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Steel Curtain (roller coaster)

Coordinates: 40°23′14″N 79°51′39″W / 40.38722°N 79.86083°W / 40.38722; -79.86083
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Steel Curtain
Steel Curtain logo
View of the Steel Curtain roller coaster from a nearby path. The roller coaster contains yellow supports and black track. A building is to the right.
Kennywood
LocationKennywood
Park sectionSteelers Country
Coordinates40°23′14″N 79°51′39″W / 40.38722°N 79.86083°W / 40.38722; -79.86083
StatusClosed
Soft opening dateJuly 12, 2019 (2019-07-12)
Opening dateJuly 13, 2019 (2019-07-13)
ReplacedLog Jammer
General statistics
TypeSteel
ManufacturerS&S - Sansei Technologies
Height220 ft (67 m)
Drop205 ft (62 m)
Length4,000 ft (1,200 m)
Speed75 mph (121 km/h)
Inversions8 or 9[a]
Duration2:00
Height restriction52–77[1] in (132–196 cm)
Trains2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
ThemePittsburgh Steelers
Steel Curtain at RCDB

Steel Curtain is a steel hypercoaster at Kennywood in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, United States. Manufactured by S&S – Sansei Technologies, the coaster reaches a height of 220 feet (67 m) and features either eight or nine inversions,[a] including a 197-foot (60 m) corkscrew considered to be the world's tallest inversion. Themed to the Pittsburgh Steelers NFL football team, the roller coaster is named after the Steel Curtain, the nickname for the Steelers' defensive line during the 1970s.

Steel Curtain is located on the former site of Log Jammer, a flume ride that closed in 2017. The roller coaster was announced in July 2018 following a two-phase teaser campaign dubbed "Project 412" that generated publicity for the ride. The track was topped out in March 2019. After a series of weather-related delays, the ride opened on July 13, 2019. Steel Curtain received Amusement Today magazine's Golden Ticket Award for Best New Roller Coaster in 2019. The ride was closed for repairs during the 2024 season.

History

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Development

[edit]

Kennywood closed its Log Jammer flume ride in September 2017.[3] Demolition of Log Jammer began in January 2018 to make room for a new attraction which would open the following year.[6] The demolition process was completed that March, and workers started clearing the site and installing caissons for the new attraction.[3] In June 2018, Kennywood announced Project 412, a two-phase teaser campaign for the new ride. During the first phase, a clue was revealed on a virtual scratchcard on Facebook every Thursday.[7][8] The scratchcard game revealed nine numbers, each of which corresponded to a ride statistic.[9] The second phase, involving an online word search, was launched on July 4, 2018; entrants were asked to look for words corresponding to the nine statistics. The first twelve people to guess all of the words correctly would be invited to the attraction's opening.[9][10]

Kennywood announced on July 19, 2018, that it would build a steel coaster, Steel Curtain, as part of a new themed area called Steelers Country.[11][12] The ride would be named after the Steel Curtain, the nickname given to the defensive line of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team from the 1970s.[13][14] It would be the park's ninth operating roller coaster. Track pieces for Steel Curtain arrived at the park in August 2018.[15] Kennywood drained its lagoon and closed its Paddle Boats attraction so workers could lay the ride's footers.[16] Vertical construction began that November,[17] and the front car of a train was placed on display at the annual International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions exposition in Orlando, Florida.[17][18] The first of the ride's inversions, the cutback, was completed the following month.[17] The lift hill was constructed in February 2019,[19] and the tallest point of the ride was topped off the next month.[20] At that time, nearly half of the ride's inversions had been completed.[21]

Though the ride was originally scheduled to open in April 2019, delays in construction and testing pushed the opening to the summer.[22] Many of the delays were attributed to heavy rainfall during 2018.[3][23] Additionally, the construction cranes that installed the track and supports could not operate if the wind speed was too high.[3] Testing began on June 22, 2019,[24] shortly after the final piece of track was installed on June 18.[25] The ride had to undergo at least 1,000 test runs before it opened to the public. The test runs, which largely used weighted dummies, were intended to simulate a wide range of real-life conditions.[3]

Operation

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Steel Curtain soft opened for the press and coaster enthusiasts on July 12, 2019.[3][26] Several Steelers players attended the soft opening, including Steelers defensive end Cam Heyward and former players Mike Wagner and John Banaszak.[3][27] The winners of the Project 412 competition, who came from as far away as California and Texas,[28] were also invited to the ride's soft opening.[27] The ride officially opened to the public one day later on July 13, 2019.[3][4] A technical issue on opening day, in which one of the trains stopped momentarily while climbing the lift hill, resulted in the closure of the ride for the rest of the day.[29]

