Steel Curtain is Cursed (Review) | Kennywood

In this video, I analyze and review Steel Curtain at Kennywood, part of Steelers Country! This controversial S&S coaster is 220 ft. tall and twists riders upside down through nine inversions! If it’s open, that is. Is Steel Curtain cursed?

[@MichaelZickefoose]

Right you are Billy!

[@Lunar_Yoshi]

Thanks. You can call me zero credits remaining

[@Shoegazeandhiphop]

billy is very right

[@BURGERKINGGUY14]

The lightning run station sound is better I thot steel curtain was a bigger scale coaster!?

[@Kennywood_Fanatic]

The ghost of Log Jammer will haunt steel curtain until it is removed

[@aaronpatalune4363]

Yinzers appreciate the theming. Would love to hear Tunch on the radio again calling Stillers games with Billy. RIP :(

[@chuckdieselkicksdisks2380]

amen

[@jonb7700]

The details with the Steelers themeing will mostly go over one's head if they're not from Pittsburgh and not a Steelers fan. Trust me, for those of us in the burgh, we're perfectly happy with it. The guy who says "right you are, Billy" is Tunch Ilkin, a former announcer and offensive tackle for the Steelers and was an institution in this town. He passed away on Sept. 4 2021... So yeah......

[@liamcollinson5695]

I find the sports theming a little strange it makes sense for the area but I live in the the UK and soccer is really popular but no teams that I know have never sponsored a ride despite having the money to

[@colinburroughs9871]

the NFL is an unknown product? Huh... I figured the implication that the ride and the team were intimidating was pretty obvious

[@deezulboy]

"Uh oh Billy...looks like we've got a time out on the field" (or something like that when it breaks down i forget exactly) lol

[@ZeroCreditsRemaining]

Yes!! I was cracking up

[@reminiscer15]

Yeah I heard that line quite often when it kept breaking down.

[@maybealexxx]

I would like to thank this man for turning me from a boring 11 year old into a young coaster enthusiast

[@ZeroCreditsRemaining]

W

[@maybealexxx]

@@ZeroCreditsRemaining i fell of my bed after your reply

[@BoomerBaskins]

I was just there this past Sunday. Had a completely positive experience. 2 train operations. No break downs all day. I got 4 rides on it and absolutely loved it. It doesn’t have a great reputation so it exceeded all of my expectations. I think it’s running amazing after they worked on it a couple weeks ago.

[@ZygalStudios]

Nice review of "Right you are Billy" the ride! :) I love your reviews lol

[@KICoasterGuy]

New ZCR! Yay!

[@itskylelucas]

Chainlift steel looping coaster. A problem that’s been solved since the 70’s and yet S&S has figured out some way to complicate it and make it completely unreliable. But you better believe I wanna freaking ride!

[@shockwavedan]

This looks like an IRL K’nex set and I’m here for it, fantastic video!!!

[@ZeroCreditsRemaining]

Dude it really does. Thanks Dan! 💜

[@daniel.909]

I rode it about a month ago and I can say, it was a solid ride but it just felt a lot less intense than I expected. I think I was expecting it to have more aggressive inversions but instead was a lot more graceful than that. I really did enjoy the ride though, not one of my favorites but its a solid ride. I remember people expecting the ride to be a really intense ride, but I think having it flow really smoothly was a nice surprise for me. Probably one of the more unique coasters I've done as of recent, I can compare certain things on the ride to other rides but its fairly distinct in a lot of ways. Also, I think my favorite part would be the stall, the whips in and out were really solid

[@Switchitup2000_heisthebest]

There’s the flipping whistle Billy!!

[@JustinCoasters]

No, S&S is Cursed. Maxx Force has problems too

[@CoasterNerd]

I wonder if they'll expand Steelers Country in the future and add the stuff featured in the concept art? Great video by the way!

[@judiplaz]

I think the pandemic slowed it down or stopped it. Hopefully next season they will finish it.

[@princesskristan]

The editing/commentary is so funny! But that audio..my god. RIGHT YOU ARE BILLY!

[@urbex_coasters]

It's a fun ride. Not a fan of the theme though.

[@CivilianSatellite]

Surprised you didn't mention that the previous North American inversion record was set by Shockwave at Six Flags Great America in 1988. But the review is on point! A flawed coaster that looks out of place in the park, but still looks great and provides a unique and fun ride in its own right. I really like the way the ride flows from element to element; even with nine inversions, it never feels repetitive.

[@ZeroCreditsRemaining]

LOL that meme is dead in the ground but I’m happy to see it pop up 😅 Now everybody is sending me “right you are billy” what have I done

[@derylalexander189]

Great ride, horrible restraints! If you have bad knees, be careful on this one! My knee was hurting for a bit after the ride. It is also not for those with big guts. 300 pound weight limit.

