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Kennywood's iconic Thunderbolt celebrates 50 years — here are some fast facts | TribLIVE.com
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Kennywood's iconic Thunderbolt celebrates 50 years — here are some fast facts

Shirley McMarlin
Shirley McMarlin
dnWMthunderbolthistoric080414jpg
Jennifer R. Vertullo | Tribune-Review
Kennywood will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Thunderbolt, the nostalgic roller coaster that was designated an American Coaster Enthusiasts' Coaster Landmark in 2014, with Thunderbolt Week from May 29 to June 3.

Kennywood is celebrating the 50th anniversary of one of its iconic roller coasters with Thunderbolt Week from May 29 to June 3.

Admission for all park visitors 50 and older will be $19.68 during these days, with tickets purchased either at the gate or online, marking the year the ride premiered.

Other fun features also planned, according to Nick Paradise, Kennywood director of public relations and social media. There will be a commemorative pin for season pass holders and a Thunderbolt-themed flower garden near the queue line for all riders to enjoy.

As far as roller coasters are concerned, Thunderbolt isn't the longest. That would be the 1.54-mile Steel Dragon 2000 in Japan.

It isn't the tallest. That's the 456-foot-high Kingda Ka at Six Flags Adventure World in New Jersey.

Or the fastest. That's the Formula Rossa at Ferrari World in the United Arab Emirates, reaching whiplash speed of 149.1 mph in just 4.9 seconds.

But Thunderbolt has earned a loyal fan base for the satisfying ride — including that first drop that takes you under Phantom's Revenge — that has kept riders coming back for 50 years.

King of coasters

Not long after it opened, it was deemed "king of coasters" in New York Times story.

In "The Quest for the Ultimate Roller Coaster," coaster enthusiast and State University of New York art professor Robert Cartmell wrote, "If there is an 'ultimate coaster' today, I think it is the 'Thunderbolt' at Kennywood, a park that stands on a bluff overlooking the Monongahela River."

The article goes on to describe Thunderbolt's heart-pounding combination of twisting turns, long downhill stretches and quick drops as "joys to be experienced on this king of coasters."

Cartmell knew his coasters, having spent years traveling the country to find the best rides.

Facts and figures

Here are a few Thunderbolt facts and figures from Kennywood:

• Maximum height: 70 feet

• First drop out of the station: 50 feet

• Maximum drop: 90 feet

• Maximum speed: 55 mph

• Length: 2,887 feet

• Construction cost: $200,000 (which included seven tons of nails)

Thunderbolt was redesigned from its predecessor Pippin roller coaster by Andy Vettel, a maintenance supervisor at the West Mifflin Park. The Pippin, which opened in 1924, was modified and expanded and three National Amusement Device trains purchased in 1958 for it were retained for use on Thunderbolt.

'You all right, Geno?'

Thunderbolt also played a role in "Kennywood Memories," Rick Sebak's award-winning documentary that premiered in 1988 on WQED-TV. It included behind-the-scenes footage of maintenance technicians Bryan Bartley and Geno Chamboredon doing their daily, early morning inspection of the coaster tracks.

When Geno slips on the wet surface of the catwalk, this exchange ensues: Bryan: "You all right, Geno?" Geno: "Yeah." Bryan: "You sure you're all right?" Geno: "Yeah."

Next, Geno takes a Thunderbolt run, leaning over the front of the leading car, to oil the tracks by hand.

The "You all right" clip, Paradise says, made the pair "mini-celebrities in their own right (check out the 'You all right, Geno?' skits WDVE does if you're not familiar)." The morning show skits by host Randy Baumann and crew put Geno in increasingly perilous — and ridiculous — spots as he goes about his work, with the pair's laconic exchange repeated after every one.

Landmark coaster

Designated an American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) Classic Coaster in early 1990s, Thunderbolt also was awarded ACE Landmark status in 2014, making Kennywood the only park with three ACE Landmark coasters (Jack Rabbit and Racer are the others), according to Kennywood press materials.

The New York Times article boosted interest in Thunderbolt in particular and coasters in general, leading Kennywood to adopt the nickname "Roller Coaster Capital of the World." Nowadays, Cedar Point in Ohio has co-opted that designation, but Thunderbolt and its fellow Kennywood coasters are still tops in the hearts of Western Pennsylvania.

Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-836-5750, smcmarlin@tribweb.com or via Twitter @shirley_trib.