Kennywood Construction Update: Steel Curtain Coming Together

With two more weeks of construction completed since our last check-in, we are really seeing the coaster come together. While the coaster was designed by S&S/Sansei, the track was fabricated by Intermountain Lift, the same Utah based company that fabricates the track for Premier, the designer of the park's Sky Rocket launch coaster. The large, compact, and swooping turnaround is starting to look a bit like Premier's Sky Rocket II launch coasters. 

Notice the inversion under the first drop that is looking like a hat over Sky Rocket's tallest point. Between Sky Rocket and Steel Curtain, I believe that Kennywood has the most Intermountain Lift Track of any amusement park.

 The value of hard work being demonstrated by these steelworkers.

 The turnaround getting constructed, with a little glimpse of the epic cutback turnaround on Sky Rocket.

 Steel Curtain making an inverted track hat over Sky Rocket's top hat.

This ride looks like it will be tremendous. Lots of construction remains until they will be able to begin testing.

Here you can see the world's tallest inversion starting to come together, with the track beginning to make the twist for the inversion, which will be 195 feet tall when it is completed. 

Kennywood Construction Update: Steel Curtain Topped Off

Steel Curtain has been topped off at 220 feet in the sky and it has completely redefined the Kennywood skyline. By structure, it is the tallest coaster in the park and the state, though Phantom's Revenge still owns the record for the tallest drop at 228 feet. The views from the east as you approach the park are especially impressive. Now you can see the coaster from pretty much anywhere in Duquesne and across the Mon Valley.

 Just a few months until opening! I can't wait to see them get the track work done and start testing this thing.

I don't have any idea of how this coaster will ride, and I cannot wait to find out. This thing is so radically different from anything else that I have seen. Considering the designer is Joe Draves, this thing will almost certainly be eccentric and wild, considering he has also designed Lightning Run at Kentucky Kingdom, one of the wildest coasters ever built. 

 Lens switch time!

 The lift hill looks pretty awesome.

 So we headed across the Mon Valley the next day to the Westinghouse Bridge, the giant concrete arch bridge that you can see from the lift hill on Phantom. It is about 1.5 miles, as the crow flies, between the Westinghouse Bridge and Steel Curtain. 

The 180 foot Skycoaster to the right, shows a great point of reference on how huge this coaster is. 

Summer can't come soon enough!