Kennywood Adding Zamperla Flat Ride for Park's 2023 Season

© Kennywood

Kennywood Amusement Park will be looking to the skies in 2023 when they debut a brand new area, known as Area 412, which will be themed to extra-terrestrials - aka aliens.  The renovated area will feature an existing ride, a Disk'O now named Cosmic Chaos, which has been prettied up with new paint and a new name.

The star attraction of Area 412 is Spinvasion, a circular spinning ride that's out of this world... you could say.  Spinvasion is one of Zamperla's Gryphon rides, which is kind of like a modern Enterprise ride but with one-seater cars and it doesn't go up 90 degrees in the air.  Instead, the ride's carriages undulate up and down as it spins, creating a wavelike appearance that's neat to watch from the ground.

© Kennywood

Kennywood is advertising the new area and its attractions under the Battle For The 'Burgh slogan, however they note on their site that these aliens are friendly and the battle is actually against "evil Crab Bots."  It'll be interesting to see how the area turns out, the park was already doing to painting and theming before it closed for the year in the Fall.  The park also promises an Area 412 Gift Shop which should contain some cool merchandise themed to the Battle For The 'Burgh slogan, no doubt.

Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop Coaster Planned to Open at Niagara Amusement Park

© Niagara Amusement Park

We just recently posted about the reopening of Niagara Amusement Park, and soon after the park confirmed that they plan to reopen one of Schwarzkopf's Shuttle Loop roller coasters at the property.  The announcement was made on social media, and notes that they plan to "begin construction as soon as the weather cooperates."

The coaster is one of the flywheel launch models, and most recently was located at La Feria Chapultepec Magico in Mexico.  Prior to that, the ride originated at Kennywood as Laser Loop where it gained much notoriety with fans of the park.  The coaster operated at Kennywood from 1980 until 1990, then in Mexico from 1994 to 2019.

© Niagara Amusement Park

The ride at Niagara Amusement Park will join another flywheel launched Shuttle Loop coaster at Knott's Berry Farm, Montezooma's Revenge, as the only two of their kind in the U.S.  However the Knott's ride has just entered a year long refurbishment that is rumored to possibly change the launch method... meaning the ride at Niagara Amusement Park may be even more unique than expected.

The amusement park confirmed their plans to start construction as soon as they can, but that does not necessairly mean a 2022 opening date.  We will stay tuned for more information from the park about the ride's opening plans.

Kennywood to Celebrate 125 Years in 2022 with Improvements, New Old Ride and Special Events

© Kennywood

Kennywood will start to celebrate the park's 125th anniversary with a variety of new events, a returning classic ride, and changes throughout the park.  A 125th anniversary is pretty special, and it is wonderful to see the park celebrating it in a big way.  As other parks have proven you do not need a giant new ride to mark a milestone such as this, and general improvements across the park are always a welcome addition.

© Kennywood

© Kennywood

The park will be celebrating their anniversary over two years, for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and many of the planned changes will come online over that period.  The park's buildings and midways will be receiving various improvements, with new paint, signage, facades and more changing and being improved across the property.  The image up top and the two seen here are some concepts the park is kicking around - showing an improved entrance area along with a new facade for the Old Mill ride.

© Kennywood

As previously announced the Kangaroo flat ride will be making a triumphant return next year, featuring a state of the art ride operating system, new LED lighting and a bright new color scheme.  The park is working with Premier Rides on the attraction's total refurbishment.

Kennywood will also host a series of special events, some returning and some new, to give guests various seasons of fun to visit the park.  The park will hold an expanded Bites & Pints food festival next year, their annual Celebrate America party for the 4th, their Fall Fantasy Parades, Phantom Fall Fest and Holiday Lights.  They're also adding a Spring Kickoff to start the season, and in July the Summer Light-Up Festival which features the park after dark.

