Kennywood announces launched steel coaster for 2010

Steel Hawg may not be launched but man is that ride a blast! Totally smooth and rerideable. I can't believe more of these aren't around.

Being a native Pittsburgher, the locals have always complained if they have to wait more than fifteen minutes to get on a ride as long as I can remember. And I remember when you had to be as tall as Henry or Howdy Doody to ride.....................

Let me clarify that I am not stubborn in how I feel about this new ride. It may surprise the heck out of me.

In other news, I would rather see a line at Kennywood move faster the old fashioned way, by getting the ride ops to hustle. ...That and the park should purchase high capacity rides in the first place. Kennywood is in Pittsburgh, a major city, for gosh sakes.

Do you remember where you read about them selling the line cuts? There was a rumor of them putting in Q-bot this year, but they aren't. Future years I don't know about, but I do know it isn't happening this year.

And it looks like KPConnection.com is going to be able to post fairly regular picture updates of the coaster, if you're interested. They put quite a few more supports up today, but currently those couple of pictures are only visible in the forum (which you have to register to see). I know the guy's goal though is to put them on the main site so that you don't have register to see them, it just takes some time.

You mean was a major city. In the span of my lifetime (so far) the population of Pittsburgh has shrunk by 50%. It has gone from being ranked 12th in the nation to 51st. There are towns (not cities) in San Diego County that have a larger population. Be grateful that an institution such as Kennywood has survived. A lot of parks in the Rust Belt have including three other parks that were very active in Western PA when I was growing up did not. Now, so far the new management hasn't rocked the boat too much. Let's wait and see what this does.

^ Although did you see the graph in the Post-Gazette today? The metropolitan area gained 1,144 residents from 2008 to 2009, the first time that has happened since the early 1990's.

And while the city may have shrunk by 50%, what did the metropolitan area shrink by? While there was the diaspora, didn't a fair amount of people simply move to the suburbs?

It isn't just Kennywood that survived though. Pittsburgh is known to have many of the amenities that big cities have while being much smaller. I think that is sometimes lost on a lot of Pittsburgher's too. You simply don't realize how much you have until it's not there anymore.

ideame said:
Do you remember where you read about them selling the line cuts? There was a rumor of them putting in Q-bot this year, but they aren't.

I first requested it here last August.

Perhaps I'm psychic? ;)

(Hey, we finally got those passes! Half-psychic?)

Dutchman said:
Being a native Pittsburgher, the locals have always complained if they have to wait more than fifteen minutes to get on a ride as long as I can remember.

See, Lost Kause, it's not something I can control - I was born and raised in western PA. :)

LostKause said:
In other news, I would rather see a line at Kennywood move faster the old fashioned way, by getting the ride ops to hustle.

You're basing your opinion entirely on a rumor. Do you really think Kennywood is intentionally installing a lower capacity ride so it can sell something that doesn't exist yet?

LostKause said:
...That and the park should purchase high capacity rides in the first place. Kennywood is in Pittsburgh, a major city, for gosh sakes.

Until they pull the trigger on an expansion they are stuck with what they have. I think the ride is a great fit for a small park like Kennywood.

eightdotthree said:
Exterminator's theoretical capacity is 900 PPH and everyone loves that ride.

Yea, but because everyone loves it I rode it ONCE in its first three-ish years of operation, because while it is awesome, I would never wait more than maybe half an hour to ride it. Now my rule is basically that if the line's outside, pass.

I sort of anticipate something similar for Sky Rocket. I'll probably ride it... once... this year, regardless of how good it turns out to be.

obxKevin said:
I know you're used to it, but man...YOU'RE on site. How cool is that?

It's cool when I get to test it. Until then, unfortunately, it's just another day at work.

eightdotthree said:

LostKause said:
In other news, I would rather see a line at Kennywood move faster the old fashioned way, by getting the ride ops to hustle.

You're basing your opinion entirely on a rumor. Do you really think Kennywood is intentionally installing a lower capacity ride so it can sell something that doesn't exist yet?

I never said such a thing, nor did I imply it, but it is a really interesting theory, 8.3. Businesses do stuff like that all the time... How do we get people to drink more of our cola? Put caffinie in it. How do we get people to buy more electronics? Make them obsolete every few years.

How do we make more money with line cuts? (???)

It is just a rumor. It may never happen. Maybe it was looked into at one point, but KW figured out that it wouldn't fly there, perhaps.

Anywho,

First pieces of track are being bolted to the supports today.

Kennywood's Facebook page has photos from the construction. Looking good.

Wow. It already looks painful.

^Huh!?

No shoulder bars is a HUGE plus - and they're promoting that fact.

Yes, and yay. But if you think not having OTSRs guarantees a comfortable ride, I have a few Toboggans I'd like to sell you.

Not sure if the Toboggan's OTHRs count.

That's On The Head Restraints, if you're wondering... ;)

More like "spinal compression device."

^Ouch! I don't think I have ridden a toboggan since I was 11, always remembered them fondly. Time to check one out again, forgot I'm a little bigger now ;)

Toboggan's are painful to me before the ride even starts. Just the getting in and out hurt enough for me to pass on them, but then add the 5 foot drop and rise at the end of the ride, which, as already said, compress your spine, and also smacks me in the back of the head, and I pretty much hate the things. It like something Skeletor would send He-Man to as punishment...

"Beast-Man, you bumbling fool... Send him to the torture chamber ride!"