You know, one of the things I enjoy as a coaster enthusiast is watching different phases of design sweep over the country. The phases never truly die out (like bad clothing trends tend to), but they certainly go through "spikes" in popularity, especially at the outset of their introduction. We all know of many of them – the inverts, the stand-ups, the flying coaster, and more recently the floorless. Well, I for one am very happy that a certain coaster craze swept the nation throughout the 1990s. I am, of course, referring to the Hypercoaster. Beginning in 1989 when Cedar Point introduced Magnum, parks all around saw its immense popularity and many of them got in line with their cash wanting one of these high speed, large drop, airtime machines. One of the companies that emerged during this phase was Morgan Manufacturing. They installed many hypers in their time, and they pretty much became the company of choice for Cedar Fair, as they had three installed at their parks across the country. One of their installations was the mighty Steel Force at Dorney Park in Pennsylvania.
Steel Force, to me, represents an era in coaster design. Its layout, while not being particularly ground-breaking or unique, contains all the elements needed to produce a hypercoaster that is fast, thrilling, and most importantly a ton of FUN! As you approach Dorney Park, you can’t help but notice Steel Force towering in the back of the park. I will admit that when I made my first trip out there and entered the parking lot, I was quite excited to see that majestic red and grey coaster standing proudly. It actually reminds me a good bit of Magnum, especially with the color choice. As you make your way towards the back of the park and approach the queue, you first see the large lift hill and then the ride’s logo. On a side note, I must say that Steel Force has one of the coolest logos I have seen for a coaster. As is typical to Dorney, the lines for Steel Force are always short (at least when I’ve been there they have been), thanks to a fantastic ride crew that is very efficient and keeps things moving. The trains are very roomy and comfortable, and the restraints consist of a simple lap bar and seat belt. Once you’ve strapped in and are given the all clear, you begin your journey on this steel monster.
The 200 foot climb up the lift hill is perfectly paced, as it is just slow enough to give you a good idea of how high into the air you are climbing. I tend to really like coasters with lifts like this, as it really builds up the anticipation!! The first plunge, at 205 thrilling feet, is wonderful, and as an added bonus the train flies into a tunnel! (hence the extra 5 feet on the drop) The airtime coming down the first drop is great, especially in the back. However, overall, the best airtime on Steel Force is found towards the front of the train. Wooooosh! The train jets out of the tunnel and climbs the second, rather sizable, hill. Cresting this hill you get some great floater airtime, and the same can be said cresting the next hill. After a smaller drop, the train heads into one of the real highlights of this ride, the massive double helix. This element is incredibly forceful, as the train picks up speed as it travels through it! Exiting the helix, you hit the mid-course brakes and prepare for the bunny hills that await you at the conclusion of the ride. And it is here that I must respectfully disagree with some of the more recent reviews below. The concluding bunny hills are a floater airtime assault, especially near the front of the train. I can honestly say that I’ve never had a ride on Steel Force that did not deliver rather sizable amounts of airtime. I will say that some rides on it will deliver varying amounts of airtime, but at worst I would classify the airtime to be well above average. I really don’t know how to explain what may have happened during some of the other reviewers’ rides where they received hardly any airtime. It’s certainly
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