[@eclipz4129]

Interesting to hear your experience, especially when you touched on it running a bit slow, you are not the first person I heard mention that so that may explain why you felt the inversions a lot more. I seemed to get lucky each time I have rode it because all of the times I went it was running absolutely fast as hell and ripped through those inversions lol.

[@hersheyparkhotspot6178]

This was the best review for this coaster ever! Great video! I still havnt gotten this credit but hopefully next year

[@ZeroCreditsRemaining]

Yeah, thanks! I’ll say don’t let the naysayers scare you away, but also don’t get too big of expectations.

[@theunKnownoriginchristianmusic]

SC is a safe roller coaster, has always been safe to ride and will always be safe to ride when in operations / all issues affect only long term maintenance costs and sustainability --the "fix" will correct all of these concerns and SC will have a 25yr plus design life which can be extended by major overhauls --the concrete footers have not experienced any subsidence, cracking or issues / soil compaction tests before construction were done and the soil is excellent for stability / the footers have been measured with lasers and have not moved outside of tolerances / any reports to the contrary are false --the ride's issues are minor but there is a cost to correct / this is where the issues present--who is going to pay for remediation? --concept and design process is fluid for any project as it was with SC / KW wanted certain specs (i.e records), wanted SC to fit in a specific area with an unique and restrictive footprint and had a modest budget --during design SC was "value engineered" / conventional lift / 2 train ops / pressure was put on S&S from KW which put pressure on their staff- and subcontractors / engineers / to meet lofty specs without lofty budgets including decreasing the budget after RFPs were solicited --the supports were engineered closer to the margins to save money and also fit the restrictive footprint --4D CAD and computer simulations of load were calculated and within limits --despite all of our tech it is impossible to always 100% simulate every force for every design / this is in all industries--construction, autos, space, defense , aviation ect --the ride has some forces in excess of what was simulated but not in excess of safe tolerances / this would not be an issue had the support structure been built with a higher margin of load but it was not to save money --videos online show the movement of the structure--again well within safety tolerances--but not within economic maintenance tolerances --steel as well as all structures and construction materials MUST flex, expand and contract / if steel did not have this ability it would behave like glass when stressed and loaded --repeated flexing does cause metal fatigue but that is calculated and engineered into the designs and maintenance / think of a nuclear submarine when it dives the hull contracts several inches at max depths --the movement of SC during operations has created harmonic resonance which accounts for the rattle as reported and felt / this leads to excessive strain on the bolts compounded with the excessive movement of the supports thus causing the design life of the bolts to be much shorter than anticipated / the bang heard during operation was a single bolt shearing (absolutely no danger to anyone) each bolt attachment is safety redundant multiple times --high grade bolts are expensive and time consuming to replace / supply chain shortages compound the issue --the train issue was a spec change w the restraints per the State requiring changes / this is not as uncommon or surprising as it might sound / cities, counties and states change specs especially fire and safety specs literally all the time during construction requiring retrofits / train mods were a one time thing and have been completed / again no safety issues just dealing with bureaucratic red tape but resolved (anyone dealing with government understands this) --solution has already engineered and--i have already shared more than i should hence this throwaway account--but the additional supports have already been engineered and are in production / will be installed this off season / new bolts throughout / retesting w water dummies and recert to happen this off season --the lawyers just have to figure out who pays the bills / this is what has taken so long and the issue is how much KW has to pay bc of the value engineering pressure but at the same time how much S&S has to pay because at what point should they have drawn a hard line and said you can't meet all of these specs AND have a low maint / reliable coaster with this budget --a new net will be installed where the track is at it lowest point over the walk way Summation: SC is safe, needs additional supports to lower maint costs and increase reliability and overall design life / safety is not and has not ever been an issue All parties are committed to having the ride open next season and the fix is the fix and no more issues other than regular long term maint

[@kaydub0623]

wait until he learns about the special queue audio for when it breaks down In all seriousness though, I'm hyped to see that you've visited my home park and can't wait to see more videos on it! I absolutely agree with everything you said in the video. Steel Curtain is a very fun ride and I've gotten used to it being there and think it's a great fit for the park's lineup, but the problem for me resides in the whole Steelers Country gimmick. Seeing that the park is going through major overhauls recently, I wouldn't be surprised if once the Steelers contract expires, the land will be repurposed. Maybe a new original themed area, or just blended into the rest of the park. I've heard rumors that our current GM doesn't like IPs in the park and he's already looking to not renew the Thomas Town contract which is supposedly ending very soon. It's interesting to talk about the future of that area since it can basically be used as a blank slate. Steelers Country does have two notable things though other than Curtain: 1. the best bathrooms in the park 2. Endzone Cafe food imo is actually pretty good, but it also reuses the original building that housed the Whip. Inside there's even original blueprints of it displayed on the wall which is pretty cool.