© Kennywood

To keep park fans involved Kennywood is holding another poll, this time allowing them to pick the theme of a giant historical collage that will be going up along the Jack Rabbit's queue.  Seen above is an example of how the finished product could look, but the content will be voted on by park guests.  You can check it out and vote at this link.

The Kangaroo Returns to Kennywood in 2022

© Kennywood

Fans of Kennywood Park have been overjoyed to learn that the park is bringing back its classic Kangaroo flat ride for the park's 2022 season.  The ride has thrilled park visitors for generations with its gentle flying and bouncing motions, and now will once more next year.  The ride was closed at the end of the 2020 season but the park made the decision to invest in the classic, refurbish it, and reopen it.  

 

The ride opened in 1962 and is a "Flying Coaster" ride created by Aero-Affiliates, and was the last one operating in the U.S. when it closed.  In a Blast From The Past article from 2010 we actually covered the ride in great detail - check it out!

© Kennywood

“Kangaroo is a one-of-a-kind ride that’s perfect for a one-of-a-kind park like Kennywood,” says General Manager Mark Pauls. “We heard our guests ask for its return, and we are excited to bring the last ride of its kind in the world back, better than ever.”

 

In order to bring this classic back to life, Kennywood has hired Premier Rides to do a complete refurbishment.  When completed the new Kangaroo will feature "an all-new LED lighting package, vibrant new colors, and state of the art operating systems while still providing the classic “Flying Coaster” feel."

 

Major kudos to Kennywood for investing in a classic ride like this!  Make sure to take a bounce on the ride next season.  As for now, be sure to visit Kennywood's page to vote on the Kangaroo's new look!

Help Kennywood Pick Phantom's Revenge's New Track Color for 2022

© Kennywood

It isn't often that we're able to actually pick the new color scheme of a major roller coaster, but that's exactly what Kennywood is letting fans do.  The park has confirmed that they are repainting the track on the massive Phantom's Revenge roller coaster in 2022, and letting us all vote to decide what color.

It was noticed recently that the park had put some test paint on a section of the track.  You can see a photo of it at this link on Twitter.  There were sections of purple, a teal, and a royal blue.  Parks do this to get a sense of what a new color will look like in natural light.  It was just a few days later that the park announced that they will let fans pick the final color.

© Kennywood

While there were three paint test colors, the park seems to have narrowed it down to two final choices.  The royal blue is out.  Left to choose from we have "Petrifying Purple" and "Terrifying Teal."  They can bee seen above.  Let it simmer a bit and then you can make your final choice at this link that the park has set up.  You can vote once per day through September 8th and please note that the ride's supports will remain black.

 

Also note that after you vote you can see the current results... I won't say which but one color is dominating right now.

© Kennywood

Phantom's Revenge is a highly regarded coaster in the industry, known especially for some wild "hair time" on the bunny hills it presents to riders.  It opened as the Steel Phantom in 1991 as a custom Arrow Dynamics ride that broke world records with its 225 foot first drop.  It was modified in 2001 by Morgan Manufacturing to remove the ride's inversions, add a few feet to the first drop, and extend the ride overall.  It currently speeds through the 3,200 feet of track at a top speed of 85 miles per hour.

Kennywood Announces the Removal of 4 Classic Flat Rides

© Kennywood

Kennywood has announced on social media that the park is removing four of their classic flat rides before the start of next season.  The park notes that the removals come as they have invested more in new rides and attractions in the past three seasons than they have in any other period in the park's history.

The rides include the Kangaroo, which was a very unique ride for North America, and while I'm not sure, possibly the world.  It's quirky nature gathered it a lot of fans over the years, and it dates back to 1964.

© Kennywood

© Kennywood

Kennywood's Paratrooper and the Bayern Kurve are also slated to be removed before the start of the park's 2021 season.  Paratroopers can be found at many parks, and fairs for that matter, less so with the Bayern Kurve.  Sure, there are still some out there but certainly not at every park.

© Kennywood

Finally, the park's Enterprise, Volcano, will also be leaving.  These rides are quickly becoming a relic when you can find them.

Kennywood made it clear that part of the park's "evolution is a continuous examination of the sustainability, capacity and popularity of our attraction lineup" and that led to the removal of these rides.  

We recently saw Six Flags state on their earnings call that they would remove 15 rides from their parks before 2021.  With the pandemic still raging on, one has to think that all parks are looking at how much their rides cost to maintain and operate, and sadly I think these removals will be the start of a larger trend of cleaning out some older rides.

Several Palace Entertainment Parks to Close For the Season after Labor Day

© Kennywood

A number of Palace Entertainment parks in the U.S. have announced that they have decided to end their 2020 seasons when Labor Day weekend is over.  The announcements mean that the park's seasons will be cut short, with no Fall or Christmas events planned for this year.

 

Kennywood sent out an update that shows that the park's last operating day in 2020 will be September 7th.  This means that there will be no Phantom Fright Nights or Holiday Lights this year, but they hope to bring those events back in 2021.  They also updated that next year will see the full completion of Steelers Country, including the interactive features and other elements.  The park has also decided to extend their 2020 season pass products to be valid in 2021.

Sandcastle water park, located not far from Kennywood, will also end their season on September 7th.

Idlewild and Soak Zone will also close up shop early this year, with their last day of operations also September 7th.  The park will extend their Summer Saver Season Passes to be valid through Labor Day, 2021.  Looking forward to next year, the park is planning "exciting new events, plus a variety of surprises" they plan to reveal during this extra-long off season.

© Lake Compounce

Lake Compounce will also close on September 7th, meaning that this year there will be no Haunted Graveyard and Holiday Lights events.  Both are planned to return next year.  2021 will see the opening of the delayed Venus Vortex water slide and the park's 175th birthday.  Wow that's a lot of years!  The park has also extended their season pass products to be valid for 2021.

Story Land, located in New Hampshire, will follow suit and close at the end of Labor Day weekend.  The park has extended their season passes for next year like the other parks, and anyone who purchased a day ticket for a date past Labor Day will get an automatic refund.

Last, but not least, Pennsylvania's Dutch Wonderland is also closing out their 2020 season on September 7th.  This means that both Happy Hauntings and Dutch Winter Wonderland will not take place in 2020.  Almost all of the park's season pass programs will be extended into 2021, when the park hopes to be able to offer a full season.

Reduced Hours + Operating Days, Closures, No More Reservations + Halloween Events Paused

The industry is still trying to find its footing in this summer of uncertainty, and it appears as though a big part of that is scaling back operations to better fit with what has turned out to be a small demand for the amusement industry right now. 

We've seen a number of parks stop requiring reservations to visit the parks.  Dollywood stopped requiring day ticket visitors to have a reservation, though season pass holders still need them for the theme park.  A while back Worlds of Fun axed the reservation requirement, then Kings Island, Kennywood and Cedar Point followed soon after.  Dorney Park removed the reservation requirement for season pass holders, only asking single day ticket visitors to have one.  One can only assume that crowd levels are small enough that there is no need to monitor attendance with reservations.

Scaling back park hours is also becoming common.  Kings Island released their updated hours for August which will have the park closed Wednesday and Thursday, then to weekends only by the end of the month.  Closing times on Saturdays did get extended until 10 pm however.  Cedar Point will stay open daily until mid-August, then switch to Friday-Sunday operations only and right now are closed all of September aside from Labor day weekend.  Kennywood has also decided to stay closed Mondays and Tuesday in August, then go weekends only in September - and has also made it clear there will be no Phantom Fright Nights this year.  Idlewild is going even further, opening only on Friday - Sunday starting August 1st.

This is not a full list of changes, there are more out there as well.

© Raging Waters

We're also starting to see some Southern California properties throw in the towel on the year - that is just what Raging Waters Los Angeles did today.  They do note that they are excited to reopen in 2021.  The rest of the California theme park crew, and there's a lot of them, are still waiting on the ability to open.  As we discussed some parks are finding other ways to operate, such as Knott's super popular food festival Taste of Calico which actually got extended two more weeks and is selling out fast.

© Universal

It is almost to the point where parks are having to make tough decisions regarding their popular Halloween seasons.  Just recently we saw both Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood officially cancel their events for this year, with Halloween Horror Nights not taking place at either park.  Disney World has also called off Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and the Disneyland Resort cancelled the Oogie Boogie Bash even though no opening date is in sight for its parks.

No news yet from other park operators on Halloween, but with these big parks setting the standard it might not look to good.

Things may be a bit more quiet around this blog for the foreseeable future, as park seasons are shortened and events are cancelled - there simply isn't much to cover.  We will look forward to 2021 though!

Dutch Wonderland to Open, Kennywood Delays Reopening

© Dutch Wonderland

Happy 4th of July everyone.  Please make sure to stay safe today!

We continue to watch as parks announce reopening plans, and in some cases delay or cancel them.  A little of both again today.

Dutch Wonderland, located in Pennsylvania, has announced their plan to reopen to guests on July 14th for season pass holders, a period that will last through July 17th.  Starting July 18th the park plans to be open to all visitors.

The park will follow its sister parks changes in terms of COVID-19 prevention and safety.  This includes a reservation system to control attendance (which will go live soon), social distancing throughout the park, increased sanitization standards and more.  Face masks will be required for a visit.

The park has all this information, along with guest and employee responsibilities, listed on their website.

© Kennywood

Kennywood had planned to open this Monday for the first time this year, but due to spiking numbers of COVID-19 cases in their county, they have had to delay the reopening.

Allegheny county, where the park is located, has set in place a one week stay at home order, which also included closing indoor dining at restaurants, casinos and limiting gatherings to 25 people.  Potentially this means the park's opening may only be delayed by a week, but it has been proven that anything can happen in 2020!

The delay also includes Kennywood's sister waterpark, Sandcastle, which was also scheduled to reopen.

The Disneyland Resort, Lake Compounce, Kennywood and Idlewild all Share Plans to Reopen

© Disneyland

The Disneyland Resort is the first Southern California theme park resort to announce when they plan to reopen, having made their major announcement yesterday.  The property still need final approval from the state, but plan to open both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure on July 17th.

The Downtown Disney District, full of shopping and dining experiences, plans to open much sooner on July 9th.  It won't be until July 23rd when both Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel reopen to guests.

The Disneyland Resort has a massive annual pass base, one that will require the parks to very actively control attendance when they reopen.  It makes sense to me not to try to attract hotel guests until after the parks are open a bit, and some of the annual pass holders get their visits in.

The resort will follow the protocols that we saw the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida put in place when they announced their reopening, which is also toward the middle of July.  In California that includes required reservations to control attendance, the use of face masks, and for them even the pausing of selling and renewing annual passes to limit crowds.

This announcement should hopefully help other Southern California parks, such as Legoland, SeaWorld San Diego, Knott's Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain firm up their reopening dates.

© Palace Entertainment

Three of Palace Entertainment's theme parks have also revealed their opening dates as well.

Kennywood will start on July 6th with a friends and family day, then operate July 7th through 10th for season pass holders, then open to the public on July 11th.  Lake Compounce is opening for season pass holders from July 1st through the 5th, then the general public on the 6th of July.  Idlewild Park will open for season pass holders from July 7th through 10th, then the general public on the 11th.

All three parks are planning very similar changes due to COVID-19.  These include mandatory reservations to visit the park, temperature screenings upon entrance, and required face masks.

Palace Entertainment Parks Extend Season Passes to 2021 + Venus Vortex Delayed

© Palace Entertainment

Palace Entertainment, which owns and operates six amusement parks in North America and many water park and family entertainment centers, has provided some updates on their parks 2020 seasons.

