Phantom's Revenge 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. The ride was originally manufactured by Arrow Dynamics but was later modified and renovated by D.H. Morgan Manufacturing prior to the 2001 season, when it reopened as Phantom’s Revenge. The changes included an increased drop and track length, as well as the removal of its four inversions. It features a unique characteristic of having a second drop that is longer than its first. 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
Harry Henniger, the president of Kennywood Entertainment Company, wanted a large steel coaster in the late 1980s. The park had mostly built wooden roller coasters in the past. The park also had a very tight layout and they were not sure how to fit it into the park. On July 27, 1990, Kennywood announced the name of their new roller coaster would be Steel Phantom and it would use the same station as Laser Loop, which it replaced. The ride opened on May 10, 1991, as the fastest and steepest steel roller coaster in the world. The inversions were a vertical loop, a Boomerang, and a corkscrew. As a result of the inversions, riders experienced more-than-usual head banging. Shortly after its debut, a trim brake was added because the coaster was traveling faster than it should through the inversions and riders were experiencing pain in their necks. Due to the coaster being rough, ride operators told riders to remove their earrings before boarding the train. They would not only check their restraints, but their ears as well. The train would not leave the station once riders had their earrings removed. In March 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. 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 the 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, and its top speed increased to. Because of the modifications, both Morgan style and Arrow style track have been utilized.
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 which 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. Each train has 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.
