SKY ROCKET
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
MAY 19, 2010 |
| Welcome back to another construction update for Kennywood's newest coaster, Sky Rocket. Today marks a special day in our series of construction updates, as it is the first update since all the track and supports for the new coaster were installed. On Tuesday the coaster was topped off in the early afternoon, however work has not slowed down on Sky Rocket as there is much left to do before the coaster can be opened to the public. So let's get to today's update shall we? |
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We will start of today's update with the first of many shots you will see now on of the now complete Sky Rocket circuit. This coaster definitely adds a very nice touch to the front of the park. |
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The first hill was topped off on Tuesday afteroon and reminds me a lot of the the top hats on all the Intamin accelerator coasters. |
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Another angle of the first hill and what many may consider to be a true top hat element. This is probably the only element you can see in the park when you're not near the entrance tunnel. |
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One final overview of the completed first hill. Take note of the size difference between this hill and the inverted top hat. |
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As we saw in one of our last updates, the entrance to the first drop contains a series of magnetic trims that will slow the train before it plunges down the 95 foot drop. This will give riders the sensation of cliffhanging before being pulled back down to Earth. |
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Looking up at Sky Rocket's first drop. You can't see it here, but the drop is a lot more vertical than the approach up the first hill. |
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Looking up the first hill approach that occurs right after the LSM launch. |
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Here's a view looking up at the newly finished first hill. As you can see, the ascent up the first hill is very steep, however it's not quite as vertical as the drop. |
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Workers have literally be working non-stop (ok, not really) on this coaster all this week, including tightening thousands of bolts that hold this coaster together. |
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On the other side of the construction site, the station has also been receiving its share of work. Handrails and fencing have now began to be installed, and although not seen here, so have the automatic gates. |
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Another look at the new work done on the station. Look close and you should be able to se the automatic gates that have now been installed. |
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Nothing too new here, except you can see several of the automatic gates in this picture. |
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In other news, they have now paved what will soon be the spectactor area/ride exit which now connects the Sky Rocket area to the main midway. |
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A lot of the electrical work has also been completed for Sky Rocket, including these wires which are connected to the "holding pads" on the slow does zone that will operate very similar to the skid brakes you would find on the Racer. |
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Looking up the area of the launch, the first hill certainly adds a nice touch to this view that was pretty empty only a few days ago! |
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(Hard)Hats off to Century Steel Erectors for completing the steel work on this coaster in a very timely manner. There's definitely been some setbacks in this coaster's construction, but for what its worth these guys did a great job! |
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And we'll close todays update with a nice overview of Sky Rocket in Kennywood's skyline. I must say, this thing is definitely a beauty! |
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Thanks for checking out today's Sky Rocket Construction Update brought to you by Kennywood Connection. Stay tuned for another update in the coming days as more supports and track start to rise at Kennywood! |
Thank you to KWC member Myself for providing the pictures used in today's construction update! |
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