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Phantom's Revenge is a
steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
hypercoaster A hypercoaster is a roller coaster with a height or drop measuring at least . The term was first coined by Arrow Dynamics and Cedar Point in 1989 with the opening of the world's first hypercoaster, Magnum XL-200, which features a height of . Th ...
located at
Kennywood Kennywood is an amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, just southeast of Pittsburgh. The park opened on May 30, 1898, as a trolley park attraction at the end of the Mellon family's Monongahela Street Railway. It was purchased in 1906 ...
amusement park in
West Mifflin, Pennsylvania West Mifflin is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, located southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. The population was 19,589 at the 2020 census. It is named after Thomas Mifflin, 1st Governor of Pennsylvania, signer of the U ...
. It originally opened as Steel Phantom in 1991, featuring the fastest speed and longest drop of any roller coaster in the world. Its second drop is longer than its first, which is a unique characteristic among roller coasters. Manufactured by
Arrow Dynamics Arrow Dynamics was an American manufacturing and engineering company that specialized in designing and building amusement park rides, especially roller coasters. Based in Clearfield, Utah, the company was the successor to Arrow Development (19 ...
, the ride was later modified and renovated by
D. H. Morgan Manufacturing D. H. Morgan Manufacturing, later simply known as Morgan, was a manufacturer of roller coaster trains, custom amusement rides, roller coasters, children's rides and other amusement devices. Founded in 1983, the company was originally headquartere ...
for the 2001 season when it reopened as Phantom's Revenge. The drop and track length were both increased, and its four inversions were removed, allowing for the removal of its uncomfortable over-the-shoulder restraints. The ride has consistently ranked among the top 50 steel roller coasters in the world in the annual
Golden Ticket Awards ''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, List of amusement rides, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspape ...
publication from ''
Amusement Today ''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in Arl ...
'', occasionally ranking in the top 10. Additionally, it has frequently ranked in the top 5 of the
National Amusement Park Historical Association The National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA) is an international organization dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of the amusement and theme park industry – past, present and future. NAPHA was founded in 1978 by a forme ...
's annual steel coaster survey.


