The Development and Legacy of The Phantom’s Revenge at Kennywood

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

Announcing The Phantom’s Revenge

In August 2000, Kennywood announced Steel Phantom would be converted into a new coaster experience known as The Phantom’s Revenge.

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A Legend Gets Its Revenge

To promote the conversion, an outside marketing firm gave the Phantom its own persona and backstory.

According to the legend, the spirit of Steel Phantom learned about Kennywood’s plans to dismantle the coaster. Fans weren’t the only ones upset about this news—the Phantom was even more disturbed. Park officials were oblivious to the Phantom’s unrest and moved ahead with their plans to close the coaster.

The Phantom was not pleased.

All of a sudden, strange incidents started happening around Kennywood. The sky above Steel Phantom turned dark, even on sunny days. Its queue had a chill in the air, regardless of the weather. Gift shop shelves were mysteriously cleared, and nearby windows were found shattered.

Someone—or something—had it out for Kennywood. Who—or what—was behind it all?

The story took a strange turn when the blueprints for Kennywood’s new ride went missing. They vanished without a trace until turning up in an unlikely way: shredded and scattered all across the load platform of Steel Phantom. The employees tried to sweep it away, but the scraps of paper kept piling up. It was too much, forcing the ride to shut down.

Then, everyone covered their ears as an awful noise screamed through the ride’s loudspeakers. A deep, menacing voice made its presence known. “You dare vanquish the Steel Phantom without my consent,” the Phantom threatened. “Fear the wrath of the Phantom! Mortals did not create the Phantom legend and cannot sever my presence from Kennywood. Hear me and know: Only I can transform the Steel Phantom, or you will face my vengeance!”

Everyone looked as if they had seen a ghost, and—well—that’s because they had. Breaking the silence, a dark, cloudy figure floated into the station and whooshed to the infamous inversions. The shadowy cloud grew to the size of the coaster track, showing its green eyes and long hands that ripped apart each inversion.

Panicked employees shouted, “Not our ride!”

“Not your ride,” the Phantom insisted.

People watched in horror as the Phantom tore apart the coaster, leaving only the first drop and iconic dive into the ravine unharmed. The Phantom parted with these words: “You will do my bidding.” Then, spirit disappeared.

Despite the chaos and destruction, not a single piece of track was out of place. It was a confusing scene, but the vision was clear. Witnesses warned park management of the Phantom’s demands, and they honored the spirit by canceling their plans to replace the coaster—but rather restore it so the legend could live on.

The Actual Development of the Ride

While that was a creative way to announce the coaster’s redesign, the actual development was a bit different.

The Phantom’s Revenge would be a Franken-coaster, combining track sections by two different manufacturers. The goal was to create a smoother ride by embracing its best features—height and speed—and trading its knockout inversions for standout airtime.

“While the loops will be missed, the head-banging they required will not be.”
An excerpt from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2000

D. H. Morgan Manufacturing took on the project, salvaging the decade-old Arrow track and introducing a modified layout with new track. Considering Morgan’s history with Arrow, the new track style was adaptable to the classic tubular steel design. This time around, modern technology allowed for more advanced design and fabrication methods, resulting in a more sophisticated track profile.

“Kennywood has provided us with a very unique opportunity to create a totally new ride experience, while still retaining the Steel Phantom’s world-class second drop through the Thunderbolt structure. The new ride will be very fast, very smooth, and feature lots of airtime!”
Dana Morgan, founder of D. H. Morgan Manufacturing, UltimateRollerCoaster.com, 2000

A little less than a third of that original Arrow track was being reused, including the station, pre-lift section, lift hill, first drop, second hill, and brake run. The remaining sections were completely redesigned and rebuilt by D. H. Morgan Manufacturing.

The legendary 225-foot drop, for example, was extended by a few feet, which would also increase the coaster’s top speed.

“Since announcing our plan to replace the Steel Phantom with a new coaster, coaster lovers from around the world have expressed dismay at the thought of losing what many believe to be the best, most exciting drop of any roller coaster on earth: the 225-[foot] plunge, which sends the Steel Phantom speeding through the Thunderbolt.”
Harry “Henny” Henninger, UltimateRollerCoaster.com, 2000

At one point in the planning phase, the second hill may have been redesigned as a double-up. The left-hand turn at the bottom of the Thunderbolt near-miss was re-tracked to be wider, reducing the abrupt discomfort of that element. Most notably, the former looping section was replaced with a collection of airtime hills and turns. Overall, the layout gained an additional 325 feet of track.

By removing the coaster’s inversions, the uncomfortable over-the-shoulder-style restraints could be replaced by lap bars, leading to a smoother ride experience.

Fans React to the Improvements

Generally, fans were happy with the compromise and welcomed any improvements.

The changes were largely celebrated as one fan remarked in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “There is no reason that [Steel Phantom] should maintain its current configuration, which often left this rider feeling as if he had been beaten around the head with a baseball bat.” In the same publication, the president of the American Coaster Enthusiasts organization applauded the decision, complimenting Kennywood’s ability to stay innovative and maintain its traditional charm.

