Volume 1, No. 11. June 29, 2001
Return visits
To get the Phantom's Revenge open to the public, Kennywood in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, had to delay re-opening Thunderbolt because the revised
steel Phantom passed through a trench under the wood Thunderbolt
(LOOP, June 1). Before safely operating
Thunderbolt, more extensive work had to be done to its supports. Said
Mary Lou Rosemeyer, the park's public relations manager: "While rebuilding the
track is something our terrific carpenters do with seeming ease, the engineering
challenge of this particular coaster was unique for a couple reasons. First,
the coaster and its support stucture had to be rebuilt above ground that no
longer existed! Plus, the carpenters could only work early in the morning as
the Phantom's Revenge operates directly below the construction." They
succeeded, and Thunderbolt re-opened last Saturday.
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