jedimaster1227 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 John Carter Rockets! A quality choice. Fixed! Seriously though, it is interesting to see a park like Kennywood bringing in a chain like Johnny Rockets... Seems like too much of a home park to host such a widespread brand. A very Six Flags thing to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myself Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 To be fair, Johnny Rockets doesn't really have much representation in Pittsburgh, with only one currently within a 50-mile radius of the city. Unless someone has sought that location out, or happened to visit the one at Cedar Point, most Pittsburghers won't be familiar enough with Johnny Rockets for it to seem "widespread," on a local level at least. The old menu of the Carousel food court was pretty similar to the typical Johnny Rocket offerings, so based on food alone, things won't be changing much in that regard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ccron10 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Really? A Johnny Rockets? That doesn't strike me as something Kennywood-like. I really hope that they plan on moving the Dole-Whip stand to another location in the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xChris125x Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 The Penn State Theme Park Engineering Group, in cooperation with Kennywood, will be bringing the headlights back to the Thunderbolt. http://www.psuthemeparkengineering.com/kennywood-thunderbolt.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Kind of a weird addition to the park. I have always thought that part of the charm of this park was the lack of commercial type places inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IOE Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 We are very excited to announce the addition of a new Irvine Ondrey Engineering control system to the classic Auto Race at Kennywood. This is a very special project for me as I grew up only 15 minutes from the park and worked there in games for three years. Kennywood was the place that convinced me I wanted to spend the rest of my life working in the amusement industry along with being the home of the very first coaster I ever rode (Dipper). We can't wait to work with the park on this project and I am thrilled to see such a classic and unique ride getting an upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COASTER FREAK 11 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Can you tell us whats actually being done to the ride? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IOE Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 ^We are splitting the main track area into block zones using photo-eyes as we want to make sure the cars in the course never get too close. We will also use photo-eyes in the station areas to keep the cars spaced. A safety PLC will control the power to the rails that power the cars and we'll add a panelview to provide ride information. The changes should really be transparent and the operation of the ride will not change with the addition of the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 ^ Is this something like what Tokyo Disney does with their Autopia? Their sensors auto-slow you down if your car gets to close to the one ahead. But this system takes your pedal power away, until the car ahead, gets farther ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidcoaster 2 Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 ^We are splitting the main track area into block zones using photo-eyes as we want to make sure the cars in the course never get too close. We will also use photo-eyes in the station areas to keep the cars spaced. A safety PLC will control the power to the rails that power the cars and we'll add a panelview to provide ride information. The changes should really be transparent and the operation of the ride will not change with the addition of the system. Will this upgrade allow the ride to run more cars? I thought I heard it was restricted to 3 or 4 for safety concerns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IOE Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 This system will be a lot simpler than what is done at Tokyo Disney as there is no was to control the speed of individual cars on this ride. So if two cars get too close, the system will remove power from the track. As the cars all travel the same speed though, this should not be a typical occurrence. It also does sound like they plan on running more cars than they have been, but we'll have more info once we get to the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myself Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Very interesting indeed! As someone who's spent a particularly large sum of time operating the Auto Race since 2009, this project is of special significance to me. The Auto Race has long had a reputation among rides team members for being one of the most difficult rides in the park to learn, and as of last season there were very few ride operators in the park that knew how to operate it. I am looking forward to seeing the work IOE will be doing to make the ride safer and more accessible for our team members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomNick Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Great news about the upgrades to the Auto Race! That's a nice classic ride, and it's good to see that the park is making sure upgrades are done to keep it running for years to come! Also, while a more subtle change, I'm thrilled to hear of headlights returning to Thunderbolt.....and it's even cooler knowing that my alma mater is involved! Also, as far as Johnny Rockets goes, I'm okay with it and don't see it as such a big deal. Frankly, that food area was my least favorite in the park, so the freshening up is welcomed, imho. We actually live fairly close to the only other one in the area, and every once in a while we'll grab a bite there. Wouldn't call it my favorite or anything, but way better than the burgers they used to serve in that spot. And their shakes are actually quite good. I just hope they