“We can do this better. It’s going to be faster. It’s going to be smoother. It’s going to be more exciting.”
Harry “Henny” Henninger, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2000

Some fans criticized the decision and the park officials responsible for it. They argued Steel Phantom, without its inversions, would lose what set it apart, making it too similar to the nearby wooden coasters.

Henny addressed the concerns by saying, “I’m very confident that after this opens, the overwhelming opinion will be, ‘They did a good thing. They made this better.’” Supporters of the change of course disagreed with the doubters, saying the people against it were “standing in the way of progress,” as reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

No matter where opinions fell, everyone could agree: People cared about this ride. However, as developments were underway, the original Steel Phantom had only a few days left of operation.

‘Pharewell’ to Steel Phantom

On its final day—Monday, Sept. 5, 2000—Steel Phantom received a proper “Pharewell” with crowd and energy levels that matched its debut a decade prior.

As one fan commented online, “I can’t remember the last time I saw so many people riding the Steel Phantom!” The organizer behind SaveThePhantom.com, who was on the final public train, described the sendoff by saying, “The feeling was indescribable. Everyone cheering, clapping. Even though it was an end to a great ride, it seemed more like a celebration. That final ride will stay imprinted in my head as long as I walk the Earth.”

The following morning, park employees, family, and friends had the chance to ride one final time.

After the coaster’s closure, the nearby Carnegie Science Center preserved Steel Phantom as a motion simulator experience.

Constructing The Phantom’s Revenge

The deconstruction of Steel Phantom began in autumn 2000, starting with the removal of its inversions.

The off-season construction process had complications early on while prepping the ground. As a park spokesperson put it in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “The underground part of the Revenge was as much of a challenge, if not more so, than the actual coaster building.”

Crews dug as deep as 32 feet to reach bedrock and install the massive caissons for the support footers, as underground utilities complicated the work.

Some steps were more straightforward as the station, lift, and brakes were already in place. Over the course of three and a half weeks, those surviving sections were painted with the attraction’s new colors: teal track with black supports.

The 2,368 feet of new track arrived in 75 truckloads while construction was going strong. However, off-season rain caused muddy conditions and delays. Thus, The Phantom’s Revenge was not ready in time for Kennywood’s opening day. Thunderbolt, which was partly disassembled during construction because of the near-miss, also missed the park’s opening that season.

The delay was not for a lack of effort as crews put in full seven-day workweeks of 10-hour shifts to get back on track. The job reached a milestone in late April 2001 when the final piece of track was installed, and the eight-month construction project wrapped up shortly after on May 8.

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The Phantom’s Revenge Opens

The Phantom’s Revenge soft opened on Friday, May 18, 2001, and officially opened to the public the following day, Sunday, May 19.

The Phantom’s Revenge Experience

Riders got in line for the redesigned coaster beneath its 160-foot teal lift hill, stretched high above the relatively new Lost Kennywood section. A dark, hooded Phantom figure marked the entrance. The long elevated queue led to a decorative Phantom portal, which was the entrance to the station.

Trains

The trains were tailor-made for The Phantom’s Revenge; they were completely unlike those on other Morgan hypers, which made this coaster experience unique for several reasons. Morgan built the new trains using the repurposed Arrow chassis from Steel Phantom, modifying them with custom-fabricated bodies—almost like a stylish classic car—and newly designed harnesses.

Because the framework was originally built for over-the-shoulder restraints, traditional front-mounted lap bars were physically not an option; instead, Morgan’s solution was to install side-mounted lap bars, giving riders more space while still being safe and secure. Kennywood was proud the ride finally had comfortable restraints, even advertising “no shoulder harness” as a key feature.

The Phantom’s Revenge only had one train for its first season until the second was ready the following year.

The trains had seven cars, each seating four passengers for a total of 28 per cycle, giving the coaster a theoretical capacity of 1,400 riders per hour.

The Layout

Once riders pulled down their side-mounted lap bars, the train rolled into a layout familiar to anyone who rode Steel Phantom: a turn out of the station, up the lift, down a 157-foot banked drop, across some straight track, and up the second hill.

The rest of the layout from here was re-tracked and redesigned by Morgan.

The train coasted over the 110-foot hill and rolled into its once-record-breaking plunge down the ravine, which was slightly extended to 228 feet. Anyone with their hands up down the drop probably held on tight as the train narrowly zipped through Thunderbolt.

At this point, the upgraded Phantom’s Revenge raced to its new top speed of 85 mph, pulling into a widened 82-degree left-hand turn.

The layout banked to the other direction, passing through a tunnel under Thunderbolt, and curving around the historic Turtle tumble bug attraction. In place of the old inversions, The Phantom’s Revenge rushed into a cluster of tight turns, snappy dips, and powerful airtime hills, which a review in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette compared to riding a bucking bronco.

After a rapidly paced second half, the coaster hit the brakes and returned to the station.

Reception

The newly renovated coaster was instantly beloved, being applauded for its intensity and, better yet, its smoothness. The coaster became noticeably more enjoyable with its rider-friendly bunny hills that took the place of the former inversions.

