’s Closure
When Six Flags AstroWorld shut its gates for good on October 30, 2005, Texas Cyclone closed along with the rest of the park and was demolished the following spring, on March 9, 2006. Its trains were later relocated to La Ronde in Montreal, and a section of its wooden track was preserved at the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives.
Though the ride no longer stands, Texas Cyclone is still remembered as one of the defining wooden coasters of the 1970s coaster-building revival, and it remains a frequently cited example in discussions of AstroWorld’s lost golden-age attractions.
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Texas Cyclone FAQs
Where was Texas Cyclone located?
Texas Cyclone operated at Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston, Texas, from 1976 until the park’s closure in 2005.
Who built Texas Cyclone?
It was designed by William Cobb and Don Rosser and built by the Frontier Construction Company, modeled after the original Coney Island Cyclone.
Does Texas Cyclone still exist?
No. The ride closed with AstroWorld in October 2005 and was demolished in March 2006, though its trains and a section of track were preserved elsewhere.
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Photo: Johnychen at English Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.