[@ZeroCreditsRemaining]

Thank you for the awesome comment! Extremely insightful and the tidbit about the blueprints is really cool. IPs really feel out of place there to me. Loved all the fresh paint around the park. And all the string lights too. It’s so pretty. 😍

[@ZeroCreditsRemaining]

Oh also I heard the break down audio 😭🥴🤪

[@MichaelZickefoose]

Oh you are so right about the bathrooms

[@007chicken11]

as someone who worked the curtain this year and last, they are 10000% the best bathrooms in the park, and no one knowing about them makes it even better lol

[@joeygassmann5595]

I really love your ride reviews! Very detailed and well thought out. It’s evident that you put a lot of time and effort into these and it’s definitely appreciated.

[@jasonshymoniak6163]

Solid review and overall great to hear all the good about my home park of Kennywood. I also agree with some of the cons you share and since Steelers experience never opened it leaves no other attractions in this area. The park even closes the entire area when the coaster is down, which seems dumb to me. Also, if you haven’t heard Kennywood has reduced park hours drastically twice now with 8pm closes weeknights in July which will go to 7pm closes in August. Thanks again for the solid video!

[@judiplaz]

Hershey too. In fact it closed at 8 when I was there on a Sunday late June. The latest they were open was 9. KW was atleast open till 10:00 on weekends in June and 4th of July week. Unfortunately many parks are still have staffing issues.

[@DuecePiece]

Have this coaster on my bucketlist for my upcoming trip- however I am preparing myself for the ride to most likely not be operating or have an insane line, but that doesn't mean I won't go and try to get on! 😂 Great video as always my friend!! Update: Got on it first ride of the day, skipped a large portion of the ride as a single rider and managed front row as well! Both this and Phantom made my Top 10! I personally love this ride, but it does look crazy out of place next to Racer and Jack Rabbit, and that view from the top is absolutely next level! 100% agree!

[@Megacoasterman]

What music did you use in this video? Good stuff though

[@JMaster9877]

This ride is open more often the Lightning Rod at Dollywood. It's one of the best rides Kennywoods added in recent years. It's a prototype ride so things will be flawed

[@Duffster115]

I love the curtain it is my favorite coaster in the park and just like all the other coasters it speeds up over time! I love how the ride is a very nicely rounded with a lot of nice elements while still providing lots of air/hang time! My favorite part of the ride is the end section where you fly over that air time hill and get a good 3 seconds of air time and then get airtime over the dive loop and then get whipped over on the stall while flying out of your seat and then whipped back as you get ejected back out of the seat with the transition into the corkscrew and then the corkscrew the helix leading into the cutback and one final nice pop of airtime as you fly into the brakes

[@BURGERKINGGUY14]

The sus fence is like graffiti on the LIGHTNING RUN station 😂

[@sportsygirl8]

You are so right about that never make Pittsburgher's mad. I love Steel Curtain and you're right it does still out like a sore thumb. If you're not a football fan then you won't understand the audio in the station. I think it's funny at times though. I do love Renegade by Styx playing as it's going up the lift hill, but wish they'd turn it up more so we can hear. The first year it was opened I rode this about 3 weeks after grand opening, anyway it was before they put music in the queue, but hearing Renegade for 2 1/2 hours was murder. I love that song don't get me wrong, but hearing the first verse of the song over and over and over got annoying and I didn't want to hear Renegade for a long time after that. It's a great coaster, but a maintenance nightmare, I believe it was closed again for some time this year as well. Thankfully both the times I've been to Kennywood it's been open and got to ride it. S&S 2 years before had problems with GaleForce at Ocean City New Jersey so when Kennywood announced Steel Curtain and it was by S&S and I was like oh boy! The Steelers Country part I believe went by the way side once COVID 19 hit and also the problems with Steel Curtain, that's my speculation which is Sad that it was never completed.

[@chuckdieselkicksdisks2380]

7:36 was void of skyline after they removed the Wonder Wheel (ferris wheel)

[@abysscuber3923]

A few days ago I got zen ride last ride of the night on sprocket rockets. could not be more proud

[@chuckdieselkicksdisks2380]

@ 5:12 nice to hear Tunch again with Bill! (bill hillgrove retired from broadcasting months back) - great vid Zero Credits....Easy up on making fun of us steelers fans and Steelers Though. LOL Feel free to "bust the Pirates walnuts" LOL

[@robbiereacts22]

I didn’t find it really rough. The front seat had a couple shaky moments but the back didn’t. The front is usually the smoothest seats but Steel Curtain is unusual in every way I suppose

[@bigbadbyrnes]