While no opening days have been announced, the company has revealed that they are following the lead of Cedar Fair and extending all season passes for 2020 through the end of 2021.  This includes Dutch Wonderland, Idlewild, Kennywood, Lake Compounce and Storyland.  Castle Park, which is located in California, will extend their season passes for as long as the park remains closed.

The extension of season passes is sure to sit nicely with fans of these parks in these uncertain times, as they wait to see when the parks are able to open for 2020.

© Lake Compounce

Lake Compounce was scheduled to open a giant new water slide in 2020, named Venus Vortex.  The towering thrill slide would send family rafts around a course and then down a steep plunge into a giant half pipe that's themed as a large venus flytrap.

Due to construction delays experienced by the park during the pandemic, they have made the tough decision to delay the opening of Venus Vortex until the park's 2021 season.  While it's sad to see the ride have to be pushed back, it is sure to still be enjoyed by thousands of visitors come next year.

From The Vault: Kennywood's 2011 Brochure

© Kennywood

2011 was an exciting year for Kennywood, one of the nation's finest classic amusement parks.  A brand new roller coaster, named Sky Rocket, had debuted in the middle of the prior summer, which meant that it was still the big focus for the park's 2011 season.  The ride is a custom designed launch roller coaster from Premier Rides, featuring several inversions and a giant top hat.  Naturally this made it a perfect fit for the cover of the park's brochure.

© Kennywood

Sky Rocket certainly attracted the attention of the park's guests, but the amusement park offers so very much more than just that one ride.  While that latest and greatest ride did get a lot of real estate in this spread, there are plenty of other rides featured here as well.  Kennywood has a fantastic mix of both classic and modern rides, and is a favorite park of many.

© Kennywood

And if you want to get into the details of what the park has to offer, they were kind enough to include a part map right in the brochure!  The park has changed quite a bit just in the time since 2011, with notable attractions like the free fall and log flume now a part of the park's cherished history.  But new ride have replaced those to keep things fresh, such as last year's enormous investment with the Steel Curtain.

With a 120+ year long history, Kennywood has shown that it's not afraid to balance the old with the new, and that's a winning formula for them and their fans!

Kennywood to Renovate and Return the Old Mill to Former Glory in 2020

© Kennywood

Exciting news out of Kennywood this week for fans of classic dark ride attractions - the park has revealed that for the 2020 season they will refurbish their Old Mill attraction to its former glory, removing all traces of Garfield theming.

The ride, which dates back to 1901 and is known as the oldest operating Old Mill or Tunnel of Love style of ride, was most recently themed as Garfield's Nightmare in 2004.  The ride gained a reputation over time as a nightmare of its own, mostly from guests who knew the former versions of the ride and enjoyed them much more than the bright 3-D Garfield theming.

The idea to turn the ride back into an Old Mill style ride has been around a while, like a decade really.  Way back in 2009 when we visited the park a representative told us that they planned to redo the attraction within a couple seasons, bringing it back as the Old Mill.  Obviously that didn't happen then but good things come to those who wait, indeed!

Our oldest ride adds a new chapter to its history this season. #Kennywood #OldMill #AmusementPark #Pittsburgh pic.twitter.com/t3xIs9HGll

— Kennywood Park (@Kenny_Kangaroo) March 9, 2020

Above is a great video that Kennywood created to announce the renovations to the Old Mill.  The ride will return to a "retro Western" style themed attraction, filled with mild spookiness that is sure to delight a new generation of riders.  The Western theming was featured in the ride (which has had many names and themes throughout its nearly 120 year history) prior to the Garfield renovation, and many modern day guests still remember those gags.  To that end the park will be able to bring back a definite sense of nostalgia for park fans.

The Old Mill will reopen at Kennywood as soon as the park has the work completed, which they hope will be close to the park's opening in early May.

The Steel Curtain is Now Open at Kennywood

© Kennywood

Today Kennywood has officially debuted The Steel Curtain, the park's towering and twisted new roller coaster.  Themed to the Pittsburgh Steelers football franchise, the ride sits as the prominent centerpiece of Steelers Country, an entirely new themed area at Kennywood.  The area celebrates everything Steelers related, with interactive activities, food, retail and more.