On August 3, 2019, Steel Curtain was closed for adjustments, reopening four days later on August 7.[30][31] In a Facebook post, Kennywood attributed the ride's downtime to the fact that Steel Curtain was a "unique prototype ride". A former president of the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) said that such downtime was common for prototype rides.[31] Steel Curtain did not operate in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[32][33] but it reopened for the 2021 season.[33][34] The ride closed again for repairs in June 2022,[34][35] and it reopened the following month on July 14, 2022.[36][37]

In April 2024, Kennywood announced that Steel Curtain would not operate for the entire 2024 season due to a planned "extensive modification project".[38][39] The park's assistant general manager, Ricky Spicuzza, stated that the goal of the project is to create a long-term solution that will increase the ride's "reliability and longevity".[38][39] Following the announcement, a 2024 season pass holder filed a class action lawsuit against Kennywood, alleging that the park withheld news of the closure and used false advertising with the intent to sell more season passes.[40][41] During the closure, workers installed additional columns to reinforce the roller coaster structure. As of October 2024, Steel Curtain was scheduled to reopen in 2025.[42][43]

Characteristics

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Riders sitting on the roller coaster within the ride's station. The seats are themed to American football, with a white stripe on a brown background.
Riders on the trains' football-themed seats

The roller coaster was designed by S&S – Sansei Technologies and, at the time of its opening, was the largest coaster made by S&S.[28] Steel Curtain features eight or nine inversions, depending on how the inversions are counted;[a] it reaches a maximum height of 220 feet (67 m).[2] The ride reaches a maximum speed of 75 mph (121 km/h) and lasts two minutes, although a large portion of that duration is spent on the lift hill.[44] When it opened, Steel Curtain featured the tallest inversion in the world: a dive drop measuring 197 feet (60 m) high,[45][46] a record it still holds as of 2024.[38] It is also the tallest roller coaster in Pennsylvania, and it has more inversions than any other coaster in the United States.[26][3] Steel Curtain is located within Kennywood's 3-acre (1.2 ha) Steelers Country area,[47] which, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, was "believed to be the first pro sports team tie-in at an amusement park".[48]

Steel Curtain's construction required 152 concrete footers, 113 pieces of track that weighed 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg) each, and over 21,000 bolts.[3] The track pieces are colored black, while the support beams are yellow, representing the colors of the Pittsburgh Steelers.[14] The majority of the ride's pieces were manufactured in the United States, although some pieces had to be imported from elsewhere.[21] The largest track piece weighed 15,000 pounds (6,800 kg). In addition, the support structure consists of 1,162 pieces, which weigh up to 12,226 pounds (5,546 kg). The pieces weigh a total of 2.67 million pounds (1,340 short tons; 1,210 t), while the concrete footers weigh 8.37 million pounds (4,180 short tons; 3,800 t).[3] The ride's exit is through a gift shop within a building that contains the Steelers Experience, which includes various football-themed activities.[28]

Steel Curtain has two trains, where riders are seated two across in each row with two rows per car. Both trains contain six cars for a total of 24 riders per train.[49] The restraint system consists of lap bars and a seatbelt. Each train is painted black with yellow, matching the colors of the track and supports, with white stripes to resemble a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey.[49][50] The seats are designed to resemble a football.[50][51] The front car of one train has the number 19 painted on it, while the front car of the other train has the number 33.[28] These numbers represent 1933, the year that the Pittsburgh Steelers were founded.[49][50]

Ride experience

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Steel Curtain's Drachen Fire Dive Drop and sea serpent inversions
Drachen Fire Dive Drop and sea serpent
Steel Curtain's banana roll inversion
Banana roll inversion
Steel Curtain's dive loop
Dive loop
Steel Curtain's zero-g stall over Kennywood's lagoon. Another ride is in the background.
Zero-g stall
Steel Curtain's cutback before the brake run, immediately below the corkscrew
Cutback, below the corkscrew

Immediately after leaving the station, the train climbs a 220-foot-tall (67 m) lift hill, which is angled 50 degrees off the ground.[3][23] The ascent up the hill is occasionally accompanied by the Styx song "Renegade".[51] The lift hill uses a variable speed drive. The train climbs most of the lift hill relatively slowly, speeding up near the top after it has passed several sensors.[23] After cresting the hill, it dips slightly and veers left into the world's tallest inversion, a 197-foot (60 m)[52] "Drachen Fire Dive Drop"[2] (named for the defunct Drachen Fire[53]). The train drops 205 feet (62 m) out of the inversion.[52] It then banks sharply left, reaching a point close to the ground and traveling back toward the station. It veers left again and enters a banana roll, an element named after its characteristic shape, which raises the train to its second-highest point off the ground.[13][23]

