Steel Force is a steel roller coaster located at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. At 5,600 feet (1,700 m) in length, Steel Force is the eighth-longest steel coaster in the world as of 2024.[1]
| Steel Force | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Steel Force at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania | |
| Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom | |
| Location | Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 40°34′44″N 75°32′17″W / 40.57889°N 75.53806°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | May 30, 1997 |
| Cost | US$10,000,000 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | D. H. Morgan Manufacturing |
| Designer | Steve Okamoto |
| Model | Hyper Coaster |
| Track layout | Out and Back |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 200 ft (61 m) |
| Drop | 205 ft (62 m) |
| Length | 5,600 ft (1,700 m) |
| Speed | 75 mph (121 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 3:00 |
| Max vertical angle | 61° |
| Capacity | 1,700 riders per hour |
| G-force | 3.4 |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| Trains | 3 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 36 riders per train. |
 Fast Lane available | |
| Steel Force at RCDB | |
Built by D. H. Morgan Manufacturing and designed by Steve Okamoto, the roller coaster opened to the public on May 30, 1997, and was billed as "the tallest and longest roller coaster on the east coast",[2] featuring a 205-foot (62 m) drop, 5,600 feet (1,700 m) of track, and a maximum speed of 75 mph (121 km/h).[3]
History
editOn September 16, 1996, Dorney Park announced that Steel Force would be added to the park.[4] The ride opened on May 30, 1997.
Steel Force has been ranked among the top steel coasters in the world several times.[5] Its logo was originally intended to be used for the stand-up coaster Mantis (now Rougarou), which opened at Cedar Point a year earlier. Mantis was originally going to be named "Banshee," but the name and logo were changed prior to its debut.[6] Dorney Park adopted it for its Steel Force coaster a year later.[7]
Ride experience
editThe train departs the station entering a slight decline into the lift hill. After reaching the top, the train enters the first drop of 205 feet (62 m), reaching a maximum vertical angle of 61 degrees. At the bottom of the first drop, riders pass through a tunnel and into a camelback hill. The train then ascends a third hill, which doubles as the entrance to the downward helix turnaround. After the helix, the train enters a mid-course brake run, before entering the ride's finale – a series of three back-to-back airtime hills and a double-up. The first airtime hill in this series features a tunnel, and an on-ride camera snaps photos at the bottom of the second. Following the double-up element, the train passes over the entrance plaza and enters the final brake run before returning to the station.
Awards
edit| Year | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | 5[8] | 4[9] | 4[10] | 4[11] | 6[12] | 16[13] | 11[14] | 14[15] | 15[16] | 20[17] | 18[18] | 23[19] | 27[20] | 26[21] | 39[22] | 37[23] | 37[24] | 45[25] | 37[26] | 44[27] | 45[28] |
Construction data
editThe following materials are included:
- 2,000 tons of steel
- 12,150,000 pounds (5,510,000 kg) of concrete footers
- 2,742 anchor bolts
Ride elements
edit- Two 120-foot-long (37 m) tunnels
- 510-degree downward helix
- Mid-course brake run
- 4 airtime hills, including a double-up hill
- On-ride photo camera between the last two airtime hills
Gallery
edit-
Steel Force's first drop -
Steel Force's first drop -
Steel Force's first airtime hill -
Steel Force's final airtime hills
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.JPG)
.JPG)
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References
edit- ^ "Record Holders - Length". RCDB.com. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
- ^ Salter, Rosa (May 20, 1997). "Dorney Park's Steel Force Is Engineered To Deliver A Thrilling Performance". The Morning Call. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Steel Force (Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
- ^ "DORNEY UNLEASHES STEEL FORCE FOR 1997".
- ^ "Top 10 Coasters". Ultimate Rollercoaster. 1999. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Mantis (Cedar Point)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Steel Force (Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ^ "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 1998. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 1999. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. August 2000. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 18–19B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 36–37. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 36–37. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 32–33. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 34–35. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 38–39. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 36–37. September 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "2013 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 34–35. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "2014 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 46–47. September 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "2015 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 49–50. September 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "2016 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "2017 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "2021 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2021. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
External links
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