Earlier today on their Facebook Page, Kennywood began to tease what the park would opening in 2019: Project 412.
At Coaster101, we love a good tease, so we’re going to try to analyze each tease the park puts out (every Thursday for the next few weeks), and see what we can figure out! (Keep in mind that we’re not treating this as science, just having some fun speculating the details of what could be happening.)
What We Know So Far:
- In September 2017, Kennywood announced that the park’s “Log Jammer” log flume would be retired at the end of the 2017 season.
- In October 2017, local news outlets and Screamscape speculated that a new roller coaster might be replacing Log Jammer.
- In April 2018, Kennywood hinted that the area around the removed Log Jammer was under construction on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhZOtPoHLbE/?taken-by=kennywoodpark
- During our visit in June 2018, the area was listed under construction on the park map and evidence of construction in the area was taking place.
June 7, 2018: The Kennywood Project 412 Top Secret Ride Details Scratcher
In a post on the park’s Facebook page, they debuted the “Top Secret Ride Details Scratcher” for something Kennywood is referring to as “Project 412.” It’s our (relatively safe) assumption that the closure and demolition of Log Jammer and new construction in the area around Racer is what “Project 412” is going to be. Each scratch-off grid will reveal a hint about the roller coaster, and they will be revealed each Thursday. Here’s what we noticed on the scratcher, before anything was revealed.
- The Project Code is “Project 412.” 412 is the area code for the greater Pittsburgh area (including West Mifflin — Kennywood’s main phone number has this area code), but could it have another meaning?
- The background of the “Scratcher” is a diamond plated pattern. According to Wikipedia, diamond plated material is typically made out of steel or stainless steel (or aluminum). This could be another Pittsburgh reference, (one of Pittsburgh’s nicknames is “The Steel City”) or, it could also indicate that if the new project is indeed a roller coaster, it will be a steel coaster, rather than wood.
- The number 404 is the number of the ticket (bottom right corner).
Some quick googling doesn’t show any significance,but if you think of anything, let us know in the comments below for sure!- Edit: C101 Reader Riley mentioned that 404 may refer to something that’s “Not Found,” much like a 404 error on a Website. Could “Not Found” (or a synonym: “Lost”) be a potential theme or portion of the name?
June 7, 2018: The Center Square
https://www.facebook.com/KennywoodPark/videos/10155828541969865/
After getting the Facebook shares they were looking for, Kennywood revealed the first scratched off square, a “197” in the center of the grid.
- Without a lot of other context clues, 197 could feasibly be the height in feet of a new attraction, or a drop length, specifically for a roller coaster. It could be something else, but my gut feeling is drop length. (It wouldn’t need to be that tall, because Kennywood plays very well with its terrain, and the area where Log Jammer resided sits on a hillside with land that Kennywood purchased several years ago, according to the local CBS affiliate.)
June 14, 2018: Square #2, The Bottom Left
You waited all week…now it's time for Clue 2 of #Project412! What does it all mean? We want to hear your theories! pic.twitter.com/Frsf7CFJAE
— Kennywood (@Kenny_Kangaroo) June 14, 2018
It’s the second square scratched off of the scratcher, and the number is 3. Here are a few possibilities that we think that number may signify.
- Inversions. This feels like one of the more likely options. If 3 is an indication of inversions, it lends more credibility that the project will indeed be a new steel coaster rather than wood.
- Launches. Kennywood is owned by Parques Reunidos out of Spain, who also owns Attractiepark Slagharen in the Netherlands. In 2017, Slagharen opened Gold Rush, a triple-launched infinity coaster from Gerstlauer. Could Kennywood be constructing the first launched Gerstlauer infinity coaster in the United States? What about a super sized Sky Rocket II from Premier Rides or a Triple Launched El Loco from S&S?
Two other options that probably mean nothing, but we’re just having fun, right?
- Train Operation. Seems like a less important note, but if it’s a large new coaster, it could have three train operation, which would be great for capacity. Just throwing out ideas here.
- Major Steel Coasters. An even further stretch, but if you exclude Lil’ Phantom and Exterminator, this new project could give Kennywood three steel coasters over 95 feet tall.
