Kennywood's Steel Curtain Debuts, Now PA's Tallest Coaster

WEST MIFFLIN, PA - Fresh from the adrenaline rush of experiencing Pennsylvania's tallest roller coaster, Ken Lager and his 10-year-old son, Cooper, had nothing but praise for the new Steel Curtain coaster at the Pittsburgh-area amusement park Kennywood. And both being member of the American Coaster Enthusiasts, their praise does not come lightly.

"It's a great addition to the park," Ken Lager said. "An amazing, smooth ride."

"I thought it was really cool," Cooper said. "All those inversions were really neat."

Kennywood debuted the Steel Curtain Friday in spectacular fashion, with its first passengers - the winners of a contest last year - getting the initial ride just after dawn, followed by some members of the media. A few hours later at a official ribbon-cutting ceremony, there was a fireworks display, disc jockey, exploding confetti, drum corps, and a host of current and former Pittsburgh Steelers players.

The Steelers contingent, which included current defensive star Cameron Heyward and former played John Banaszak, Craig Wolfley and Chris Hoke, was there because the coaster is named after the vaunted defense of the 1970s that helped the team win four Super Bowls. The Steel Curtain is the anchor for a new section of the park, Steelers Country, which will include an entry tunnel similar to the one at Heinz Field, interactive skill games, a new restaurant area, a Steelers fountain area, a dining area and a large scoreboard.

The Steel Curtain is the first Steelers Country attraction to open.

Not only is the Steel Curtain the state's tallest coaster at 220 feet, it has the world's tallest inversion, 197 feet. Its nine inversions are the most of any coaster in North America. With a
top speed of 75 mph, the 24-passenger cars complete the 4,000-foot ride in just two minutes.

Construction of the ride's 152 foundations began last year. There were 113 separate pieces of track
assembled, with the largest piece being 39 feet long and weighing more an 12,000 pounds. More than 21,000 bolts were used for the project.

Here is what it's like to ride the Steel Curtain:

Here's what the dedication ceremony looked like: