Phantom's Revenge
Encyclopedia
The Phantom's Revenge is a steel
roller coaster
at Kennywood Park
, in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
, a suburb of Pittsburgh
.
. This strategic use of the park's hilly terrain is one of the coaster's distinguishing features.
. It was the first hypercoaster
in the world to feature inversions, but these would soon prove to be the downfall of the 1st version of the coaster. After the 2000 season, Steel Phantom underwent extensive changes by Morgan Manufacturing, most notably the removal of all of its inversions. According to Kennywood
, this was done because of many riders' complaints of how rough the coaster was on their heads and necks. The modified coaster reopened for the 2001 season as the Phantom's Revenge. The Phantom's Revenge now has a top speed of 85 mph (38 m/s), putting it in a three way tie for 7th place of the world's fastest coasters, along with Goliath
at Six Flags Magic Mountain
, and Titan
at Six Flags Over Texas
. It is currently ranked as the 9th best steel roller coaster in the world according to the editors of Amusement Today and is ranked as the #3 steel coaster in a survey done by NAPHA. Due to the modifications, both Morgan and Arrow types of track are on the coaster. Shortly after the end of the 2008 season, the Arrow track between the top of the lift hill and the top of the second hill where the 2001 Morgan track begins was replaced with new, matching Morgan track. As of 2009, the only remaining Arrow track to exist is the lift hill, the station track, the brake run/transfer track, and the storage track for the second train.
The signature drop through the Thunderbolt
was kept for Phantom's Revenge, but was lengthened to 232 feet from 225 feet. However, the ride now passes through the Thunderbolt a second time behind the Turtle ride.
at Cedar Point
, which had a top speed of 72 mph, having Steel Phantom at 80 mph.
During the third week of the 1991 season after the opening, a trim brake was added before the loop to slow the train down to give a better and safer ride.
During the 1994 season, Steel Phantom was filmed for the movie "America's Greatest Roller Coaster Thrills".
During the 1995 season, the second train was repainted blue with yellow stripes, Phantom Phlyer placed in the middle of the final helix.
During the 1996 season, the first train was repainted blue with yellow stripes. Also, since it was running throughout October, it was named as "Phantom Fright Night".
During the 1998 season, the ride ran with one train open with one as a spare and lines were often short. Guests, however, thought that the ride was too rough and considerably uncomfortable to ride.
On Labor Day 2000, Steel Phantom was permanently closed, dismantling the inversions which then became turns and airtime hills, as the park had recently received parts from the D.H. Morgan Manufacturing (where the ride went extensive changes). The trains were further retrofitted with lap bars and seatbelts, and with modified fiberglass bodies. Because the trains originally had shoulder harnesses, conventional lap bars could not be used so the lap bars had to be hinged to the side. Also, some parts of Thunderbolt
had to be partially dismantled for construction of new track segments.
During the 2001 season, Steel Phantom was renamed to the Phantom's Revenge, and soon opened to the public with one train in operation. The second was added once several brakes were installed on the last hill in order to give the train a longer, safer brake run into the station.
Throughout later years, guests, however, are appeased that the roller coaster is very unusual and somewhat a unique ride. However, lines are also occasionally long, becoming most busy in most early afternoons, especially the summer.
For the 2009 season, the remaining track from the original Steel Phantom was replaced with Chance-Morgan Track leaving only the lift hill, brake run, and storage track with original Arrow Dynamics track.
* At the time, the roller coaster was Steel Phantom.
Steel roller coaster
A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world...
roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
at Kennywood Park
Kennywood
Kennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The park first opened in 1898 as a "trolley park" at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway. The park was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan and thus began the Kennywood...
, in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
West Mifflin is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, located southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. The population was 20,313 at the 2010 census....
, a suburb of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
.
Ride layout
Although the first hill is only 160 feet high, the second hill drops riders 232 feet into a ravine and through the support structure for ThunderboltThunderbolt (Kennywood)
The Thunderbolt is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. Originally built by John A. Miller in 1924, the ride's name was Pippin until 1967, when it changed to Thunderbolt beginning with the 1968 season, coinciding with an expansion of the...
. This strategic use of the park's hilly terrain is one of the coaster's distinguishing features.
History
The coaster was originally named The Steel Phantom, and was built in 1991 by Arrow DynamicsArrow Dynamics
Arrow Dynamics was a roller coaster and amusement ride design company based in Clearfield, Utah, United States. In 2002, the company went bankrupt but was quickly bought by fellow amusement ride manufacturer S&S Power to form S&S Arrow. During its peak, Arrow Dynamics was responsible for some of...
. It was the first hypercoaster
Hypercoaster
A hypercoaster can mean one of two things:*Any continuous-circuit roller coaster with a height or drop measuring greater than 200 feetOr, more narrowly:*A style or model of roller coaster with three features:**A height of 200–299 feet...
in the world to feature inversions, but these would soon prove to be the downfall of the 1st version of the coaster. After the 2000 season, Steel Phantom underwent extensive changes by Morgan Manufacturing, most notably the removal of all of its inversions. According to Kennywood
Kennywood
Kennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The park first opened in 1898 as a "trolley park" at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway. The park was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan and thus began the Kennywood...
