Dorney Park gave thrill seekers a glimpse of its newest roller coaster Monday morning, posting video of a test run for Iron Menace. The ride, set to open later this spring, features a 160-foot drop and will be one of just six “dive” coasters in operation in the United States.
Iron Menace pays homage to the industrial history of the Lehigh Valley. The ride’s backstory revolves around a steel baron using an “iron beast” device to dump iron ore into a blast furnace — symbolized by the towering drop at a 95-degree angle.
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The test video shows Iron Menace will run for about 1 minute, 20 seconds, including a pause at the top of the drop to let riders take in views of the park. The ride reaches a top speed of 64 mph and has four inversions after the initial drop.
Dive coasters differ from most steel roller coasters in that they have fewer trains with more horizontal seating, offering more of a theater-style experience. Iron Menace will have two trains, each with three cars that seat up to seven people for a total of 21 riders. Like other dive coasters, it will have a holding brake at the top of the lift hill to build suspense before the sudden drop.
“Other coasters, you don’t always feel so many people being around you. It’s more of an alone feeling,” Elizabeth Ringas, president of American Coaster Enthusiasts, said in an interview with Dorney Park staff during construction. “With this, you feel like it’s a group doing it all together. It just feels so immense going up that lift hill and it increases the anticipation.”
The other dive coasters in the U.S. are SheiKra at Busch Gardens Tampa (200 feet), Griffon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (205 feet), Valravn at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio (214 feet), Emperor at Sea World San Diego (153 feet) and Dr. Diabolical’s Cliffhanger at Six Flags Fiesta Texas (142 feet).
Iron Menace was built at the Dorney Park site formerly occupied by Stinger, which operated between 2012 and 2017.
The Allentown amusement park opens May 10. Park officials expect Iron Menace to debut sometime that month.