San Antonio, Texas - It was nearly a month ago that an announcement was made regarding the infamous Rattler’s fate. After years of maintenance issues, and complaints about the coaster being unbearably rough, Six Flags Fiesta Texas announced the ride would be closing down as of August 5, 2012. Apparently, the Rattler didn’t want to go down without a fight, attempting to hold onto riders a little bit longer during its final weekend.

This past Friday, August 3, the stubborn coaster broke down and stalled on the lift hill, stranding the 20 riders for nearly 45 minutes before being released from the Rattler’s grip and walked down the lift steps. According to My San Antonio, the ride suffered a “computer glitch, which park spokeswoman Sydne Purvis said activated the rides computerized safety override system, shutting the ride down immediately. There was no threat to guest safety, but the ride could not be started in the allotted time, so guests had to be evacuated from the ride and walked down. The coaster resumed operation once again before the end of the night.

The 180 foot tall wooden coaster opened in 1992, originally with a 166 foot drop that was slowly reprofiled and shortened to 124 feet. Rattler is a unique terrain coaster in that it is literally built on top of, next to, and even through a limeston quarry, leading to some interesting drops, elements, and tunnels. One of the rides most unique features is the coasters rather awkward, constantly rising and falling, hilly, triple-helix. Unfortunately, the ride gained more notoriety for its roughness and excessive swaying, which only seemed to increase over the years.

On August 5, 2012, at 10:05 p.m., the Rattler took its last riders for one final journey before shutting down forever. Despite its reputation, it seems from My San Antonio that the coaster had a surprisingly upbeat farewell party, ending with a pop of confetti as the final train exited the station. Though the park has not announced what, if anything would replace the coaster, it’s already been confirmed that Rocky Mountain Construction has a project at the park for 2013. It’s possible that the Rattler may be getting an “Iron Horse” treatment like the Texas Giant at Six Flags over Texas, or may be getting replaced entirely with a custom RMC project.