SOURCE: dorneypark.com (edited)
Rollercoaster season is here. That means it is summertime, and although riding rollercoasters isn’t for everyone, for some it is the biggest deal. If rollercoasters mean the world to you, we have some pretty big rollercoaster news right here in our area. Read on to find out what we’re talking about.
The Iron Menace
Down at Dorney Park in Allentown, there is a new rollercoaster called Iron Menace. Designed to reflect the Steel Industry history of our region, Iron Menace was fired up for preview rides in April and officially opened in May.
The Iron Menace is not like any other rollercoaster currently in our area. You can “forge your own fate” on Iron Menace, which happens to be the northeast’s first dive coaster.
This new ride takes riders 160 feet up in the air before suspending them and then letting them plummet at a beyond-vertical, 95-degree drop. Along the way there are four mind-twisting inversions while Iron Menace riders travel the tracks at speeds of up to 64 miles per hour. If you have never had the thrill of riding a drop coaster, now you can – right in the Lehigh Valley. Your first ride might leave you burning for more.
This rollercoaster will be Dorney’s first new one in 19 years. It will also be the single most expensive attraction built in Dorney history and its only attraction with a fictitious backstory.
Backstory: The Mystery Behind the Menace
In the early 1900s, Scottish businessman Hiram S. McTavish opened McTavish Steel Mill, a direct competitor to Bethlehem Steel Company. Greed dictated McTavish’s every move, and he was well known to prioritize profits over people.
With an eye on maximizing output, McTavish created a massive hauler he dubbed “Iron Menace,” a device the steel industry had never seen. The rail transporter moved workers and ore at record volumes and dizzying speeds.
Suddenly the greedy steel baron mysteriously disappeared – no one knows how or where. Shortly after, McTavish Steel Mill closed. All that remains today are the mill’s decrepit shell, rusty relics and wild tales of the owner’s whereabouts.
Four Inversions
Only the most twisted thrill rides ever offer numerous inversions, and Iron Menace boasts four. After the initial, beastly drop, the train pulls up sharply and flips 180 degrees in an Immelmann inversion. Next, a zero g-roll dishes out a 360-degree inversion in wild weightlessness. A tilted loop (the world’s first on a dive coaster) and a mind-bending, 360-degree corkscrew spin will leave you wondering which way is up – and counting the seconds until you can ride again.
Ride Stats
For you “coaster heads,” here are the ride stats:
• Designed by: Bolliger & Mabillard
• Coaster type: Dive
• Height of drop: 152 feet
• Angle of first drop: 95 degrees (for reference, 90 degrees is vertical)
• Top speed: 64 miles per hour
• Inversions: 4 (Immelman 180-degree turn, zero g-roll 360-degree inversion in weightlessness, world’s first tilted loop on a dive coaster, 360-degree corkscrew spin)
• Length: 2,169 feet
• Duration: 90 seconds
• Trains: 2
• Riders per train: 21
Whether you’re a thrill-seeker or a coaster enthusiast, you will not want to miss grabbing your seat for this exhilarating and awe-inspiring ride sometime this summer.