keep the exterior/neon lights pretty much the same. I really don't think this means chains are going to start pouring into the park as some may fear, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IOE Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Very interesting indeed! As someone who's spent a particularly large sum of time operating the Auto Race since 2009, this project is of special significance to me. The Auto Race has long had a reputation among rides team members for being one of the most difficult rides in the park to learn, and as of last season there were very few ride operators in the park that knew how to operate it. I am looking forward to seeing the work IOE will be doing to make the ride safer and more accessible for our team members. I'm very interested to hear about your experiences working on the ride. What made it so difficult to operate and what changes would you like to see? It's important to us to get whatever input we can from current or past operators so we can make the ride operation a much easier experience. The mushroom buttons on the B&M coasters came from operator complaints and everyone now seems to love them. So anything you can tell me about the ride would be great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoshiFan Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 It's great to hear the Auto Race is being upgraded. It was one of the non coaster highlights of my trip to the park last year. I knew it was a car ride but had no idea how fast the cars traveled and how fun it would be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aardvark Barber Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I picked up a Kennywood season pass for the first time ever this year, and I'm super excited for this summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwoodman22 Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 http://www.kennywood.com/plan-a-visit/tickets-and-passes New Ride and Slide Pass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PennStater Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 ^ Indeed! http://www.kpconnection.com/2014/02/ride-and-slide-season-pass/ Today, Kennywood and Sandcastle have announced the new “Ride & Slide” season pass available for the 2014 season. This highly anticipated new combo option is good for admission to both parks and is sure to provide a summer full of fun! Price of the new pass is listed at $109.99 each through April 30th. They are also offering a payment-plan option of four payments of $27.52. If you have already purchased your 2014 season pass, don’t worry! Both parks have stated that your pass can be upgraded to a “Ride & Slide” pass by paying the difference in price. For more details or to purchase your pass, please visit the official park site. I think it's a very nice offer for those who enjoy both parks, and could perhaps even motivate folks who normally only visited one or the other to visit both this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajfelice Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 As great of an idea the Ride and Slide season pass is, it really baffles me why it took them until this point into the offseason. I'm sure they have already sold several thousand original ride only or slide only, so there will be some hassle and confusion as they sort out who is willing to upgrade and whatnot. Overall great idea, but to me this seems like a terrible time of the year to make that decision as they are already pretty far along in the selling process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwoodman22 Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 ^ Yeah I already got my normal Kennywood pass on Cyber Monday, wish that they had this out at the time. *Edit* Just realized that you can upgrade by paying the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomNick Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Considering the gate price for each park, I'd be shocked if the park didn't sell plenty of these new combo passes. It seems like a pretty good deal. After this relentless winter we've had up here, I'm really itching to head back to Kennywood and get those first great rides in on Phantom's Revenge, Sky Rocket, and the woodies! Just a little over a month to go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyRCT3 Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I've heard Highmark is renting out the park sometime in May. I'm planning on going with a Highmark group and was wondering what types of crowds I should expect. I'm assuming an average weekday crowd. Anyone have more info on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Finn Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I have honestly never had an issue with lines at Kennywood. I have never waited more than 30 minutes for a coaster, besides the Exterminator, honestly. I am sure Black Widow will have a decently long line, as it is new(ish), and if it is hot out, you can anticipate the Log Jammer and Raging Rapids to have pretty long lines. And then, the two dark rides (Ghostwood Estate and Garfield's Nightmare) will have decently long lines, but overall, on a weekday you should be fine to take out the park in a day, with ease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyRCT3 Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 (edited) ^That's how it was last time I visited (July 2012). Exterminator had at least a 20 minute wait all day. PR was usually no more than 10 minutes (give or take) and was only busy for about two or three hours, with a 30min+ queue. And the dark rides were packed constantly. It's just that this time Highmark is renting out the entire park for Highmark & Highmark subcontractor employees & families. So I have no idea what to expect for crowds. Edited April 12, 2014 by JonnyRCT3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid21 Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 Exterminator never has long lines for the first hour or so that the park is open, as opposed to Phantom or Skyrocket. I once had 5 walk on rides in a row for exterminator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now