Riders descend low to the ground once more into a small airtime hill heading back toward the first drop, entering a sea serpent element with two more inversions. This is followed by an airtime hill and the coaster's sixth inversion, a dive loop that turns the train 180 degrees and sends it back toward the station. After a brief straightaway, riders experience a weightlessness maneuver in a zero-g stall inversion, sometimes referred to as a top gun stall.[13][23] This inversion travels over Kennywood's lagoon,[51] a National Historic Landmark.[52] The coaster's finale follows, with the train entering a corkscrew and cutback in short succession, completing the last two inversions. The cutback ends with a slight jump up onto the final brake run, where the train makes its way back into the station.[23]

Reception

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At a preview event for the ride in 2019, Cam Heyward of the Pittsburgh Steelers said: "You just want to be a part of something like this and to be a Steeler ride inside Pittsburgh it's just unbelievable."[46][51] A reporter for WGN-TV wrote: "What's really special about this coaster is how they were able to fit a ride that takes you upside down so many times into this space. The ride goes back and forth through itself so many times. It's remarkable."[54] Arthur Levine of USA Today wrote: "Except for one brief pop out of my seat, there were scarcely any negative-G sensations. This is a thrill machine designed for intense speed, tight turns and inversions."[23] Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards ranked Steel Curtain as the Best New Roller Coaster of 2019.[55][56]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c The Roller Coaster DataBase lists the ride as having eight inversions, since the banana roll is counted as one inversion.[2] Other sources list the ride as having nine inversions, with the banana roll counted as two.[3][4][5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Kennywood's 2021 Height Restrictions" (PDF). Kennywood. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Marden, Duane. "Steel Curtain - Kennywood (West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, USA)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Archived from the original on October 8, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Kennywood Roller Coaster Breaks Records: CEG". Construction Equipment Guide. July 17, 2019. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Brown, Forrest (July 13, 2019). "New roller coaster will flip you upside down 9 times". CNN. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  5. ^ Stevens, Matthew (July 19, 2018). "Steelers, Kennywood team up to launch Steeler-themed roller coaster, amenities". WJAC. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  6. ^ "Kennywood Sends Out First Teaser for 2019 Project – Coaster Nation". Coaster Nation – Latest News in Themed Entertainment. April 13, 2018. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  7. ^ "PROJECT 412: Kennywood revealing clues to new attraction". WPXI. June 7, 2018. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  8. ^ "Kennywood Teases New Ride In 'Project 412' Facebook Post". KDKA. June 7, 2018. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  9. ^ a b Hamill, Sean D. (July 5, 2018). "Another coaster at Kennywood?". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. pp. B1, B3. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Kennywood Announces 'Project 412' Contest". CBS News. July 4, 2018. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  11. ^ "Steelers Country Is Coming To Kennywood: New Coaster 'The Steel Curtain' Unveiled". CBS News. July 19, 2018. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  12. ^ "Project 412 Revealed: Kennywood and Pittsburgh Steelers' Record-Breaking Collaboration". Amusement Today. July 19, 2018. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  13. ^ a b c Levine, Arthur (October 23, 2018). "Pittsburgh Steelers-inspired roller coaster to open at Kennywood". USA Today. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  14. ^ a b Newby, John (March 20, 2019). "Steel Curtain roller coaster honors Pittsburgh Steelers". Pittsburgh Steelers. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  15. ^ "Construction begins on Steelers Country section of Kennywood Park". WTAE. August 28, 2018. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  16. ^ Sostek, Anya (August 31, 2018). "Kennywood may still be open, but riders are moping". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. pp. A1, A12. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  17. ^ a b c "Another glimpse at Kennywood's 'The Steel Curtain' roller coaster". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 27, 2018. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  18. ^ "Kennywood Unveils Steelers-Themed Cars For Steel Curtain Roller Coaster". CBS Pittsburgh. November 13, 2018. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  19. ^ Adams, Steven (February 20, 2019). "Photos: Kennywood's Steel Curtain roller coaster construction reaches record height". TribLIVE.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  20. ^ "Tallest piece of Kennywood's Steel Curtain roller coaster put into place". WTAE. March 21, 2019. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Steel Curtain on Schedule at Kennywood". LNP Always Lancaster. March 22, 2019. pp. A2. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "A New Steel Curtain Is Rising". Pittsburgh Magazine. March 20, 2019. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g Levine, Arthur (August 12, 2019). "Barrel roll at 197 feet: New Steelers-themed coaster at Kennywood sets records, thrills riders". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  24. ^ "Kennywood begins testing Steel Curtain coaster". