Steel Curtain (roller coaster)

Steel Curtain is a steel roller coaster at Kennywood amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. The coaster was designed by S&S - Sansei Technologies, and reaches 220 feet (67 m), with nine inversions. Themed to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the ride is located on the former site of the Log Jammer, a flume ride which closed in 2017.

Steel Curtain
Kennywood
Location	Kennywood
Park section	Steelers Country
Coordinates	40.3892°N 79.8665°W
Status	Closed[1]
Soft opening date	July 12, 2019
Opening date	July 13, 2019
Replaced	Log Jammer
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	S&S - Sansei Technologies
Designer	Joe Draves
Height	220 ft (67 m)
Drop	205[2] ft (62 m)
Length	4,000 ft (1,200 m)
Speed	75 mph (121 km/h)
Inversions	9
Duration	2:00
Height restriction	48[3] in (122 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Theme	Pittsburgh Steelers
Steel Curtain at RCDB Pictures of Steel Curtain at RCDB

History

The roller coaster is named after the defensive line of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team from the 1970s, which was nicknamed the Steel Curtain.[4] Previously known as Project 412, the ride was revealed on July 19, 2018, to be a record-breaking looping roller coaster and opened on July 13, 2019.[5][6] The roller coaster, designed by S&S - Sansei Technologies, features nine inversions, including the highest inversion in the world – a corkscrew at 197 feet (60 m), and reaches a maximum height of 220 feet (67 m).[7][8] In addition, the ride reaches a maximum speed of 75 mph (121 km/h) and lasts two minutes.[9] In the annual Golden Ticket Awards publication from Amusement Today, Steel Curtain placed first in the category "Best New Roller Coaster of 2019".[10]

On August 3, 2019, Steel Curtain was closed for adjustments. It eventually reopened four days later on August 7.[11]

Steel Curtain is one of several rides that have not operated during the 2020 season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]

Characteristics

Steel Curtain holds a number of records, including being the tallest roller coaster in Pennsylvania, having the most inversions of any coaster in North America, being the world's tallest inverting roller coaster, and having the world's tallest inversion.[12] The ride is also the first amusement attraction themed after a professional football team, and opened alongside a 3-acre football themed area named Steelers Country which will also feature “Terrible Tower”, a climbing attraction, as well as “End Zone Cafe.” It is also one of three coasters to feature a banana roll element, the other two being Takabisha at Fuji-Q Highland and TMNT Shellraiser at American Dream Meadowlands' Nickelodeon Universe.[13][14]

Ride experience

The ride begins with the train climbing a 220-foot-tall (67 m) lift hill immediately as it exits the station. After cresting the hill, it dips slightly and veers left into the world's tallest inversion, an inverting dive drop element 197 feet (60 m) off the ground. The train drops 205 feet (62 m) out of the inversion. 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, that inverts riders twice and raises the train to its second-highest point off the ground. 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. The coaster's finale follows, with the train entering a corkscrew and cutback in short succession, completing the eighth and ninth inversions respectively. The cutback ends with a slight jump up onto the final brake run, where the train will make its way back into the station.

References

1. "Kennywood - Kennywood Operating Attractions". Kennywood. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
2. "Get ready for the ride of your life on Kennywood's Steel Curtain".
3. "Kennywood's 2019 Height Restrictions" (PDF). Kennywood. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
4. Levine, Arthur (October 23, 2018). "Pittsburgh Steelers-inspired roller coaster to open at Kennywood". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
5. "Project 412: Kennywood revealing clues to new attraction". WPXI. June 7, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
6. "Kennywood Teases New Ride In 'Project 412' Facebook Post". KDKA. June 7, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
7. Marden, Duane. "Steel Curtain - Kennywood (West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, USA)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
8. Stevens, Matthew (July 19, 2018). "Steelers, Kennywood team up to launch Steeler-themed roller coaster, amenities". WJAC. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
9. "Kennywood unveils Steel Curtain, a giant new Steelers-themed roller coaster". WTAE. July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
10. "Golden Ticket Issue 2019" (PDF). Amusement Today. 23 (6.2): 12. September 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
11. "Kennywood's Steel Curtain roller coaster back in action".
12. Chester, Simon (July 22, 2018). "An inside look at Kennywood Park's plans for their Steelers-themed roller coaster". SB Nation. Vox Media. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
13. Waters, Brenda (July 19, 2018). "Steelers Country Is Coming To Kennywood: New Coaster 'The Steel Curtain' Unveiled". KDKA. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
14. Hamill, Sean D. (July 19, 2018). "Kennywood, Steelers collaborate on new roller coaster, the 'Steel Curtain'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Block Communications. Retrieved October 31, 2018.