Goodbye to the Phantom
Written: Jul 20 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Tall, Fast, Mean!
Cons: Very rough ride, especially for a steel coaster
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| tccarroll's Full Review: Pittsburgh |
Admittedly the park is small. And, yes, there isn’t a whole lot of room for new rides, especially premier coasters. But what is Kennywood thinking? Tear down the Steel Phantom? The inspiration for so many sweaty palms and glazed looks? The ultimate in "I dare you?"This is a roller coaster to keep around forever as an example of how coasters should be made. But alas, that is not the case. At the end of this ride season, Kennywood Entertainment Group will tear down the legendary Steel Phantom. Currently, there is no information on what will replace it. They just keep running commercials saying that something bigger and better is on its way.
For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure, let me fill in the back story. In 1991, Kennywood Park, in Pittsburgh, PA, opened a new ride that would take the breath away from even the most hardened coaster enthusiasts, The Steel Phantom. At the time, the reigning king of coasters was The Magnum XL 200 at Cedar Point, in Sandusky, OH. “It’ll never be better than The Magnum,” they said. “There’s no way,” they said. Well, they were wrong, very wrong!
The Steel Phantom became the tallest (225 vertical drop) and the fastest (80 mph) coaster of them all. Eventually, however, other coasters came along to dethrone the king. Despite that, the Phantom still ranks in the top five in height, vertical drop, and speed. The Phantom continues to be one of the best.
Here’s why:
The ride starts out with a nice leisurely ride up the lift. Your view of the upper Monongahela River valley is spectacular. Once at the top you begin your descent with a near 180 degree turn to the right. Gravity finally takes over, and you are launched down the first drop hill. By the time you hit the bottom and begin the ascent up the next hill, you have reached 65 miles per hour. “Not so bad,” you say to your ride partner, but the best (or the worst) is yet to come.
Reaching the apex of the second drop hill you are assaulted by what can only be someone’s cruel idea of a joke. The hill literally goes over a cliff! Not only that, but it is intertwined with another coaster, The Thunderbolt! As you drop, you’re sure that the hill will never end. Two hundred twenty-five feet is a long way when you’re screaming your head off. Suddenly you see another coaster approach from the left. Just as you are about to collide the two trains harmlessly diverge paths, and the Phantom barrels on under the Thunderbolt.
With that disaster averted, you suddenly realize that you’re going faster than you ever have before. You’ve reached the bottom of the hill and you’re traveling at 80 mph! As the train begins its next climb, you are slammed back into your seat as the negative g’s of the drop instantly become positive! You are gravity’s prisoner as you glimpse what is waiting for you at the top of the hill: a loop!
You are now thrown into a series of loops, corkscrews, and inversions that send you upside down four times. Head whipping from side to side, thankful for your shoulder harness, you wonder, not for the fist time, why you let your friend talk you into riding this crazy thing. You hate coasters!
The Phantom slips into a small vortex before it roughly deposits you back at the train house, where you are left to ponder the whereabouts of both you stomach and your sanity.
So a fond farewell to The Steel Phantom. You will be missed.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tccarroll
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Member: Teddy Carroll
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Reviews written: 30
Trusted by: 12 members
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