But folks looking for thrills will certainly find The Steel Curtain to be the most desirable attraction in the area, especially since it stands a massive 220 feet over the park.  It's pretty hard not to notice with its bright gold supports and sleek black track.

© Kennywood

Not only is The Steel Curtain tall, but it's also very twisted, featuring a total of 9 inversions throughout the course - a record for North America.  Watching new coverage from those at the park also shows that the ride moves fast - and keeps its speed way up until the final brakes.  That means a thrilling set of inversions with little break in between them.  However at 4,000 feet of track the ride doesn't look short by any stretch of the imagination.

To hold you over until you get out to Kennywood to experience The Steel Curtain in person, the park has released a brand new point of view movie of the ride.  Take a spin below!

The Steel Curtain Takes First Run at Kennywood In New Video

© Kennywood

Exciting times at Kennywood amusement park as their new for 2019 roller coaster, The Steel Curtain, has started test runs!  Shortly after placing the final track pieces the park sent the first train out on the course, and it was a huge success!

Want to see what we mean?  Here's video of the test run direct from Kennywood:

The Steel Curtain looks like an awesome coaster experience, featuring an impressive 9 inversions and quite a bit of speed throughout the entire course.

The twisted first inversion, which takes place 197 feet in the air, leads into an equally twisted first drop and results in a top speed of 76 miles per hour.  The rest of the exaggerated inversions include a banana roll, dive loop and inverted stall over the midway below.  Even the last two inversions, which take place rather close to the ground, are taken at an impressive speed.

Next stop, opening the ride!  I'd expect an official opening date to be revealed soon.

Kennywood Finishes Track Instillation for The Steel Curtain

© Kennywood

Good things come to those who wait, and while we've all been waiting for The Steel Curtain to open at Kennywood the park hit a big milestone on the ride's construction this past week.  The final piece of track was installed, seen in the photos from the park, completing the 4,000 feet of track.  The final piece was a part of the inversion that takes place right after the lift hill at 197 feet above the ground.  That inversion is now the tallest one in the world.

© Kennywood

Designed by S&S Worldwide, The Steel Curtain is sure to be a true thrill machine once it opens this summer - though no opening date has been announced as of now.  It is the centerpiece of a new themed area at Kennywood, known as Steelers Country and themed after the football franchise.   The area will feature the coaster along with other interactive games, activities and food and beverage areas.

© Kennywood

The Steel Curtain's completed layout is an imposing structure over Kennywood.  The ride stands 220 feet tall, making it the tallest roller coaster in Pennsylvania.  Riders will spend a decent amount of time upside down while on the ride, as The Steel Curtain will feature the most inversions on any coaster in the U.S. - a total of 9.

With track complete and testing right around the corner, we're looking forward to The Steel Curtain taking its first riders!

Kennywood Tops Off The 220 Foot Peak of The Steel Curtain

© Kennywood

Kennywood's massive new roller coaster, The Steel Curtain, reached its maximum height of 220 feet this past week when the very top of the lift hill track was installed.

The park had a ton of press to the construction site to get an update on the record breaking coaster, which will be a part of the new Steelers Country themed area.

© Kennywood

The Steel Curtain is already a very imposing structure that is towering over Kennywood.  With bright gold supports and black track (Pittsburgh Steelers colors, of course), the ride is hard to miss.  If you have any doubts about that, check out this photo of the ride over the park's skyline from Kennywood Connection!

© Kennywood

Featuring a North America record of 9 inversions, The Steel Curtain is going to be one of the most thrilling coasters on the planet.  It's truly unique design and unrelenting track layout has coaster enthusiasts drooling - but considering the press that the ride is getting it seems just about everyone's curiosity has been piqued.