History

In the late 1980s, Harry Henniger, president of
Kennywood Entertainment Company Kennywood Entertainment Company was the operator of five United States amusement parks in Western Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. History Kennywood Entertainment Co. was effectively created in 1906, when F. W. Henninger and Andrew Mc ...
, sought to enter the "coaster arms race" of the time with the addition of a large steel coaster to the park. Faced with the challenge of finding the necessary space, the park settled on a design from
Arrow Dynamics Arrow Dynamics was an American manufacturing and engineering company that specialized in designing and building amusement park rides, especially roller coasters. Based in Clearfield, Utah, the company was the successor to Arrow Development (19 ...
. The concept featured a
lift hill A lift hill, or chain hill, is an upward-sloping section of track on a roller coaster on which the roller coaster train is mechanically lifted to an elevated point or peak in the track. Upon reaching the peak, the train is then propelled from t ...
with a record-breaking drop, surpassing the previous record set two years earlier by
Magnum XL-200 Magnum XL-200, colloquially known as simply Magnum, is a steel roller coaster built by Arrow Dynamics at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. When it opened in 1989, it was the tallest, fastest, and steepest complete-circuit roller coaster in the wo ...
at
Cedar Point Cedar Point is a amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio, United States, owned and operated by Six Flags. It opened in 1870 and is considered the second-oldest operating amusement park in the US behind Lake Compounc ...
. With a top speed of , it was also set to become the world's fastest.
Kennywood Kennywood is an amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, just southeast of Pittsburgh. The park opened on May 30, 1898, as a trolley park attraction at the end of the Mellon family's Monongahela Street Railway. It was purchased in 1906 ...
unveiled plans for the new ride, dubbed Steel Phantom, on July 27, 1990. Steel Phantom was built on the former site of Laser Loop, a
Shuttle Loop Shuttle Loop is a type of steel launched shuttle roller coaster designed by Reinhold Spieldiener of Intamin and manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf. A total of 12 installations were produced between 1977 and 1982. These 12 installations have bee ...
coaster removed after the 1990 season. It also reused Laser Loop's loading station. Construction of Steel Phantom began during Labor Day weekend in early September 1990. It was set to open on May 4, 1991, but this was ultimately delayed six days to May 10. When it opened, it set new records in drop height and speed, in addition to featuring four inversions. While Kennywood claimed the coaster was well-received and ranked frequently in the top 10, riders often complained of neck strain and excessive headbanging. Shortly after its debut, engineers found that the train would reach speeds exceeding specifications. The ride was closed for over a week so
trim brake A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track that utilizes some form of brakes to slow or stop a roller coaster train. There are various types of braking methods employed on roller coasters, including friction brakes, skid brakes, and ...
s could be installed prior to the inversions where the injuries were occurring. On March 5, 2000, Kennywood announced that they would dismantle Steel Phantom. A replacement for Steel Phantom was not announced at the time. "Just about anything is on the table" said Kennywood spokeswoman, Mary Lou Rosemeyer. After the decision to remove Steel Phantom was announced, the park started receiving complaints and emails about the decision. Kennywood ultimately decided to keep the roller coaster but make modifications to it. On August 10, 2000, Kennywood announced that Steel Phantom would be transformed into Phantom's Revenge for the 2001 season. After the ride closed on
Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...
weekend in 2000, Steel Phantom underwent extensive changes by D. H. Morgan Manufacturing, most notably the removal of all of its inversions. The modified coaster reopened as Phantom's Revenge on May 19, 2001. The coaster operated with one train in its first season. In 2002,
magnetic brakes A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track that utilizes some form of brakes to slow or stop a roller coaster train. There are various types of braking methods employed on roller coasters, including friction brakes, skid brakes, and ...
were added to the ride so a second train could be used. Because of the modifications, both Morgan-style and Arrow-style track have been utilized. A short theme tune used in television commercials for the attraction was composed by Jim DiSpirito, former member of Pittsburgh-based rock band
Rusted Root Rusted Root is an American worldbeat rock band formed in 1990 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by singer-guitarist Michael Glabicki, bassist Patrick Norman and percussionist Liz Berlin. The band got its start as the house band playing a weekly gig in ...
. Kennywood hosted an online poll in September 2021, asking fans to decide whether Phantom's Revenge should be repainted teal or purple. Nearly 10,000 people participated in the poll, voting to repaint the track purple. The repainting took place in October 2021.


Ride experience

The terrain coaster layout is built to take advantage of the natural elevation changes provided by the hilly terrain. Unlike most roller coasters, the ride's second drop is longer than its first, and the transformation to Phantom's Revenge in 2001 increased the drop length, track length, and top speed.


Layout


Steel Phantom (1991–2000)

After leaving the station, the train made a slight turn to the right, climbing the chain lift hill. After ascending the lift hill, the ride went down a banked drop to the right. After a straight section, the ride ascended a second hill that turned slightly to the right. The train then dropped through
Thunderbolt A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hel ...
's structure, reaching a top speed of . The train made a U-turn to the left at the bottom of the ravine, before climbing another incline into a set of
trim brake A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track that utilizes some form of brakes to slow or stop a roller coaster train. There are various types of braking methods employed on roller coasters, including friction brakes, skid brakes, and ...
s before heading into a
vertical loop The generic roller coaster vertical loop, also known as a Loop-the-loop, or a Loop-de-loop, where a section of track causes the riders to complete a 360 degree turn, is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. At the top of the loop, rid ...
. After the loop, the train immediately went into a
boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...
, an element that turned riders upside down twice. The train then made a right turn into a
corkscrew A corkscrew is a tool for drawing Cork (plug), corks from wine bottles and other household bottles that may be sealed with corks. In its traditional form, a corkscrew simply consists of a pointed metallic helix (often called the "worm") attach ...
, the fourth and final inversion. After this, riders went through a right turn that passed under the corkscrew. After this, the ride ascended into the brake run. One cycle of the ride took approximately 2 minutes and 15 seconds.


