Steel Force facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Steel Force
Steel Force lift hill and return
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Coordinates	40°34′44″N 75°32′17″W / 40.57889°N 75.53806°W / 40.57889; -75.53806
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)
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 Pictures of Steel Force at RCDB

Steel Force is a steel roller coaster located at Dorney Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Built by D. H. Morgan Manufacturing and designed by Steve Okamoto, the roller coaster opened to the public on May 30, 1997. Even though the coaster never broke any records, it was billed as “the tallest and longest roller coaster on the east coast", 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). Despite losing those titles over the years, Steel Force is still tied with Mamba at Worlds of Fun as tenth-longest steel coaster in the world.

History

On September 13, 1996, Dorney Park announced that Steel Force would be coming to the park. The ride opened on May 30, 1997.

Steel Force has been ranked among the top 10 steel coasters in the world. Its logo was originally intended 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. Dorney Park adopted it for its Steel Force coaster a year later.

Ride Experience

The 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.

Construction data

The 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

• 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

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  Steel Force's first drop

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  Steel Force's first drop

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  Steel Force's first airtime hill

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  Steel Force's final airtime hills