© Kennywood

Not only is the coaster 220 feet tall - tallest of any roller coaster in Pennsylvania - but soon after the trains reach the summit they drop slightly then do a full inversion at 197 feet in the air.  Yes, that's just three tiny feet short of inverting a full 200 feet in the air!  Needless to say, The Steel Curtain will push thrill seekers to the max with its extreme maneuvers.

A large portion of the ride's structure is now up, but there are still several very large support sections to go up to hold the first drop and the second half of the Sea Serpent.  With Spring now officially here, I'd watch for those last parts to go up rather quickly!

The Steel Curtain is Looking Massive at Kennywood!

© Kennywood

If you haven't been following Kennywood on social media, Twitter especially, then you've certainly been missing out on some awesome Steel Curtain construction photos the last few weeks.

Despite freezing temperatures and a passing snow storm or two, Kennywood has started the 'tall' phase of construction, with The Steel Curtain's tallest supports going up.  The park used smaller cranes to put up all of the lower portions of the ride earlier, and those completed sections can be seen in these photos.

© Kennywood

The park even went up to the top of the Racer to take some great photos of the new coaster.  This is certainly one of the most interesting coasters to go up in recent memory... so massive and different than most coasters lately.

© Kennywood

When finished The Steel Curtain will stand 220 feet above the park and feature 9 different inversions, two of which can be seen above, and a top speed of 76 miles per hour.  The ride will be the centerpiece of Steelers Country, a new themed area created from a partnership with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Kennywood Places First Inversion on the Steel Curtain's Imposing Structure

© Kennywood

The Steel Curtain at Kennywood Park is going to have a North American record-breaking number of inversions, 9 in total, when finished and the park has proudly placed the first onto the growing ride.  Using favorable weather conditions (check out that blue sky!), Kennywood has been working quickly to get pieces of the ride's 220 foot tall structure into place.

© Kennywood

The first inversion of the nine that has been put into place is actually the last on the ride, and that's the cutback.  This element leads the trains into the final brake run, where riders can finally take a breath.  When finished, the Steel Curtain will offer inversions such as the Fake-Out Inverting Drop, Banana Roll, Sea Serpent, Dive Loop, Top Gun Stall and Corkscrew (along with the Cutback).

© Kennywood

This is also our first great look at the coaster's black track, which is pretty beefy looking.  The ride has been designed by S&S Worldwide, and will be one of the largest coasters the company has created in North America in some time.  The final product will offer 4,000 feet of track along with a top speed of 76 miles per hour.

Kennywood Unveils New Steelers' Themed Vehicles for The Steel Curtain + New Animations

© Kennywood

Kennywood has revealed the new trains for The Steel Curtain, the park's massively twisted new-for-2019 steel roller coaster.  One of the most highly anticipated coasters opening in 2019, the S&S Worldwide designed ride will feature a North American record breaking 9 inversions!

Scott and Carol were able to get this footage of the trains being revealed to a huge crowd on the IAAPA trade show floor.  It quickly becomes apparent that the trains are totally decked out for a Steelers and football theme.

© Kennywood

Here is another view of the lead car of the trains.  They feature a very open design that will allow riders to see all the tricks and maneuvers that the ride's layout offers.  The front piece of the train features a football jersey theme, and the entire vehicle carries the ride's main color combination of black and gold.

© Kennywood

Looking closer at the seats you'll notice that the seat backs are themed to be footballs, complete with laces and all!  Also of great important are the lap-bar only restraints!  While this was known before, it is always nice to see visual confirmation that such a massive ride, standing 220 feet tall, will not have over-the-shoulder restrains.

© Kennywood

And while we're on the topic, Kennywood has shared another recent view of the coaster's support structure going up.

Additionally, as part of the train reveal at the IAAPA expo, Kennywood has published several new animations of The Steel Curtain.  Here is a brand new teaser video:

They also created a new point-of-view ride video, which looks slightly more accurate (check out all the support head choppers!) than the original that was released.  This ride is going to be a blast!