, this was done because of many riders' complaints of how rough the coaster was on their heads and necks. The modified coaster reopened for the 2001 season as the Phantom's Revenge. The Phantom's Revenge now has a top speed of 85 mph (38 m/s), putting it in a three way tie for 7th place of the world's fastest coasters, along with Goliath
Goliath (Six Flags Magic Mountain)
Goliath is a steel roller coaster made by Giovanola of Switzerland. The hypercoaster is located in the Colossus County Fair area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California and is promoted with a sub-tropical theme that is characterized by ruins of the ancient Mayan civilization...
at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...
, and Titan
Titan (roller coaster)
Titan is a steel hyper coaster located at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas. Unlike most hypercoasters, Titan is a combination of an out and back roller coaster and a twister roller coaster.- Ride History :...
at Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas is a major amusement park located in Arlington, Texas , east of Fort Worth and about west of Dallas. It is the oldest park of the Six Flags chain. The park opened on August 5, 1961 following just a year of construction and an initial investment of US$10 million by real estate...
. It is currently ranked as the 9th best steel roller coaster in the world according to the editors of Amusement Today and is ranked as the #3 steel coaster in a survey done by NAPHA. Due to the modifications, both Morgan and Arrow types of track are on the coaster. Shortly after the end of the 2008 season, the Arrow track between the top of the lift hill and the top of the second hill where the 2001 Morgan track begins was replaced with new, matching Morgan track. As of 2009, the only remaining Arrow track to exist is the lift hill, the station track, the brake run/transfer track, and the storage track for the second train.
The signature drop through the Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt (Kennywood)
The Thunderbolt is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. Originally built by John A. Miller in 1924, the ride's name was Pippin until 1967, when it changed to Thunderbolt beginning with the 1968 season, coinciding with an expansion of the...
was kept for Phantom's Revenge, but was lengthened to 232 feet from 225 feet. However, the ride now passes through the Thunderbolt a second time behind the Turtle ride.
Ride timeline
During the 1991 season, Steel Phantom opened with two trains (with a yellow paint job with teal stripes) running. It was known to be one of the tallest and fastest coasters in the world. It was known that when the Steel Phantom opened, the ride sped past Magnum XL-200Magnum XL-200
Magnum XL-200 is an Arrow Dynamics steel hypercoaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Built in 1989, it was the first complete circuit roller coaster to break the barrier...
at Cedar Point
Cedar Point
Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...
, which had a top speed of 72 mph, having Steel Phantom at 80 mph.
During the third week of the 1991 season after the opening, a trim brake was added before the loop to slow the train down to give a better and safer ride.
During the 1994 season, Steel Phantom was filmed for the movie "America's Greatest Roller Coaster Thrills".
During the 1995 season, the second train was repainted blue with yellow stripes, Phantom Phlyer placed in the middle of the final helix.
During the 1996 season, the first train was repainted blue with yellow stripes. Also, since it was running throughout October, it was named as "Phantom Fright Night".
During the 1998 season, the ride ran with one train open with one as a spare and lines were often short. Guests, however, thought that the ride was too rough and considerably uncomfortable to ride.
On Labor Day 2000, Steel Phantom was permanently closed, dismantling the inversions which then became turns and airtime hills, as the park had recently received parts from the D.H. Morgan Manufacturing (where the ride went extensive changes). The trains were further retrofitted with lap bars and seatbelts, and with modified fiberglass bodies. Because the trains originally had shoulder harnesses, conventional lap bars could not be used so the lap bars had to be hinged to the side. Also, some parts of Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt (Kennywood)
The Thunderbolt is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. Originally built by John A. Miller in 1924, the ride's name was Pippin until 1967, when it changed to Thunderbolt beginning with the 1968 season, coinciding with an expansion of the...
had to be partially dismantled for construction of new track segments.
During the 2001 season, Steel Phantom was renamed to the Phantom's Revenge, and soon opened to the public with one train in operation. The second was added once several brakes were installed on the last hill in order to give the train a longer, safer brake run into the station.
Throughout later years, guests, however, are appeased that the roller coaster is very unusual and somewhat a unique ride. However, lines are also occasionally long, becoming most busy in most early afternoons, especially the summer.
For the 2009 season, the remaining track from the original Steel Phantom was replaced with Chance-Morgan Track leaving only the lift hill, brake run, and storage track with original Arrow Dynamics track.
Awards
| Golden Ticket Awards: Top Steel Roller Coasters | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2000* | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Ranking | ||||||||||||
| Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Steel-Tracked Roller Coaster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Ranking | ||||||||
| NAPHA National Amusement Park Historical Association The National Amusement Park Historical Association was founded in 1978 by a former employee of Chicago's Riverview Amusement Park, and NAPHA has grown throughout a long period of time to include amusement parks from all over the world. NAPHA preserves amusement park history and historic rides. ... Survey: Favorite Steel Roller Coaster |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| Ranking | |||
External links
- Phantom's Revenge Article and Photos on Ultimate Rollercoaster.com
- Phantom's Revenge Video from Kennywood.com