Steel Curtain (roller coaster) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Steel Curtain |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
 |
|
| Kennywood | |
| Location | Kennywood |
| Park section | Steelers Country |
| Coordinates | 40°23′21″N 79°51′59″W / 40.3892°N 79.8665°W |
| Status | Closed |
| 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 ft (62 m) |
| Length | 4,000 ft (1,200 m) |
| Speed | 75 mph (121 km/h) |
| Inversions | 9 |
| Duration | 2:00 |
| Height restriction | 48 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 | |
Steel Curtain is an exciting steel roller coaster located at Kennywood amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. This amazing ride was built by S&S - Sansei Technologies. It stands super tall at 220 feet (67 m) and flips you upside down nine times! The coaster is designed to look like the Pittsburgh Steelers football team. It was built where an old water ride called the Log Jammer used to be.
What Makes Steel Curtain Special?
Steel Curtain is named after a famous group of football players. They were the defensive line of the Pittsburgh Steelers team in the 1970s. People called them the "Steel Curtain" because they were so strong.
This roller coaster opened on July 13, 2019. It was designed by S&S - Sansei Technologies. Steel Curtain has nine inversions, which are parts of the ride that turn you upside down. It even has the highest inversion in the world! This corkscrew inversion is 197 feet (60 m) high. The ride itself reaches a maximum height of 220 feet (67 m).
When you ride Steel Curtain, you can go as fast as 75 mph (121 km/h). The whole ride lasts about two minutes. In 2019, it won an award for "Best New Roller Coaster" from a magazine called Amusement Today.
Sometimes, big rides need small adjustments. Steel Curtain was closed for a few days in August 2019 to make sure everything was perfect. It reopened quickly after that. Like many places, the ride was also closed for a while in 2020.
Amazing Records and Theme
Steel Curtain holds several cool records:
- It's the tallest roller coaster in Pennsylvania.
- It has the most inversions of any roller coaster in North America.
- It's the tallest roller coaster in the world that turns you upside down.
- It has the world's tallest inversion.
This roller coaster is also special because it's the first amusement park ride ever themed after a professional football team! It's part of a 3-acre area at Kennywood called "Steelers Country." This area also has other fun things like "Terrible Tower," which is a climbing attraction, and the "End Zone Cafe."
Steel Curtain also has a unique part called a "banana roll." Only a few other coasters in the world have this, like Takabisha in Japan and TMNT Shellraiser in New Jersey.
What is the Ride Experience Like?
The adventure begins right after you leave the station. Your train climbs a tall lift hill that is 220-foot-tall (67 m). Once you reach the top, you dip down a little and then turn left into the world's tallest inversion! This part is called an inverting dive drop, and you'll be 197 feet (60 m) off the ground.
After that, you drop 205 feet (62 m) out of the inversion. The train then banks sharply to the left, getting very close to the ground before heading back towards the station. You'll turn left again and go into the "banana roll." This element is shaped like a banana and flips you upside down twice! It also lifts the train to its second-highest point.
You'll then drop low to the ground again and go over a small airtime hill. This makes you feel a bit weightless. Next, you enter a "sea serpent" element, which has two more inversions. After this, there's another airtime hill and the coaster's sixth inversion, a dive loop. This loop turns the train 180 degrees and sends you back towards the station.
After a short straight section, you'll experience a "zero-g stall" inversion. This makes you feel like you're floating! To finish the ride, the train goes through a corkscrew and a cutback very quickly. These are the eighth and ninth inversions. The cutback ends with a small jump onto the final brake run, and then you'll arrive back at the station.
| Preceded by Falcon |
World's tallest roller coaster inversion July 2019 - Present |
Succeeded by None |
