Why kill Steel Phantom for Phantom's Revenge?

The simple answer is that the ridership for the SP was low, and Kennywood has limited space. Kennywood needed a new major attraction. So, for the second time, Kennywood totally remoduled a coaster. Once again, it was a success.
Basically, on the hard core coaster freaks rode the SP, so it did not help distribute crowd around the park with the GP.

*** This post was edited by PerrysburgGuy on 10/11/2001. ***

RideMan said:
In a pay-per-ride park like Kennywood, it's turnstile clicks and ticket weight that count more than anything else, so out with the Phantom, in with Phantom's Revenge.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.

REALLY?? It IS pay per ride? Hmm.. didn't know that.
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I rode "X" and never went upside down.

I still loved the Steel Phantom. I did. But this new one is so much more re-rideable.

I just don't get why Kennywood decided to not go back with Arrow instead of Morgan. Both feature the same trackbending techniques.

I'm not an expert on Kennywood, but I seem to remember that it gives you a choice of POP or pay per ride. But, even in a strictly POP park a ride still has to earn its keep. When the biggest ride in the park isn't drawing crowds, you need to do something.

Why go with Morgan? Perhaps Arrow wasn't interested, or Morgan underbid them, or Kennywood simply decided they didn't TRUST Arrow, or Kennywood decided that Morgan had more recent successes in the field of hyper's.

It could be any combination of the above, or something else.

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--Greg
"Beat the rush, sign up for your post-Mean Streak MRI now..."
My page My other page And my coaster page

Kennywood offers a pay-one-price ticket, or you can buy admission into the park and individual tickets for such rides as you may wish to ride.

They wanted a new ride, but wanted to do it cheaply. With lifts being quite expensive, why not leave the old one in and rebuild the rest. Unforturnately, I never got the chance to ride SP, but PR is worthy of all the good PR in the world!

Kennywood gives you the option to buy tickets only if you are an adult. Under 20 must buy ride-all-day wristbands.

*** This post was edited by jimster on 10/11/2001. ***

jimster said:
"Kennywood gives you the option to buy tickets only if you are an adult. Under 20 must buy ride-all-day wristbands."

I did not know that... but that is a good policy as far as I am concerned. Granted, being over 20 by some 15 years, I would STILL buy the wristband, as would my wife (who is not quite as far over 20 as I am). However, for a family with a few kids where the parents are not really "riders", this makes good sense from an economical point of view.

But back to SP... may it rest in pieces. I visited Kennywood during its last season just to ride it... I rode it, I was thrown around as I stated in an above post, and I definately understand why Kennywood would have gotten rid of (or at least rebuilt) this overdone and unforgiving monstrosity.

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"I wasn't always this cynical, but then I started kindergarden..."

As I saw the first loop on my first trip on Steel Phantom I remember saying "I want to get off steel phantom."
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Save Cheese on a stick!

Phantom's Revenge is a lot better than Steel Phantom. The change in the design of the trains make for a better ride. When I was going up the lift hill, I was more aware of the hight on PR that on SP. Going down the Big Drop one gets alot more air time. I guess I am an air time junkie being raised on the Jack Rabbit. A coaster without airtime does not make it for me. I really like air time in a loop. The double dips and the bunny hops are just great. Kennywood is to be congratulated on a job well done

GregLeg said:
"Why go with Morgan? Perhaps Arrow wasn't interested, or Morgan underbid them, or Kennywood simply decided they didn't TRUST Arrow, or Kennywood decided that Morgan had more recent successes in the field of hyper's.

Another possibility: Morgan's lead designer, Steve Okamoto, may have been responsible for much of the engineering of the original Steel Phantom design. He used to design coasters for Arrow, you know...!

As to another question: Yes, Kennywood is pay-per-ride, although a P-O-P option is available and is by far the more popular choice these days...not to mention their "anti-babysitting" policy of restricting general admission sales to minors.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I loved the Steel Phantom and Phantom's Revenge. They are really great rides. The green colored track looks like it glows at night when the lights from the midways shine on them. Much smoother and nice airtime as well. Also, for Gen. Admission, you used to have to be 21, but they lowered it this year to 19. I.D. REQUIRED!!!:)
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Kennywood is my home park!!!