Phantom's Revenge (2001–present)

After leaving the
station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...
, the
train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...
makes a slight turn to the right before climbing the
chain lift hill A lift hill, or chain hill, is an upward-sloping section of track on a roller coaster on which the roller coaster train is mechanically lifted to an elevated point or peak in the track. Upon reaching the peak, the train is then propelled from ...
. After ascending the lift hill, the train drops to the right, reaching a speed of . Riders then enter a straightaway before climbing a second hill which drops them , reaching a top speed of . The train then makes a 280-degree turn, passing back under Thunderbolt's structure. Next, the train circles around the
Turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...
ride before traveling back under the second drop through a bunny-hop. Riders then make a turn to the left, passing under the ride's brake run and entering a second bunny-hop. The train then enters a 180 degree curve, going through the last bunny-hop and entering the
brake run A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track that utilizes some form of brakes to slow or stop a roller coaster train. There are various types of braking methods employed on roller coasters, including friction brakes, skid brakes, a ...
. One cycle of the ride takes approximately 1 minute and 57 seconds. According to early plans, the ride was originally supposed to feature a double-up element instead of the straightaway between the first and second drops, as well as a longer tunnel after the turnaround.


Trains

As Steel Phantom, the ride had two trains; one painted purple with yellow stripes, and one yellow with purple stripes. Each train had "Kennywood" painted on the front car. Both trains had seven cars that seated two riders in two rows for a total of 28 riders per train. The trains were the same type used on all other Arrow Dynamics looping coasters. When the ride was renovated, the trains were also updated. Steel Phantom's
chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of a manufactured object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
which were built by Arrow Dynamics remained, but D. H. Morgan built new, aerodynamic fiberglass bodies. D. H. Morgan also replaced the over-shoulder-restraints with lap bars and seatbelts. Like its predecessor, Phantom's Revenge operates with two seven-car, 28 passenger trains; one teal and one purple. Originally, each train had both colors, with the top half of the train being one color and the bottom half being the other. The front car of each train had "Kennywood" painted on it in white. In 2014, the trains received new bodies identical to the old ones, with the exception of new paint. Each train was colored solid teal or solid purple with the ride's logo painted on the front cars. A unique lap bar restraint system had to be designed due to the trains using the chassis from Steel Phantom, which were unable to accommodate a traditional floor-mounted lap bar system. Instead, the lap bars on Phantom's Revenge are mounted to the outer side of the seats and lower from beside the rider.


Track

Phantom's Revenge's steel track is approximately in length and the height of the lift hill is approximately . Before the renovation, the length was and the lift remained unchanged. The track was originally manufactured by Arrow Dynamics and painted black with gray rails and supports. After the renovation, D. H. Morgan Manufacturing replaced the majority of the track and it was painted green with black supports. Over the years, most of the Arrow Dynamics track has been replaced with D. H. Morgan track and the only original Arrow Dynamics track that remains is the lift hill, the station, and the brake run/transfer track. After the 2021 season, the track was repainted purple following a poll hosted online.


Comparison


Reception

The original Steel Phantom was largely well-received, but it was criticized for its roughness, mainly due to its speed through its inversions and its unpopular over-the-shoulder restraints. Following its 2001 conversion, Phantom's Revenge received near-universal acclaim, being praised for its airtime moments, improved ride experience, and for maintaining the thrilling portions from its predecessor. The original restraints were replaced with lap bar restraints for the conversion.


Awards and rankings


Notes


References


External links

*
Phantom's Revenge Article and Photos
on Ultimate Rollercoaster.com
America Coasters review
of Phantom's Revenge {{Kennywood Kennywood Roller coasters manufactured by Arrow Dynamics 2001 establishments in Pennsylvania Hypercoasters Terrain roller coasters Roller coasters in Pennsylvania Steel roller coasters