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 23, 2019. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  25. ^ "Kennywood Installs Final Piece Of Track To The Steel Curtain Roller Coaster". CBS Pittsburgh. June 18, 2019. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  26. ^ a b "Roller Coaster Enthusiasts, Steelers' Fans Take Inaugural Ride On Kennywood's The Steel Curtain". CBS News. July 12, 2019. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  27. ^ a b Czebiniak, Madasyn (July 12, 2019). "Kennywood's Steel Curtain roller coaster thrills 1st riders". TribLIVE.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  28. ^ a b c d Batz, Bob Jr. (July 13, 2019). "'Exhilarating': Steel Curtain coaster ready and rolling at Kennywood". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. pp. WA1, WA3. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Goldstein, Andrew (July 13, 2019). "Steel Curtain, Kennywood's newest coaster, shuts down early on day of public premiere". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  30. ^ The Associated Press (August 9, 2019). "Kennywood's Steel Curtain roller coaster back in action". pennlive. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  31. ^ a b "Kennywood's Steel Curtain Rolling Again After Repairs Over 4 Days". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. August 8, 2019. pp. B1, B4. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "Kennywood - Kennywood Operating Attractions". Kennywood. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  33. ^ a b Martin, Jim (June 16, 2021). "Across the Northeast, amusement parks changed during pandemic". The Daily Journal. pp. A5. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  34. ^ a b Harrop, JoAnne Klimovich (June 29, 2022). "Thunderbolt, Steel Curtain at Kennywood temporarily closed for maintenance". TribLIVE.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  35. ^ Mervis, Scott (June 28, 2022). "Kennywood's Thunderbolt and Steel Curtain coasters are closed for repairs". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  36. ^ "Kennywood reopens Steel Curtain". CBS News. July 14, 2022. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  37. ^ "Kennywood: Thunderbolt and Steel Curtain running again". WTAE. July 15, 2022. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  38. ^ a b c Linn, Virginia (April 18, 2024). "Why Is Kennywood's Steel Curtain Closed This Year?". Pittsburgh Magazine. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  39. ^ a b "Kennywood's Steel Curtain closed for the 2024 season". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 18, 2024. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  40. ^ Felton, Julia (April 23, 2024). "Kennywood kept Steel Curtain closure secret to bolster sales, lawsuit says". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  41. ^ Guza, Megan (April 23, 2024). "Lawsuit: Kennywood withheld Steel Curtain closure to boost season pass sales". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  42. ^ Matoney, Nick (October 4, 2024). "Steel Curtain upgrades underway at Kennywood; reopening set for 2025". WTAE. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  43. ^ Long, Samuel (October 4, 2024). "Kennywood provides update on Steel Curtain roller coaster as it aims to reopen next year". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  44. ^ "Kennywood unveils Steel Curtain, a giant new Steelers-themed roller coaster". WTAE. July 19, 2018. Archived from the original on July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  45. ^ Chester, Simon (July 22, 2018). "An inside look at Kennywood Park's plans for their Steelers-themed roller coaster". SB Nation. Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 1, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  46. ^ a b "'Steel Curtain' roller coaster opening Saturday at Kennywood". WFMJ.com. September 18, 2022. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  47. ^ Waters, Brenda (July 19, 2018). "Steelers Country Is Coming To Kennywood: New Coaster 'The Steel Curtain' Unveiled". KDKA. Archived from the original on July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  48. ^ Hamill, Sean D. (July 19, 2018). "Kennywood, Steelers collaborate on new roller coaster, the 'Steel Curtain'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Block Communications. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  49. ^ a b c "Kennywood Reveals the Pittsburgh Steelers' Themed Vehicle for Record-Setting Roller Coaster". Kennywood. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  50. ^ a b c "Kennywood Prepping Steelers Coaster". LNP Always Lancaster. November 15, 2018. pp. A2. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  51. ^ a b c d Czebiniak, Madasyn (July 13, 2019). "5 things to know before you ride Kennywood's Steel Curtain". TribLIVE.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  52. ^ a b c "Get ready for the ride of your life on Kennywood's Steel Curtain". Gannett Co., Inc. June 28, 2019. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020.
  53. ^ "Drachen Fire Dive Drop". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  54. ^ Leshock, Marcus (September 5, 2019). "Kennywood's Steel Curtain roller coaster takes you upside down 9 times". WGN-TV. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  55. ^ "Golden Ticket Issue 2019" (PDF). Amusement Today. 23 (6.2): 12. September 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 30, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  56. ^ "Steel Curtain named Best New Roller Coaster of 2019". WPXI. September 8, 2019. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
[edit]
Preceded by World's tallest roller coaster inversion
July 2019 – present 		Current holder
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