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Iron Rattler is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. The ride originally opened in 1992 as Rattler, the tallest wooden roller coaster in the world. It was converted to steel in 2013 by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), led by designer Alan Schilke, and reopened as Iron Rattler. RMC installed their patented I-Box track onto Rattler's existing wooden structure, increasing the drop height from and the maximum speed from . A notable addition to its layout was a zero-g roll inversion, which was a first among hybrid coasters made of wood and steel.
The original wooden Rattler was constructed by the now-defunct and controversial Roller Coaster Corporation of America, featuring a height of and a drop of . Rattler's first drop was heavily modified and reduced to by 1994. The transformation of the ride to Iron Rattler was well received, and it has frequently ranked in the top 50 among the world's best steel coasters in the annual Golden Ticket Awards publication from Amusement Today.
In late 2009, Six Flags Over Texas closed its Texas Giant wooden roller coaster for a $10 million renovation which took more than a year to complete. Idaho-based firm Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) replaced the wooden track with a new steel I-Box track, retaining a wooden support structure. The refurbishment was ultimately a success with "resoundingly positive reviews from riders". The park's parent company, Six Flags, immediately began looking for other rides in its chain which would benefit from a similar overhaul.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas announced in August 2012 that the now-closed Rattler would be revamped into a steel-tracked coaster called Iron Rattler. The renovation would be performed by Rocky Mountain Construction and would feature the I-Box steel track on some of the original wooden coaster supports, Rattler-themed trains supplied by Gerstlauer, and a barrel roll. The new ride would open for the 2013 season.
The National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives announced on April 16, 2013, that the first rides of Iron Rattler, taking place on the evening of May 17, 2013, would be auctioned off with proceeds going to the museum. A soft-opening was held to the media on May 15, 2013. The grand opening of the Iron Rattler took place May 25, 2013. Following the deadly incident on the New Texas Giant on July 19, 2013, Six Flags Fiesta Texas temporarily closed Iron Rattler, pending investigation findings from its sister park, because the two rides share several similarities. In under a month, Iron Rattler reopened on August 14 with seat belts as another added restraint to the two trains.
The table below compares the original Rattler, with the updated Iron Rattler ride. The original ride by the Roller Coaster Corporation of America was approximately longer due to a 900° helix atop the quarry walls. The refurbished ride by Rocky Mountain Construction features a steeper and longer first drop, thus achieving a faster speed.
| 2013–present | ||
| Rocky Mountain Construction | ||
| Alan Schilke | ||
| Steel | ||
| 1 | ||
| 81° | ||
| Gerstlauer | ||
Before Iron Rattler's debut year, Rattler was only ranked once in the Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards for the 2011 Top 50 Wooden Coasters ranked at 47 in the world, since the creation of the award in 1998. After the renovation in 2013, Iron Rattler was ranked highly by the voters. The ride was ranked the second-best new ride of 2013 with 19% of the vote. It also ranked at position 11 for the world's best steel roller coasters its debut year.
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