Phantom's Revenge
Phantom's Revenge, formerly named Steel Phantom, is a steel roller coaster at Kennywood amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. When it opened as Steel Phantom in 1991, it featured the fastest speed and longest drop of any roller coaster in the world. It features a unique characteristic of having a second drop that is longer than its first. The ride was originally manufactured by Arrow Dynamics but was later modified and renovated by D.H. Morgan Manufacturing for the 2001 season, when it reopened as Phantom's Revenge. The drop and track length were both increased, and  its four inversions were removed enabling the ride to remove its unpopular over-the-shoulder restraints. The ride has been ranked in the top 50 of the annual Golden Ticket Awards every year since 2000, spending a considerable amount of that time in the top 10. In addition, it has been ranked consistently in the top 5 of the National Amusement Park Historical Association Favorite Steel Roller Coaster poll, with the exception of the association's 2008 results. History. In the late 1980s, president of Kennywood Entertainment Company, Harry Henniger, sought to enter the "coaster arms race" of the time  with the addition of a large steel coaster to the park. Faced with the challenge of finding the necessary space, the park settled on a design from Arrow Dynamics. The concept featured a lift hill with a record-breaking drop, surpassing the previous record set two years earlier by Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point. With a top speed of , it was also set to become the world's fastest. Kennywood unveiled plans for the new ride, dubbed Steel Phantom, on July 27, 1990. Steel Phantom was built on the former site of Laser Loop, a Shuttle Loop coaster removed after  the 1990 season. Construction of Steel Phantom began during Labor Day weekend in early September 1990. It was set to open on May 4, 1991, but this would be delayed. The ride opened on May 10, 1991, setting new records in drop height and speed, as well as featuring four inversions. While the coaster was well-received and ranked frequently in the top 10 according to Kennywood, riders often complained of neck strain and excessive headbanging. Shortly after its debut, engineers found that the train would reach speeds exceeding specifications. Trim brakes were added prior to the inversions where the  injuries were occurring. On March 5, 2000, Kennywood announced that they would dismantle Steel Phantom. A replacement for Steel Phantom was not announced at the time. "Just about anything is on the table" said Kennywood spokeswoman, Mary Lou Rosemeyer. After the decision to remove Steel Phantom was announced, the park started receiving complaints and emails about the decision. Kennywood ultimately decided to keep the roller coaster but make modifications to it. On August 10, 2000, Kennywood announced that Steel Phantom would be transformed into Phantom's Revenge for the 2001 season. After the ride closed on Labor Day weekend in  2000, Steel Phantom underwent extensive changes by D. H. Morgan Manufacturing, most notably the removal of all of its inversions. According to Kennywood, this was done because of rider complaints of how rough the coaster was on their heads and necks. The modified coaster reopened as Phantom's Revenge on May 19, 2001. The coaster only operated with one train in its first season. In 2002, magnetic brakes were added to the ride so a second train could be used. Because of the modifications, both Morgan style and Arrow style track have been utilized. In September 2021 Kennywood announced that  the coaster track will be repainted purple during the off-season. The color was chosen by fans via an online poll. Ride experience. The ride is considered to be a terrain roller coaster, meaning the ride experiences various elevation changes. Unlike most roller coasters, the ride's second drop is longer than the first. It drops through Thunderbolt's structure, which is located at the bottom of a hill in a ravine. Layout. Phantom's Revenge. After leaving the station, the train makes a slight turn to the right before climbing the chain lift hill. After ascending the lift hill , the train drops to the right, reaching a speed of . Riders then enter a straightaway before climbing a second hill which drops them , reaching a top speed of . The train then makes a 280-degree turn, passing back under the Thunderbolt's structure. Next, the train circles around the Turtle ride before traveling back under the second drop through a bunny-hop. Riders then make a turn to the left, passing under the ride's brake run and entering a second bunny-hop. The train then enters a 180 degree curve, going through the last bunny-hop and entering the  brake run. One cycle of the ride takes approximately 1 minute and 57 seconds. Steel Phantom. After leaving the station, the train made a slight turn to the right, climbing the chain lift hill. After ascending the lift hill, the ride went down a banked drop to the right. After a straight section, the ride went up a second hill that turned slightly to the right. The train then dropped through the Thunderbolt's structure, reaching a top speed of . The train then turned to the left, entering a pair of trim brakes before heading into a vertical loop. After  the loop, the train immediately went into a boomerang, an element that turned riders upside down twice. The train then made a right turn into a corkscrew, the fourth and final inversion. After this, riders went through a right turn that passed under the corkscrew. After this, the ride ascended into the brake run. One cycle of the ride took approximately 2 minutes and 15 seconds. Trains. Phantom's Revenge operates with two trains; the green train and the purple train. Both have seven cars that seat two riders in two rows for a total of 28 riders per train . After the ride was renovated, the trains were also renovated. Steel Phantom's chassis, that was built by Arrow remained but Morgan built new, aerodynamic fiberglass bodies. Morgan also replaced the over-shoulder-restraints with lap bars and seatbelts. Track. Phantom's Revenge's steel track is approximately in length and the height of the lift is approximately . Before the renovation, the length was and the lift remained unchanged. The track was originally manufactured by Arrow Dynamics and painted black with silver/grey rails and grey supports. After the renovation, D.H. Morgan Manufacturing replaced the majority of the track and  it was painted green with black supports. The only Arrow Dynamics track that remains is the lift hill, the station and the brake run/transfer track. During the 2021-22 offseason, the track was repainted purple. The color was decided on via an online poll by Kennywood fans. Reception. The original Steel Phantom was well-received but was known for producing a rough ride, particularly involving its speed through the inverting elements and the ride's unpopular over-the-shoulder restraints. Following its 2001 conversion, Phantom's Revenge was also well-received, recognized for its airtime moments, improved ride experience , and maintaining the thrilling portions from its predecessor. The original restraints were replaced with lap bar restraints for the conversion.