Phantom's Revenge is a steelhypercoaster located at Kennywood in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. It originally opened as Steel Phantom in 1991, featuring the fastest speed and longest drop of any roller coaster in the world at the time. Its second drop is longer than its first, which is a unique characteristic among roller coasters. Originally manufactured by Arrow Dynamics, the ride was later modified and renovated by D. H. Morgan Manufacturing for the 2001 season when it reopened as Phantom's Revenge. The second drop and track length were both increased, and its four inversions were removed, allowing for the removal of its uncomfortable over-the-shoulder restraints.
The ride has consistently ranked among the top 50 steel roller coasters in the world in the annual Golden Ticket Awards publication from Amusement Today, occasionally ranking in the top 10. Additionally, it has frequently ranked in the top 5 of the National Amusement Park Historical Association's annual steel coaster survey. In 2025, it was named the United States' best roller coaster in a contest hosted by USA Today.[1]
History
Steel Phantom (1991–2000)
In the late 1980s, Harry Henniger, president of Kennywood Entertainment Company, sought to enter the "coaster arms race" of the time with the addition of a large steel coaster to the park.[2] Faced with the challenge of finding the necessary space,[2] the park settled on a design from Arrow Dynamics.[3] The concept featured a 160-foot (49m)lift hill with a world record-breaking 228-foot (69m) drop,[3][4] surpassing the previous 194.7-foot (59.3m) record set two years earlier by Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point.[5][6] With a top speed of 80mph (130km/h), it was also set to become the world's fastest.[7] It would be the second hypercoaster ever built.
Kennywood unveiled plans for the new ride, dubbed Steel Phantom, on July 27, 1990.[7][8] Steel Phantom was built on the former site of Laser Loop, a Shuttle Loop coaster removed after the 1990 season.[8] It reused Laser Loop's station building.
Construction of Steel Phantom began during Labor Day weekend in early September 1990.[9] It was set to open on May 4, 1991,[10] but this was ultimately delayed six days to May 10.[3] When it opened, it set new records in drop height and speed, in addition to featuring four inversions.[11]
While the coaster was initially well-received and frequently ranked high in contests regarding coasters,[4] riders often complained of neck strain and excessive headbanging through its inversions.[2][7] Shortly after its debut, engineers found that the train would reach speeds exceeding specifications.[7] The ride was closed for over a week so trim brakes could be installed prior to the inversions where the injuries were occurring.[7]
Steel Phantom in 1996
Phantom's Revenge (2001–present)
On March 5, 2000, Kennywood announced that they would dismantle Steel Phantom.[12] A replacement for Steel Phantom was not announced at the time. "Just about anything is on the table," said Kennywood spokeswoman Mary Lou Rosemeyer.[4] After the decision to remove Steel Phantom was announced, the park received many complaints about the decision. Kennywood ultimately decided to keep the roller coaster but make modifications to it.[13][14]
On August 10, 2000, Kennywood announced that Steel Phantom would be transformed into Phantom's Revenge for the 2001 season.[15] After the ride closed on Labor Day weekend in 2000,[16] Steel Phantom underwent extensive changes by D. H. Morgan Manufacturing, most notably the removal of all of its inversions.[14] The modified coaster reopened as Phantom's Revenge on May 19, 2001.[11]
The coaster operated with one train in its first season. In 2002, magnetic brakes were added to the ride so a second train could be used.[2][13] Because of the modifications, both D.H. Morgan Manufacturing-style and Arrow Dynamics-style track are present on the ride today.[13] A short theme tune used in television commercials for the attraction was composed by Jim DiSpirito, former member of Pittsburgh-based rock band Rusted Root.[17]
Kennywood hosted an online poll in September 2021, asking fans to decide whether Phantom's Revenge should be repainted teal or purple.[18][19] Nearly 10,000 people participated in the poll,[20] ultimately voting to repaint the track purple.[21] The repainting took place in October 2021.[22]
Characteristics
The second drop of Phantom's Revenge
The terrain coaster layout is built to take advantage of the natural elevation changes provided by the park's hilly terrain. Unlike most roller coasters, the ride's second drop is longer than its first, and its transformation to Phantom's Revenge in 2001 increased its drop length, track length, and top speeds by small margins.
