| Click here to watch the on-ride POV |
|---|
_2004_01.jpg)
| |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||||
| HELP | |||||||||||
Thunderbolt 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" until 1967, when it changed to "Thunderbolt" beginning with the 1968 season, 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. The Thunderbolt still uses the 1958 Pippin trains manufactured by the National Amusement Device Company, known as "Century Flyers."
For the 2014 season, Thunderbolt received new front panels on its trains.
Design
| Elements |
|---|
Color scheme
unpainted track 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
_2013_01.jpg)
_2006_02.jpg)
External links
- Thunderbolt on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
| 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 |