The front seat of Steel Phantom was not that rough. Also, if you knew how to brace yourself before the smacking, it would not hurt that bad. However, Phantom's Revenge keeps the speed and adds massive airtime. I plan on getting many more rides once two train operation begins next year.

tservo said:
"The front seat of Steel Phantom was not that rough. Also, if you knew how to brace yourself before the smacking, it would not hurt that bad."

Agreed on the front seat comment.

Ride #1 was in the front seat. It was intense and a bit rougher than I expected, but I have been on other rough ones before.

Ride #2 was either in the last seat or next to last seat. This was incredibly rough, but not really painfully so.

Ride #3 was either in the last seat or next to last seat (not the same seat as ride #2), and was PAINFUL! This was the ride that caused me to black out and get a headache and my wife to get a headache and a pain in the back and neck that lasted for a week. It was this ride that causes us to cut our day short from our headaches. That was the only ride that ever did that to us.

As far as "knowing how to brace yourself". That does not say much for the design of the ride if it will be painful if you are not braced properly. Granted, they did say to keep your head against the headrest at all times, but all you had to do was have it thrown forward for an instant on a turn or something and you would have a nearly impossible time to get it back against the rest again, mean while it would be shaking your head around like a rag doll.

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"I wasn't always this cynical, but then I started kindergarden..."

Here is what I think about this...

Steel Phantom was painful and sucked! It could not even come close to being better than a 150ft B&M.

Phantoms Revenge is a AIRTIME MACHINE and I love every dang part of it! In my opinion Kennywood made the perfect decision!

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-Xtreme Theme
http://xt.thrillzing.net

While I agree that Kennywood made a world-class decision, I don't know what B&M has to do with Steel Phantom. The real problem was that SP was (supposedly) rougher than even other Arrows, which says a lot.

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Matt Lynch, who loved SP and didn't find it that rough, but will take the trade...
Co-Webmaster : Kennywood Boulevard

RideMan said:
"Another possibility: Morgan's lead designer, Steve Okamoto, may have been responsible for much of the engineering of the original Steel Phantom design. He used to design coasters for Arrow, you know...!"

And that's what seems to get lost in the shuffle all too often. I really wonder when people prasie Morgan yet decry Arrow if they understand that the "old" Arrow (Magnum and before) is now the "new" Morgan (sans Toomer of course, who, if I'm not mistaken, did more design and less engineering).

I never rode SP (wish I had), but I do LOVE Phantom's Revenge. So far, it has been the best "new to me" steel coaster this year. That double-down is almost too much....almost :)
jeremy
--who loves PR even though he isnt and airtime whore ;)

It may have well have been Steve Okamoto's abilities that won Morgan the contract. All it would have taken is one ride on Steel Force or Momba to convince me.

Steel Phantom was a good concept that had a couple of flaws. We all agree that the first two drops were great, but from there on it was brutal. The inversions were taken at a fairly high speed,and with Arrow's otsr's most people got beat up.The GP doesn't like paying good money to get beat up. When you see people get off it with their ears bleeding it's not a good sign. Kennywood made a very wise business decision in reworking SP into PR. They essentially got a new coaster for a fraction of the cost,got a tremendous amount of FREE publicity and emerged with a real winner. Sure it didn't break any records like it's predessor,but you have to admit it's one heck of a ride!

Steel Phantom was built to break records. Kennywood learned the hard way the pitfall of building rides to break records (though admittedly, Pitt Fall was a recordbreaker when it opened.......). Trouble is, if you build a coaster to break a record, the record will be broken again by someone else before too long. It's more important to have a good ride. If it's a good ride, it won't matter whether it is the *-est or not; people will still love to ride it. But if it's only a record breaker, the appeal kind of wears off when the record is broken again.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.