Thunderbolt (Kennywood)

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Thunderbolt

Kennywood Location West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, USA Coordinates 40.388931°N 79.864889°W / 40.388931; -79.864889 Status Operating since May 4, 1924 Rider height 52 inch minimum
Statistics
Builder	Andy Vettel
Designer / calculations	John A. Miller
Type	Wooden - Terrain
Propulsion	Chain lift hill
Height	70 feet
Drop	90 feet
Top speed	55 mph
Length	3250 feet
Inversions	0
Duration	1:41
Rolling stock
Manufacturer	National Amusement Devices (1958-present) Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (1924-1957)
Riders per train	24

Thunderbolt, previously known as Pippin, is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, USA.

History

The ride was originally built by John A. Miller in 1924 and was named Pippin.

In 1958, Pippin received trains manufactured by the National Amusement Device Company, known as Century Flyers.

In 1968, the ride was renamed Thunderbolt, coinciding with an expansion of the track headed up by Andy Vettel. The four drops down into a ravine were incorporated in the Andy Vettel-designed Thunderbolt coaster.

Thunderbolt was rated the #1 roller coaster by the New York Times in 1974, and it still is the most popular ride at Kennywood.

Part of the ride's structure was updated for the 1984 addition of Raging Rapids, which passes under it.

For the 2014 season, Thunderbolt received new front panels on its trains.

Design

Elements
Chain lift hill Turnaround hill Hill Block brake

Color scheme

Unpainted track with blue catwalks, red railings and white supports.

Trains

3 trains with 4 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows, for a total of 24 riders per train.

Images

• 
  Thunderbolt's entrance
• 
  The safety sign

External links

• 

  Thunderbolt on the Roller Coaster DataBase.

• 

  Thunderbolt on Coaster-Count.
• Thunderbolt on the parks website

Tallest roller coaster drop 1965 - April 1976
Preceded by Coaster Dips Bobs (Riverview Park)	Tallest roller coaster drop 1965 - April 1976	Succeeded by Screamin' Eagle

Articles on Kennywood
Coasters	Present Exterminator Jack Rabbit Lil' Phantom Phantom's Revenge Racer Sky Rocket Steel Curtain Thunderbolt Former Brownie Coaster Dipper Gee Whiz Dip The Dips Laser Loop Racer Scenic Railway Speed-O-Plane Steel Phantom Steeplechase Teddy Bear Tickler Wild Mouse
Other attractions	Present Aero 360 Auto Race Black Widow Cosmic Chaos Cranky's Drop Tower Crazy Trolley Diesel Drivers Dizzy Dynamo Elephant Parade Flynn's Fire Training Ghostwood Estate Gran Prix Harold's Helicopter Tour Kangaroo Kenny's Karousel Merry-Go-Round Musik Express Noah's Ark Old Mill Pirate Pittsburgh Plunge Raging Rapids Red Baron S.S. Kenny Skycoaster Spinvasion Steel City Choppers Swing Shot Turtle Turtle Chase Wacky Wheel Wave Swinger Whip Whippersnapper Whirlwind Former Bayern Kurve Bayern Kurve Caterpillar (1923−1945) Caterpillar (1969-1983) Flying Carpet Ghost Ship Gold Rusher Great Balloon Race Kenny's Parkway Kiddie Old Mill King Kahuna Laff in the Dark Le Cachot Log Jammer Monongahela Monster Orbiter Paratrooper Phantom Flyers Pitt Fall Pounce Bounce Ranger Rotor Super Round-Up Swing Around Swing Around Tilt-A-Whirl Tornado Tri-Star Turnpike Volcano (1978−2015) Volcano (2016−2020) Whip Wipeout