Kennywood to retire four rides

Again, thank you coronavirus for killing rides.

...um....also people?

The last Bayern Kurve with original theming at the US parks ☹️

People aren’t as rare as some of these rides.

What points to coronavirus as the reason for ride removals at Kennywood? I see a lot of comments and theories, but I’ve yet to read even one reliable source that says that’s the case.

I can’t imagine a scenario where they remove these rides and don’t replace them with something but Kennywood continues to surprise me.

There were shenanigans from them long before Covid, lol.

eightdotthree said:

I can’t imagine a scenario where they remove these rides and don’t replace them with something but Kennywood continues to surprise me.

Based on our current environment, it's gonna probably at least 1 or 2 seasons before we see what replaces the 4 rides that got removed.

They are getting replaced with queue for the other rides. Need 6 times the space with the 6 foot spacing.

I'm a little surprised we don't hear about these kind of retirements more often. When you are basically dealing with a lot of metal subject to fatigue due to constant motion, and then you add in the elements of weather, it is remarkable some of these rides hold up for the many decades that they do.

I'm really bummed that I never got to ride Kangaroo. That was the last of its kind, right?

When I clicked on the link, I was fearing Kangaroo and Kurve were on the list. Sad to see these 4 rides gone.
I recall my first visit back in 02, I took my only ride on the roo. I remember just sitting there and watching this ride as it went through several cycles. Watching everyone's faces light up each time as each car went over that hump, was priceless. Oddly enough for me, this is one of those moments I hope I never forget.
What a unique ride!!

Joseph Croft- yes it is indeed the last one.
Oh, there are other similar rides from various manufacturers. In the UK rides by the name of Ski Jump travel around. But Norman Bartlett was the creator of the Flying Coaster. I think the first one came to the CNE in 1957 and was a sensation. Showmen and park owners picked them up and I remember seeing (and riding) many in the 60’s.
Oddly, the second to the last one was at Waldameer, and it was removed a while back. I think Wipeout went in to replace it.

This is sad news indeed. Kangaroo held a special place in my sentimental favorite ride list.

There is a certain weirdness to this. Volcano was probably at the end of its service life when the park installed it. The Paratrooper is a beautiful installation of a surprisingly common ride, dead simple and while Frank Hrubetz Co. is long out of business there is a current company that supports the ride. Still, the ride was damaged in a hurricane a few years ago.
The Bayern Kurve, though, was refurbished not so long ago with all new scenery panels and LED lighting. The Kangaroo is the last of its kind, and its entire drive system was redesigned and modernized a few years ago. Another dead simple ride, it’s hard to believe that thing doesn’t have a few more good decades in it.
I do wonder if Kennywood is clearing out a good sized space for...something, probably another themed zone. This in turn has me wondering if two or three of these rides (sorry, Enterprise fans) aren’t on their way to other Palace parks.

In any case I really hope the Flying Coaster and Bayern Kurve find good homes. Both rides are too good and too rare to waste!

—Dave Althoff, Jr.

If Kennywood scraps Kangaroo and Bayern Kurve without trying to find new homes for the rides, it will be on par with Universal scrapping Dueling Dragons.

There is large amount of unhappiness in Pittsburgh about this, especially the loss of the Kangaroo. Removal of the Paratrooper and Kangaroo seems to be a really odd move to me. They are both in the most historic area of the park right next to the carousel. They must be really expensive to maintain.

Volcano I get. Heck, I encourage it. And even Paratrooper, if for whatever reason they opted to remove it for something else or for cost savings, there are plenty of models still around, including at nearby Waldameer.

But Bayern Kurve and Kangaroo? Those rides are not only one of a kind now, but are loads of fun and fit in with Kennywood's unofficial reputation of being a place for historic ride preservation. To me the removal of Kangaroo is just as noteworthy as had they decided to get rid of Thunderbolt or Jack Rabbit or when Big Dipper at Geauga Lake was demolished.

And just from some internet browsing, I agree the locals and park regulars are not happy. It's not the usual butthurt outrage by way of silly internet comments either. It's legitimate frustration and sadness over the current direction of the park.