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Steel Vengeance, formerly known as Mean Streak, is a steel-tracked hybrid roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. The roller coaster was rebuilt by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) and opened to the public on May 5, 2018. It features RMC's patented I-Box Track technology utilizing a significant portion of Mean Streak's former support structure. Upon completion, Steel Vengeance set 10 world records.
History
Originally constructed by Dinn Corporation, 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. A minor collision on opening day led to a temporary closure and later modifications from RMC. On August 1, 2016, Cedar Point announced that Mean Streak would offer its last rides to the public on September 16, 2016. Park officials, however, declined to confirm that the ride was being torn down. 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. The company has refurbished, and in many cases completely transformed, other wooden roller coasters with applications of either of its two patented technologies: I-Box and Topper track.
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. Cedar Point showed video shots briefly panning several elements of the rumored conversion.Another similar video showing snippets of the new ride was released a few months later in June. 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." On August 16, 2017, Cedar Point held an official announcement for Steel Vengeance. It was also announced that a virtual recreation of the ride would be made available in the PC video game, Planet Coaster.
Steel Vengeance opened to the public on May 5, 2018, but a minor collision between two trains forced Steel Vengeance to remain closed for most of its opening day. The coaster resumed operation with only a single train while RMC investigated the issue and made modifications. The ride was closed on certain weekday mornings to allow RMC to make repairs. The park temporarily removed the ride from its Fast Lane Plus lineup and considered timed boarding passes as a result of its limited capacity. Normal two-train operation resumed on June 1, 2018.
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. The ban was lifted the following season after zipper pouches were installed on the trains to safely secure loose items. Metal detectors were installed in the queue, ensuring that all loose articles were placed in the pouches.
Design
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) lift hill. After cresting the top of the lift hill, the train drops 200 feet (61 m) at a 90-degree angle, reaching its maximum speed of 74 miles per hour (119 km/h). After this drop, the train traverses a small airtime hill, followed by a climb into a larger airtime hill, which drops riders slightly to the right. Next, the train climbs up a 116-foot (35 m) left outward banked hill, dips slightly right, and passes over another small airtime hill, which leads to the first inversion, a zero-g roll. After this, the train dips right, passes underneath the lift hill, and traverses an overbanked right turn, which leads into the second inversion, a half stall, that sees the train pass through the lift hill structure for a second time. Then, the train dips straight, passes over a small airtime hill, and climbs up a hill. The train then makes an upward left-hand turn, which leads to the mid-course brake run. Following this, the train makes another sharp left turn into a short, steep drop slightly to the left. Next, the train navigates an upward, slightly overbanked turn to the left, traverses another airtime hill, then upward into a slightly overbanked left turn. This is followed by a small drop into a high-speed overbanked left turn, which leads into the third inversion, a zero-g roll. Next is a double-up into another high-speed overbanked left turn, which leads into the fourth inversion, a final zero-g roll. Next, another overbanked left turn into an airtime hill, followed by four more airtime hills, which lead to the final brake run back into the station. One cycle of the ride lasts 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Trains
The coaster features 3 trains with 6 cars per train. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows in each car for a total of 24 riders per train.
References
External links
- Steel Vengeance official webpage at Cedar Point
- Steel Vengeance at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Steel Vengeance at the Six Flags Wiki
- Steel Vengeance at Wikipedia
| Cedar Point roller coasters | |
| Operating | Blue Streak • Cedar Creek Mine Ride • Corkscrew • GateKeeper • Gemini • Iron Dragon • Magnum XL-200 • Maverick • Millennium Force • Raptor • Rougarou • Siren's Curse • Steel Vengeance • Top Thrill Dragster • Valravn • Wild Mouse (2023) • Wilderness Run • Woodstock Express |
| Former | Broadway Trip • Cyclone • Dip the Dips Scenic Railway • Disaster Transport • High Frolics • Jumbo Jet • Leap the Dips • Mean Streak • Racer • Scamper • Super Coaster • Switchback Railway • Three-Way Figure Eight Roller Toboggan • Wild Cat • Wild Mouse (1959) • WildCat • Wicked Twister |