WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2022
The historic 95-year-old Racer roller coaster at Kennywood in Pittsburgh has recently closed to receive a full-scale repaint.
Designed by John Miller, the coaster is the only single-continuous track coaster in the United States. Like its namesake, the track system provides riders with a side-by-side race and leaves those starting on the right side of the station finishing on the left.
The coatings work is being carried out as part of the park’s 125th season celebration, which falls on Dec. 18, 2023.
Slated to be repainted from top to bottom, the Racer is the fifth coaster in the park to receive renovations as part of the park’s makeover plans.
Multi-Million Dollar Revamp
First shared in December 2021, Kennywood announced a multi-million investment for the park to receive ride enhancements, upgrades to food and beverage stations, fresh landscaping, as well as new springtime food and music festival attractions.
“From the moment guests arrive, they will see some new signage, as well as facelifts throughout the park to rides such as The Old Mill and the Jack Rabbit,” said Kennywood and Sandcastle Waterpark General Manager Mark Pauls, at the time. “The entire park will have new pavement for a fresh, clean look.”
According to TribLive, the improvements are modeled from a recent sister park, Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut. The publication went on to share that Kennywood is the flagship park for the parent company Palace Entertainment, which operates 25 venues across 10 different states.
@WildcatCoasters @UpstopMedia Just another trainless Tuesday. Racer at Kennywood. pic.twitter.com/mVwVOJmwM7
— "Fall"ing into Steve ?????????? (@cshflow03) October 4, 2022
“This type of investment is unprecedented and what sets Pittsburgh apart from other cities,” said Jerad Bachar, CEO of VisitPittsburgh. “Kennywood is a unique experience in our region. These park enhancements will help with the recovery of tourism to the area that was halted because of the pandemic.”
Around the time the announcements were made via press conference, work to repaint the Phantom’s Revenge and Thunderbolt roller coasters were nearing completion. For the Phantom specifically, park visitors and roller coaster riders were asked to vote on what color the attraction should be coated.
Upon receiving 7,947 votes, it was decided that the Phantom’s Revenge would be painted “Petrifying Purple.”
Similarly, the public was also asked to vote on concepts to transform a blank wall bordering the Jack Rabbit’s queue into a display that celebrates past and present parts of the park.
“From the minute you pull into our parking lot until you head through the tunnel to go home, you’ll find striking new theming and details inspired by the 12-plus decades of timeless fun found here,” said Pauls. “This is Pittsburgh’s Playground, and we look forward to receiving more community input to inform ongoing upgrades to Kennywood for 2022 and future seasons.”
In March, Patch reported that coatings work on the Thunderbolt and Phantom's Revenge were still underway. At the time, The Old Mill had also received a facelift and the Kangaroo attraction was undergoing maintenance and rehab work as well, which involved pouring a new concrete foundation.
Additionally, it was shared that changes to the park’s parking area and entrance were also being revamped to improve navigation. A massive carousel horse was also installed at the newly painted entrance.
Cottage restrooms near the Jack Rabbit coaster were also reportedly modernized at the time of the article’s publication.
Most recently, last month, reports indicated that the Racer was closing for its own paint renovations, just in time for its 96th birthday. No details on the coatings manufacturer or contractor carrying out the coatings work has been shared at this time.
Early renderings and photos of the completed changes can be viewed here.
Previous Coaster Projects
Back in 2019, coatings manufacturer PPG (Pittsburgh) announced that it would provide coatings for the Steel Curtain roller coaster, a new fixture at Kennywood Park. One of the colors chosen was Steelers Yellow, named for city's National Football League team.
According to the company, the roller coaster track and cars were treated with four coatings from PPG's commercial and marine product offerings including:
The roller coaster, located in the "Steelers Country" section of Kennywood, features coatings from PPG wherever possible, noted Jerome Gibas, then general manager of Kennywood Park.
Steel Curtain, known for being Pennsylvania’s tallest roller coaster, has cars that travel 4,000 feet at 75 miles per hour, and also lays claim to the title of most inversions in North America (totaling nine) and the world record for tallest inversion (197 feet). The coaster track was made in Utah and coated with PPG coatings mixed by Jones Paint & Glass.
“This project required a global supplier that could match colors exactly for multiple structural components finished with multiple coatings products across the globe,” said Shilpa Hareesh, PPG Corporate Accounts Manager for Amusement Parks and Entertainment Groups, at the time.
“Despite the inherent challenges that come with fabricating a large structure like this with several overseas vendors, tremendous cooperation among all the parties made everything work.”
Once the roller coaster was set up, paint touch-ups were applied. Kennywood is among the first amusement parks to establish a themed franchise area in connection with a sports team.
Tagged categories: Maintenance + Renovation; Maintenance coating work; Maintenance programs; Ongoing projects; Program/Project Management; Project Management; Projects - Commercial
