Steel Vengeance

Coordinates: 41°29′10.50″N 82°41′35.75″W / 41.4862500°N 82.6932639°W / 41.4862500; -82.6932639
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Steel Vengeance
Previously known as Mean Streak (1991–2016)
Coordinates
41°29′10.50″N 82°41′35.75″W / 41.4862500°N 82.6932639°W / 41.4862500; -82.6932639
StatusOperating
Soft opening dateApril 25, 2018[1]
Opening dateMay 5, 2018
ReplacedMean Streak
General statistics
TypeSteel
ManufacturerRocky Mountain Construction
DesignerAlan Schilke
ModelI-Box Track
Track layoutTwister
Lift/launch systemChain lift
Height205 ft (62 m)
Drop200 ft (61 m)
Length5,740 ft (1,750 m)
Speed74 mph (119 km/h)
Inversions4
Duration2:30
Max vertical angle90°
Capacity1,200 riders per hour
Height restriction52[2] in (132 cm)
Trains3 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Fast Lane Plus only available
Steel Vengeance at RCDB
Video

Steel Vengeance, formerly known as Mean Streak, is a

I-Box track and a significant portion of Mean Streak's former support structure. Upon completion, Steel Vengeance set 10 world records
, including those for the tallest, fastest, and longest hybrid roller coaster.

Mean Streak opened to the public on May 11, 1991, as the tallest wooden coaster in the world with the longest drop height. After more than 25 years of operation, Cedar Point closed Mean Streak on September 16, 2016, casting doubt and uncertainty regarding the ride's future. Over time, the park dropped subtle hints about a possible track conversion, which was officially confirmed in August 2017. It was marketed as the world's first hybrid hypercoaster – a wooden and steel roller coaster at least 200 feet (61 m) in height – and reemerged as Steel Vengeance.

History

Wooden roller coaster

Cedar Point revealed in 1990 that a new roller coaster would be built for the 1991 season. It was officially named Mean Streak on October 24, 1990.[3] Construction began two months earlier in late August 1990 with land preparation.[4] It continued through the rest of the year and spring of the following year.[5][6] Mean Streak opened with the park's seasonal debut on May 11, 1991,[7] in the Frontiertown section of the park behind one of Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad's stations.[8] The ride's media day press conference was held on May 22, 1991.[9]

Mean Streak was one of eleven roller coasters designed and manufactured by Ohio-based Dinn Corporation before the company went out of business in 1992.[10] It was a twister coaster model designed by Curtis D. Summers, and the ride cost $7.5 million to construct.[7][11][12] In September 2010, a small 5-foot (1.5 m) section caught fire, which was quickly contained by firefighters to a small portion of the ride.[13]

Hybrid refurbishment

On August 1, 2016, Cedar Point announced that Mean Streak would offer its last rides to the public on September 16, 2016.[14][15] Park officials, however, declined to confirm that the ride was being torn down.[16] Following its closure, unconfirmed rumors emerged that the roller coaster was being refurbished by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), a manufacturing company well known for its restoration work on existing wooden roller coasters.[17]

Cedar Point began teasing the public on the ride's future with the release of an 18-second teaser video entitled "They're Coming" on April 1, 2017.[18] Cedar Point showed video shots briefly panning several elements of the rumored conversion.[18] Another similar video showing snippets of the new ride was released a few months later in June.[19] Three more videos were released over the summer of 2017, with catchphrases "They're rollin' in like thunder", "There's a score to settle", and "They stake their claim."[20] On August 16, 2017, Cedar Point held an official announcement for Steel Vengeance.[21] It was also announced that a virtual recreation of the ride would be made available in the PC video game, Planet Coaster.[22]

Steel Vengeance opened to the public on May 5, 2018,[23] but a minor collision between two trains forced Steel Vengeance to remain closed for most of its opening day.[24][25] The coaster resumed operation with only a single train while RMC investigated the issue and made modifications.[26][27] The ride was closed on certain weekday mornings to allow RMC to make repairs.[28] The park temporarily removed the ride from its Fast Lane Plus lineup and considered timed boarding passes as a result of its limited capacity.[26][28] Normal two-train operation resumed on June 1, 2018.[29][30]

Following an incident on Twisted Timbers at Kings Dominion, where a phone hit a rider in the face during the ride, Cedar Point issued a temporary ban on cell phones when entering the ride's queue beginning in August 2018.[31][32] The ban was lifted the following season after zipper pouches were installed on the trains to safely secure loose items.[33][34] Metal detectors were installed in the queue, ensuring that all loose articles were placed in these pouches.[35] The pouches were removed in 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic, and the previous ban was reinstated.[36]

Characteristics

Mean Streak's first turnaround

Mean Streak's wooden track was approximately 5,427 feet (1,654 m) in length and the height of the lift hill was approximately 161 feet (49 m).

trim brake was installed on the first drop reducing its overall speed in an attempt to prevent abnormal track wear and increase ride comfort.[9] Over the years, Mean Streak had been re-tracked several times. Some re-tracking was completed by Martin & Vleminckx.[37] Prior to the 2012 operating season, many sections of track after the first drop were replaced. This was the most significant work done on the ride since it opened.[38] Also, in 2012, a portion of the queue was removed to make room for a new building. The building is located in the infield of Mean Streak and is used for the HalloWeekends haunted house, Eden Musee. It is also used for storage during the off-season and summer.[39]

Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) manufactured three trains for Mean Streak.[12][40] Each train had seven cars with riders arranged two across in two rows for a total of 28 riders per train. The minimum height required to ride was 48 inches (120 cm), and guests were secured by an individual ratcheting lap bar and seat belt.[7] During the 2011–2012 off-season, all three trains were sent to PTC's headquarters for maintenance and refurbishment.[40]

After the conversion to Steel Vengeance, the coaster's track length was extended to 5,740 feet (1,750 m) and the ride's peak height was increased to 205 feet (62 m). Its three new trains are each based on a character from the themed backstory of the ride: Jackson "Blackjack" Chamberlain, Chess "Wild One" Watkins, and Wyatt "Digger" Dempsey."[41]

Statistic Mean Streak Steel Vengeance
Operating years May 11, 1991 – September 16, 2016 May 5, 2018 – present
Manufacturer Dinn Corporation Rocky Mountain Construction
Designer Curtis D. Summers Alan Schilke
Track Type Wood Steel
Height 161 ft or 49 m 205 ft or 62 m
Drop 155 ft or 47 m 200 ft or 61 m
Length 5,427 ft or 1,654 m 5,740 ft or 1,750 m
Speed 65 mph or 105 km/h 74 mph or 119 km/h
Duration 3:13 2:30
Inversions 0 4
Height Requirement 48 inches 52 inches

Ride experience

Mean Streak with Maverick in the foreground

Mean Streak

After leaving the

brake run.[42] One cycle of the ride lasted 3 minutes and 13 seconds, making it the former longest duration of any roller coaster at Cedar Point.[7][43]

When Mean Streak opened in 1991, it was the tallest wooden roller coaster in the world and featured the longest drop.[11] Upon closure in 2016, Mean Streak had the seventh tallest lift, the tenth fastest speed, the fourth longest track-length and the seventh longest drop.[44][45][46][47]

Steel Vengeance

Steel Vengeance in the background

After leaving the station, the train makes a 180 degree right turn, passes over two small bunny hills, and begins its ascent up the 205-foot-tall (62 m) chain

zero-g roll
.

A train entering the first inversion

After this, the train dips right, passes underneath the lift hill, and traverses a

brake run back into the station. One cycle of the ride lasts 2 minutes and 30 seconds.[49]

World records

Steel Vengeance broke 10 world records when it opened, some of which have since been broken.[50]

Past records:

  • World's tallest hybrid
  • World's fastest hybrid roller coaster at 74 miles per hour (119 km/h)
  • World's steepest drop on a hybrid roller coaster at 90 degrees
  • World's longest drop on a hybrid roller coaster at 200 feet (61 m)
  • Most inversions on a hybrid roller coaster at 4

Current records:

  • World's longest hybrid roller coaster at 5,740 feet (1,750 m)
  • Fastest airtime hill on a hybrid roller coaster at 74 miles per hour (119 km/h)
  • Most airtime on a hybrid roller coaster at 27.2 seconds
  • Most airtime on any roller coaster at 27.2 seconds
  • World's first "hyper-hybrid" roller coaster

Incidents

Free lockers for personal belongings near entrance
  • During opening day on May 5, 2018, Steel Vengeance was temporarily closed following a minor collision between two trains.[51][24] As a train was reentering the station, it "lightly bumped" another parked train.[24] Four riders were treated for minor injuries and later returned to the park.[24][25]
  • On July 21, 2018, a 17-year-old boy was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for throwing a hot sauce packet at a moving train. Seven people were treated by the park's EMS after the packet exploded and hit them in the face and eyes.[52]
  • On August 10, 2018, a tire from the drive system located near the brake run became detached and landed near the queue. The ride was then evacuated and reopened later that same evening.[53]

Reception

Writers from

Today show in 1992 in connection with the 100th anniversary of roller coasters.[55]

Mean Streak had been ranked as one of the most popular wooden roller coasters in the world.

Golden Ticket Awards
ranked Mean Streak as one of the world's 50 best wooden roller coasters nine times from 1998 to 2012.

Steel Vengeance received the Golden Ticket Award for Best New Ride in 2018.[56] It has also been ranked among the top 50 steel coasters every year since its reopening, except in 2020, when the Golden Ticket Awards were not held.[57][58][59][60]

Golden Ticket Awards
: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2007 2012
Ranking 21[61] 18[62] 16[63] 34 (tie)[64] 40[65] 49[66] 33 (tie)[67] 39[68] 45[69]
Golden Ticket Awards
: Top steel Roller Coasters
Year 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023
Ranking 3[57] 3[58] 3[59] 2[60] 4[70]

See also

References

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  2. ^ "A Steel Vengeance Update – Cedar Point". www.cedarpoint.com. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  3. ^ "'Mean Streak' named". Portsmouth Daily Times. October 24, 1990. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
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External links

Preceded by World's Tallest Wooden Roller Coaster
May 1991 – March 1992
Succeeded by