June 21, 2018: Top Center Square
Another Thursday, another clue about Project 412, and that number is 24.
Your #Project412 clue is here! Interesting… 🧐 What are your thoughts? pic.twitter.com/SZWLrHpn9X
— Kennywood (@Kenny_Kangaroo) June 21, 2018
Some ideas:
- 24 Passengers Per Train. This is a fairly common passenger configuration (12 rows of 2), especially on wooden roller coasters. Other ride configurations featuring 24 riders include several B&M Dive Coasters (3 Rows of 8), and a ride like Vortex at Carowinds (6 rows of 4 — less likely).
- Coaster101 Reader Anthony in the comments below mentioned a rumor about Rocky Mountain Construction. (A rumor that Lance over at Screamscape has said is not happening.) However, 16 of the 17 RMC Non-Raptor tracks in existence all feature trains with 12 rows of 2, good for 24 passengers.
- 24 Air Time Moments. One of the biggest selling point’s during Kings Dominion’s Twisted Timbers last year were the “20 Airtime Moments” during the ride cycle. Could Project 412 top that?
We’re 33% through this scratch card, so we’re going to make our first prediction. Keep in mind this isn’t science and we’re just having fun.
Prediction #1: An 8-seat across, 3-row B&M Dive Coaster, with a 197′ tall first drop, featuring 3 inversions. Think of it like a smaller version of Valravn at Cedar Point. Not sure if there’s an exclusivity contract with Cedar Point/Cedar Fair that would prevent another Dive Coaster within a certain time frame or mileage radius of the park, but its 166 Miles as the crow flies from Cedar Point to Kennywood (And 240 miles from Kennywood to Canada’s Wonderland, where there’s another rumored Dive Coaster being built) and 2019 would mark three years since the last B&M Dive Coaster was built in the United States.
This prediction is probably incorrect, but if it happens, you heard it here, maybe first, maybe not!
June 22, 2018: SURPRISE!
Shoutout to Coaster101 Reader David, who let us know that Kennywood dropped a surprise number on their Facebook Page on Friday Night, to celebrate Phantom’s Revenge coming in third place in the USA 10Best Awards for Best Roller Coaster.
https://www.facebook.com/KennywoodPark/videos/10155865366104865/
Filling in the top right square is a new number: 220. Our ideas?
- Height or Drop Height: I think there could be a tie in with 220 and 197, and they’re both numbers that represent height. Could Project 412 be a coaster that’s 220′ tall with a 197′ first drop, or even vice versa – 197′ tall with a 220′ drop, utilizing the drop off in the area where Log Jammer was located. Phantom’s Revenge has a similar element, where it’s only 160′ tall, but its second drop is 228′ into a ravine.
- Ride Time: Could 220 (or 197, going back to the first clue) not actually represent the ride height, but rather the ride time, in seconds. 220 seconds translates to 3:40 of ride time, 197 is 3:17, or 220 could also represent 2 minutes and 20 seconds. It has the potential to be a long ride!
What do you think? What does 220 represent, and why did Kennywood drop it on us on Friday instead of Thursday?!
June 27, 2018: Wait, It’s Wednesday.
Another day that isn’t Thursday, and another clue from Kennywood. We’ve revealed the number 120.
Almost there… we’re halfway through the work week! Here’s something that’ll put some pep in your step – another #Project412 reveal! pic.twitter.com/yvGhbRaf80
— Kennywood (@Kenny_Kangaroo) June 27, 2018
What does 120 mean? Our best guesses both involve 120 degrees.
Wicked Cyclone’s 120 Degree Over-Banked Turn. Photo: SFNEOnline.com
- A 120-degree over-banked turn. 120 is a tough number, especially if we’ve already talked about height with two other numbers. Our main thought here is a 120-degree overbanked turn, similar to the turns on Wicked Cyclone or Twisted Timbers.
- A 120-degree first drop: Less likely, especially given the height (we assume) numbers given above. However, Gerstlauer has built coasters with 120-degree first drops in the past, including Takabisha at Fuji-Q Highland in Japan (121-degree drop), and the yet-to-be named Nickelodeon Universe coaster at the new American Dream in New Jersey, which will feature a 121.5-degree drop.