Ride experience
Steel Phantom (1991–2000)
Upon dispatch from the station, the train made a slight turn to the right, climbing the 160-foot (49m) chain lift hill. After ascending the lift hill, it went down a banked drop to the right into a section of straight track. The train ascended a second hill that turned slightly to the right, and then dropped 225 feet (69m) through Thunderbolt's structure, reaching a top speed of 80 miles per hour (130km/h). The train made a U-turn to the left at the bottom of the ravine, before climbing another incline into a set of trim brakes before entering a vertical loop. After the loop, the train immediately traversed a boomerang, an element which turned riders upside down twice. The train then made a right turn into a corkscrew, the fourth and final inversion. Following this, a right turn passed immediately under the corkscrew and then ascended into the brake run. One cycle of the ride took approximately 2 minutes and 15 seconds.[11][23]
Phantom's Revenge (2001–present)
Upon dispatch from the station, the train makes a slight turn to the right before climbing the 160-foot (49m) chain lift hill. After cresting the lift hill, the train drops to the right, reaching a speed of 60 miles per hour (97km/h). Riders then enter a straightaway before climbing a second hill which turns to the right and drop 232 feet (71m), reaching a top speed of 85 miles per hour (137km/h). The train then makes a 280-degree turn, passing back under Thunderbolt's structure. Next, the train circles around the Turtle ride before traveling back under the second drop through an airtime hill. Riders then make a turn to the left, passing under the ride's brake run and entering a second airtime hill. The train then enters a 180-degree curve, traversing a final airtime hill and entering the brake run. One cycle of the ride takes approximately 1 minute and 57 seconds.[11][24][25]
As seen in earlier digital models, the ride was originally meant to feature a double-up element instead of the straightaway found between the first and second drops, as well as a longer tunnel after the turnaround.[26]
Trains
The green train on an airtime hill
As Steel Phantom, the ride had two trains; one painted purple with yellow stripes, and one yellow with purple stripes. Each train featured the Kennywood logo on the lead car. Both trains had seven cars that seated two riders in two rows, making for a total of 28 riders per train. The trains were the same type used on all other Arrow Dynamics looping coasters.
When the ride was renovated, the trains were also updated. The train's chassis, which were built by Arrow Dynamics, were kept, but D. H. Morgan Manufacturing upgraded the chassis with new, aerodynamic fiberglass bodies. The over-shoulder-restraints were also replaced with lap bars and seatbelts.[2][27] Like its predecessor, Phantom's Revenge operates with two seven-car, 28 passenger trains; one teal and one purple. A unique lap bar restraint system had to be designed during the process of modification due to the utilization of the original chassis, which were unable to accommodate a traditional floor-mounted lap bar system. Instead, the lap bars on Phantom's Revenge are mounted to the outer side of the seats and lower from beside the rider.
Originally, each train had both purple and teal paint, with the top half of the train being one color and the bottom half being the other. The front car of each train had the Kennywood logo painted on it in white. In 2014, the trains received new bodies identical to the old ones, though they featured new paint jobs. Each train was colored solid teal or solid purple, with the ride's logo on the lead cars.[28]
Track
Phantom's Revenge's steel track is 3,365 feet (1,026m) in length, and the height of the lift hill is approximately 160 feet (49m). Before the renovation, the length was 3,000 feet (910m), and the lift hill's height was the same. The second drop on Phantom's Revenge is 232 feet (71m), seven feet longer than the original second drop on Steel Phantom, which was 225 feet (69m).[29]
The track was originally manufactured by Arrow Dynamics. After the renovation, D. H. Morgan Manufacturing replaced the majority of the track. Though the ride initially opened in 2001 with many portions of Arrow Dynamics track still in use, much of it has since been replaced, and today, the only original Arrow Dynamics track remaining on the ride is in the lift hill, the station, the brake run, and the transfer track.[27] The track in the station and on the transfer track was not repainted with the ride's renovation, and still features the black paint of Steel Phantom.
The first iteration of the ride featured black tracks with gray supports. When it was modified, the track was painted green, and the supports were painted black.[11] After the 2021 season, the track was repainted purple according to the results of a poll hosted online.[22]
The original Steel Phantom was initially well-received, but it was later criticized for its roughness, mainly due to its speed through its inversions and its unpopular over-the-shoulder restraints.[30] Following its 2001 conversion, Phantom's Revenge received near-universal acclaim, being praised for its airtime moments, improved ride experience, smoothness, and for maintaining the worthwhile portions of its predecessor.[31][30]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
