When Kennywood Opened a Record-Breaking Coaster

This article is a continuation of the history of Steel Phantom at Kennywood Park. READ PART I

Steel Phantom Opens

On Friday, May 10, 1991, the world officially had a new fastest coaster and the longest drop ever built. For its debut, the all-new Steel Phantom redefined Kennywood’s charm with its modern black track, sweeping white rails, and massive gray supports.

Anxious crowds gathered for their first encounter on Steel Phantom, entering the queue along the lift hill, across a long ramp, and into the station.

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The Steel Phantom Ride Experience

Riders boarded the 28-passenger train, pulled down their over-the-shoulder restraints, and prepared for the record-breaking drop and four inversions ahead. Once dispatched, the yellow train with a teal side stripe rolled out of the station, dipping into a small right-hand turn and up a slow ascent to the top of the 160-foot lift hill.

At the peak of Kennywood’s tallest coaster, the track curved into its prominent turnaround drop, banking at 63 degrees. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described the sensation of the 157-foot drop as “stunning as a blast of cold water in the face.”

Though a thrilling way to start the ride, this wasn’t even the coaster’s biggest drop—that element was still ahead. After the first drop, the train coasted through a section of straight track to maintain momentum for the rise up the next hill.

Its Record-Breaking Drop

Atop the 110-foot hill, riders had a brief moment to catch their breath and take in a view of the Monongahela River before diving into an unprecedented sight: a 225-foot drop down the natural ravine. No coaster on Earth had a longer drop at the time, and few were even close. Between the lift hill and the deepest part of the second drop, Steel Phantom had a whopping 280-foot total height difference.

“It wasn’t 200 feet; it was a thousand feet to the river, so it gave you a tremendous visual—illusion—that just added to the sensation.”
Harry “Henny” Henninger, via an American Coaster Enthusiasts interview, 2017

The train barreled down the plunge, which was recognized by Guinness in 1993 for holding the world record for the fastest, longest, and steepest drop.

The bottom of the drop was hidden by part of the neighboring Thunderbolt roller coaster from yesteryear, which the newcomer, Steel Phantom, raced through with needlepoint precision. This was a head-chopper moment as the train zoomed through the narrow keyhole, briefly creating illusion it might not fit.

As a fun side note about the record-breaking drop: Universal Orlando borrowed a quick clip of it in a commercial years later to promote Islands of Adventure.

Once at the bottom of the record-breaking dive, Steel Phantom hit its advertised top speed of 80 mph, made possible by the height and momentum of the unique layout.

Most coasters released into their biggest drop directly from the chain lift at about 5 mph. Steel Phantom, however, entered its largest drop with more momentum. The train crested the hill at about 15 mph, diving into the drop with more speed than most and with no chain that would otherwise hold it back.

At the ride’s fastest point, the track snapped into an abrupt left turn, which was a harsh element for a high-speed coaster with over-the-shoulder restraints.

Steel Phantom was a coaster of two halves: The first focused on drops and speed down the ravine, while the finale brought inversions and intense elements on the hillside.

Steel Phantom’s Four Inversions

The train carried its extreme pacing into an upward transition that whipped into a vertical loop. The upside-down element curved into the next set of inversions known as the boomerang, which twisted the track through a butterfly-shaped knot.

After a turn to the right, the coaster spiraled through one of Arrow’s famous corkscrews—the final of four inversions. The layout meandered through a few right-hand turns until hitting the brake run and entering the station.

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Reception

Upon opening, Steel Phantom was a success. For locals, having a record-breaking coaster in their small hometown park was a point of pride. Its use of the terrain, interaction with Thunderbolt, and unexpected inversions made Steel Phantom the type of coaster that could only exist at Kennywood.

In the words of a columnist from The Pittsburgh Press in 1991, “Not even Christmas as a kid could top having a great new coaster as close as West Mifflin.” He continued, “Anyone riding anything other than Steel Phantom from now on will be marking time or resting before getting back in line for the real ride.”

Those outside the media had high praise for the ride too; parkgoers and devoted coaster enthusiasts raved about Kennywood’s latest addition.

Some coaster enthusiasts shared their thoughts with The Pittsburgh Press, calling it “one of life’s great experiences. It’s for anyone who enjoys traveling at illegal speeds.” One enthusiast called it the “most intense coaster [they]’ve ever been on,” while another went as far as to say it “makes you find religion.” One more hinted at how a ride on Steel Phantom felt, describing, “It’s bang, bang, bang—one element after another.”

More than 2 million riders were brave enough to take on Steel Phantom in its first season, but not all of them were fans. In terms of intensity, the ride stood in a class of its own—for better or for worse.

“You don’t want to do that too often. That was incredible.”
Sheila Hyland, WTAE-TV Pittsburgh, 1991

Rough Reviews

Riders on Steel Phantom felt as helpless as a sausage in a rocket blastoff—oh, that was for Laser Loop. Never mind. But, whatever that meant, it probably was still an accurate description for Steel Phantom based on the ride’s reputation.