Most importantly, riders suddenly found The Phantom’s Revenge far more comfortable thanks to its widely praised lap bars that replaced the jarring over-the-shoulder restraints. The new lap bars securely gave riders more freedom without the pain of headbanging. As one American Coaster Enthusiasts member told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Now…you can enjoy the speed much more comfortably.”

Guests could painlessly ride The Phantom’s Revenge over and over, unlike the one-and-done tendency most had before the overhaul.

The old Steel Phantom was still highly ranked in its final years, being in the top 20 steel coasters in the Golden Ticket Awards; however, after The Phantom’s Revenge opened, it climbed as high as No. 5. Kennywood’s decision to transform Steel Phantom into The Phantom’s Revenge proved to be the right choice.

The Legacy of the Phantom

Two decades after its makeover, The Phantom’s Revenge remains a beloved favorite among parkgoers and roller coaster enthusiasts alike.

Remnants

The coaster has been well cared for—in true Kennywood fashion—and has held up remarkably well. Much of the original Arrow track has been replaced over the years as part of ongoing maintenance. For the 2009 season, it opened with newly fabricated track sections from the first drop to the top of the second hill; nowadays, the only remaining sections of Arrow track are functional elements such as the lift hill, station, storage track, and brake run.

To tell the difference between the two track types, notice how the Morgan sections have large cross ties that wrap around the track spine, similar to a ribbed pattern; the surviving Arrow segments have smaller cross ties that connect mostly atop the spine.

Speaking of Arrow, the scraps of Phantom’s old track are scattered around as decoration at the Diesel Drivers children’s ride. On the topic of remnants, some footers from Laser Loop can be seen from Phantom’s queue, while a few from Steel Phantom can still be spotted during the ride.

The fiberglass train shells from the original Steel Phantom trains have survived in private collections.

For the 2022 season, Kennywood repainted the “terrifying teal” track to “petrifying purple,” a color chosen by fans and done by Baynum Solutions.

Staying Power

The Phantom’s Revenge is essential to the park’s identity, being honored in many ways; its larger-than-life presence inspired the name of the Lil’ Phantom kiddie coaster, and it continues to play a spirited role in the annual Phantom Fall Fest event.

The original Steel Phantom is missed, but many who have ridden both consider The Phantom’s Revenge to be the better ride. The idea behind Steel Phantom still lives on as riders take the 200-plus-foot drop down the ravine to this day.

Phantom’s famous drop down the hillside remains elite after all these years, and the hills in the second half make it an airtime machine unlike any other. It has stood the test of time, still ranking among the best steel coasters in the Golden Ticket Awards.

It’s perfectly chaotic; no other coaster gives riders the sensation of diving down a ravine with nothing but a pool-noodle-type lap bar to stay strapped in. Its classic feel—especially the absence of air gates in the station—captures the historic and timeless character of Kennywood.

The records Steel Phantom broke back in the ‘90s have long been outdone, but Revenge is still among the fastest coasters in the world. Modern record-setters reach over 300, 400, and—soon enough—600 feet, but that doesn’t stop fans from coming back to experience the unmistakable thrill of The Phantom’s Revenge.

It stood as Kennywood’s tallest coaster until the 220-foot Steel Curtain opened in 2019. Ironically, Steel Curtain replaced an Arrow log flume ride and was manufactured by S&S – Sansei Technologies, the company that acquired the assets of the now-defunct Arrow Dynamics. In a way, the football-themed hypercoaster feels like a spiritual successor to Steel Phantom as it dives 205 feet into nine inversions, tying the North American record.

Dana Morgan retired from the industry in 2001, selling the assets of D. H. Morgan Manufacturing to Chance Rides. Chance went on to produce a mini Phantom’s Revenge-like coaster, Lightning Run at Kentucky Kingdom.

Morgan’s redesign of the Phantom was rare for its time; however, in recent years, more parks and manufacturers have taken on conversions that are a hit with fans. Take for example Rocky Mountain Construction’s work to transform aging wooden coasters into hybrid masterpieces or Zamperla’s efforts to give the 420-foot-tall Top Thrill Dragster a second life.

The Phantom’s Future

The Phantom’s Revenge stands as a ghost of Arrow past, but other loopers of the era did not stand the test of time. Viper at Six Flags Magic Mountain, which inspired Steel Phantom’s first drop, is the final remaining Arrow mega-looper as of 2025.

Steel Phantom may have been criticized for being rough, but no one could say it was boring; as its sequel continues, the coaster is as thrilling as ever, ready to be enjoyed by generations to come. Kennywood—and its longstanding collection of wooden coasters—is now under the ownership of Herschend Family Entertainment, which also owns world-class parks such as Dollywood and Silver Dollar City.

Considering the way Kennywood cares for its coasters, Pittsburgh locals and coaster enthusiasts alike can continue feel the thrilling spirit of The Phantom’s Revenge.

The spirit of Kennywood is that of history, tradition, and memories—the spirit of Kennywood is The Phantom’s Revenge.