Inject the fresh liquid hot takes and content directly into my veins

[@kevinmay9151]

I feel like this roller coaster was meant to crawl a little more, and it was too concerning from what it seems. When I went on it, it was the first inverting roller coaster I'd ever been on(only other credit is a maxflight coaster simulator), and frankly it was also my second large coaster, phantom being the only other one(followed by gemini). It was not as intense as I thought, I found the bunny hill and zero g roll to be the most intense moments. It was so well paced that it seemed to detract from the thrill. Not to mention, since it's still considered a new coaster but covid and operations seem had to be shutting it down in tandem, the lines are long nonetheless. If the ride was like perfect I wouldn't mind the long lines, but if the lines and operations weren't so awful I would mind how mid this ride is.

[@JJJJ-he8bz]

This thing looks like it was made in a cartoon

[@reminiscer15]

I agree with this review, it is a nice coaster but it isn't what I exactly expected. I think it's common for parks to overhype new rides to get more attendance, pretty common advertisement strategy. Also with the amount of times it kept breaking down, I was worried it was going to be one of those rides that just because too much of a burden and would have to be taken down after a few years similar to King Kahuna which also had a bunch of problems and was removed after a few years. I also agree the audio track is funny at first but after awhile get very old and annoying to hear over and over again, I also noticed that the ride up the lift hill starts off very slowly until the last car on the train gets on the lift hill and then it speeds up so I'm not sure if that's on purpose or if there's another reason for that.

[@SuperNorstShow]

I went to Kennywood for the first time this year during Kennykon. I got 2 rides on Steel Curtain and thought it was the best ride in the park. My 2nd ride was late in the day after it had warmed up and I thought that ride was particularly forceful with excellent inversions and airtime. I was dissatisfied with the one train ops despite there being quite a lengthy line. I was hanging out with a local who frequents the park and he let me know that they can operate both trains but kennywood is infamous for one train ops. Phantom's Revenge was also one train which prevented me from getting more than a single ride on it. It was much easier getting lots of rides on the woodies.

[@jonb7700]

Kennywood is located in a terrible part of town and they can't get enough dependable workers to run the park properly.

[@PageBonham68]

Let me know if you come down to Texas!

[@realnarwhal]

Yesterday I went to kennywood, and the steel curtain was my first experience of a steel coaster that went upside down (usually I only go on the wooden coasters due to how safe I feel in them) and I must say it would've been a decent experience if I wasn't afraid of falling out because they just had to "double check my seat was locked" legit thought I was going to die 😂

[@X24453]

Listen. It could have been black supports with yellow track and not looked HORRIFIC. BUT WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS IN PITTSBURGH!

[@Somerandomvlogger]

Right you are Billy

[@robbiereacts22]

I had a great time riding this on a rainy day

[@aaron5364]

And to think this ride is killing the Sky Coaster forever :( so dang sad. Bollocks to this new monstrosity, I wanna fly instead.

[@jasontrimbur2545]

Actually you cannot feel them…the inversions are amazing do not make you sick ar all!!!

[@serpintinelion8926]

And now it's closed for the whole '24 season....

[@michaelguernsey7925]

It's Closed More Than Open. It Will Be Closed This Upcoming Kennywood Season.

[@kittycatclub37]

5:26 billy says this Leave that with a non rider

[@abysscuber3923]

hey i saw you on opening day at sfgam

[@Joypyf]

You already know how disappointed I am by this coaster… 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@bigbadbyrnes]

RIGHT YOU ARE BILLY

[@RuffledOnTime]

no tunnels, 0/10

[@obsidianwolf7539]

But think about it you said 1933 and there is 19 and 33 on the trains put the two together

[@liamcollinson5695]

I would take right you are billy a hundred times over its a small world after all or the smilers soundtrack

[@Derbolt_55]

Why is everyone hating on this ride

[@ZeroCreditsRemaining]

Who is? I’ll fight them.

[@mrgrass1232]

@@ZeroCreditsRemaining right you are billy

[@BDubs0610]

Or just 19 and 33 are just 1933…

[@Theme_parchive]

But like... come on... Was billy wrong?

[@ZeroCreditsRemaining]

What I would give for one in fifty of those to say “no cap, billy!” instead

[@Theme_parchive]

@@ZeroCreditsRemaining lmao

[@Wv8675]

I thought it sucked

[@BT1DEATH]

This ride is a problematic turd and it shows. lots of growing pains with one. I do think this is S&S first try at a coaster of this magnitude. I bet Kennywood has buyer remorse.

[@abysscuber3923]

this ride looks weird ah

[@pladampa]

9 million dollar junk.

[@nv_spartan1771]

Review update - Well, it looks kind of cool, but it doesn't work right so it just sits there. 0/10 just like the team that inspired it.