On paper, Steel Phantom was an excellent coaster. In reality, it had its flaws.

The most common complaint was about its roughness, a problem made worse by the over-the-shoulder restraints. While these restraints were standard on Arrow’s looping coaster model, Steel Phantom operated at higher speeds with more intensity than other installations.

The layout’s mix of quick transitions and relentless inversions often caused riders to bump their heads on the over-the-shoulder restraints. This wasn’t so much an issue in the first half, including the 225-foot drop, but the rest of the layout was often considered too uncomfortable.

Once the ride reached its fastest point, the course hurtled into a quick left turn. This element caused riders to hit their heads against the restraints while traveling no less than 80 mph. Another rough spot came during the upward section into the vertical loop; still having a lot of momentum from the drop, the train shuffled through that clumsy transition. Unsurprisingly, the four intense inversions only added to the discomfort for most riders.

To get a sense of which elements were excessively rough, notice how the point-of-view videos were relatively steady until certain elements shook the camera.

It was an “Advil-promoting” coaster, as described by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Do you remember the newspaper writer who would rather be hit by a car than ride Steel Phantom? He called it a “sleek 3,000-foot medieval-like torture chamber.”

Even the coaster’s designer, Ron Toomer, admitted in a 1991 interview he’d “get sick as a dog” if he actually rode Steel Phantom—though, despite his career, he was ironically prone to motion sickness.

The Issues of Steel Phantom

Not all the criticisms of Steel Phantom were tongue-in-cheek. Some riders made serious complaints that the rough ride caused neck pain. These issues only escalated.

A few ride-related incidents occurred during Steel Phantom’s opening weekend.

The first report involved a mother and a daughter who claimed to have been injured after being “thrown about excessively and repeatedly” on the coaster. Another rider described being “thrown and jolted with excessive force,” alleging the coaster was “defective” and “unreasonably dangerous.” These complaints resulted in a lawsuit in the Court of Common Pleas against Kennywood and the manufacturer.

Occasional ride-related lawsuits were not unusual for an amusement park like Kennywood, which usually faced about two per year. As with all incidents, these claims were taken seriously, especially given the rough condition of this brand-new attraction.

In response to the criticism, Kennywood shut down Steel Phantom just after its opening weekend.

During the closure, an investigation revealed the coaster exceeded its advertised top speed of 80 mph, racing up to 83 mph. Though a 3-mph difference may not seem like much, this was much faster than anticipated. The higher speed directly affected the ride experience by making it more intense, especially the abrupt turns and inversions.

Going back to previews in early May, the coaster was clocked going only 78.2 mph but was expected to top out at just 80 mph when warmed up. Roller coasters can pull off different speeds depending on factors like temperature and the weight of the train, based on the weather and number of riders.

As an attempt to improve the rough ride experience, Kennywood and Arrow made a permanent modification to Steel Phantom. Trim brakes were added on the upward slope into the first inversion, the vertical loop. This modification slowed the train before the twisted half of the layout; although, the trim brakes were placed after the coaster’s fastest moment, still allowing it to exceed its advertised top speed. Overall, this change made the forces more manageable.

Ann Hughes, a park spokesperson, reassured the press by mentioning an adjustment to a brand-new ride was normal practice, especially for one this ambitious.

After its modification, Steel Phantom reopened a week and a half later on May 23, 1991.

Steel Phantom Hurtles On

The trim brake alleviated some of the intensity and high-speed transitions, but Steel Phantom still wasn’t perfect. Like any ride, Steel Phantom had its fans, especially coaster enthusiasts, but its rough reputation among the general public was spreading.

Arrow looping coasters, even in their prime, were notorious for being rough. They were designed and engineered without the advantage of modern methods. As coaster designs of that era became more intense, their limitations became more obvious; their old-fashioned flaws were too much to ignore.

Drachen Fire at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, another Arrow looping coaster from this era, was a prime example of the manufacturer’s shortcomings; it opened a year after Steel Phantom but shut down by the late ‘90s because of its painful layout.

Steel Phantom, in particular, was unlike other coasters, combining hypercoaster and mega-looper elements. Its unusual, intense layout was engineered in an old-school way and was even ricketier with its over-the-shoulder restraints.

To convince anyone who may doubt how rough Steel Phantom was, consider this: To avoid injury, riders were instructed to remove any earrings before getting on. That rule said everything anyone needed to know. Steel Phantom was concerningly rough; that was no secret.

When the park first planned the attraction that would become Steel Phantom, it was meant to replace a challenging coaster that was a headache to maintain. However, Kennywood ultimately traded one headache for another.

Building Steel Phantom was a risk-reward decision. Kennywood reaped the rewards with record-breaking achievements, but the risks were becoming a real issue.

CONTINUE TO PART III