Another theory goes back to ride time, where 120 seconds could mean a 2:00 time.
June 28, 2018: Thursday again!
We get back to some regularly scheduled programming as Kennywood scratches off a new number on a Thursday.
It's almost Friday! As if that wasn't reward enough. . . we're revealing the next clue of Project 412! pic.twitter.com/sG4tFYeQVG
— Kennywood (@Kenny_Kangaroo) June 29, 2018
And we now have 75.
- Maybe a 75-degree first drop? Not quite vertical, but if you look at it from a certain angle, it looks pretty close. Twisted Cyclone just opened at Six Flags Over Georgia with a 75-degree initial drop.
- Top Speed of 75 mph? If it has Hypercoaster height, this is definitely possible. Many B&M hyper coasters have top speeds of between 70-80mph.
June 29, 2018: Back To Back?
https://www.facebook.com/KennywoodPark/videos/10155879810879865/
Kennywood is clearly excited about this new project, because what was looking to be a 9 week tease is 78% complete after just 22 days. They dropped another number on us, and that number is 9.
- 9 is a tough number here, surprisingly. I know we discussed inversions already, and while 9 is a high number, it would give Project 412 the most inversions on any coaster in the United States.
- Other options: 9 banked curves, 9 camelback hills, 9 of some other element.
- Another idea, 9 could represent passengers as well, with a Zamperla Thunderbolt style train.
July 2, 2018: Curing the Monday Blues
https://www.facebook.com/KennywoodPark/videos/10155886935139865/
We’re down to one remaining number after Kennywood released their 8th number today: 50.
50 is another number that could be anything.
- Launch Speed: If Project 412 ends up being a launch coaster, it could have a launch speed of 50mph, but could also reach 75mph.
- Top Speed: If 75mph doesn’t end up being the top speed, 50 could be.
What do you think? We have one clue left — so I’ll throw another prediction here.
- 197′ tall, 220′ foot drop over the Ravine, triple-launch coaster. 12 row train (24 passengers), Top speed of 75, initial launch speed of 50 mph. No inversions, but features 9 camelback hills and a 120-degree overbanked turn. I think I got all the numbers in there right?
What do you think the final number will be?
7/3/18: The Fireworks Start Early
Kennywood has completed their scratch card, and it sounds like we’re going to have a winner!
We just can't wait any longer…THIS…is the main event of the evening! Introducing the 9th and final clue of Project 412!
Now what comes next?? Find out tomorrow morning – it’s an Independence Day surprise!! pic.twitter.com/xK0lt6wOws
— Kennywood (@Kenny_Kangaroo) July 3, 2018
The final number is 4,000. I feel like we can speak with some certainty here that 4,000 is going to be length in feet of the roller coaster. If you have other ideas, let us know!
Now that the entire card is filled out, here’s our final prediction as to what all these numbers could mean.
- 220: Drop Height In Feet
- 24: Passengers Per Train
- 50: Speed of Initial Launch
- 9: Airtime Moments
- 197: Height above ground (Terrain coaster)
- 120: Degrees of an over-banked wave turn.
- 3: Inversions
- 75: Degrees of the First Drop
- 4,000: Length in feet of the roller coaster.
Kennywood will announce the new coaster tomorrow morning (July 4), and then the real fireworks will begin!
Thanks for following along!
We’ll be updating this post weekly as Kennywood scratches more numbers off their card to reveal more details about Project 412. In the mean time, make sure you’re following Kennywood on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, in case more clues are revealed there.
(And according to the initial Facebook post, there may be clues if you’re in the park. If you see anything that you find noteworthy, be sure to send it to us via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (or you can use the “Contact Us” link at the top of the page!)
What do you think Kennywood has up their sleeves for 2019? Let us know in the comments below!
According to someone in the comments 404 means “not found”.
@Riley, Thanks! Added to our description!
I saw something (idk if they were hurt trolling) but at some coaster event there was something from Kennywood with a picture of a raptor, a dinosaur (T-Rex), and a hybrid car (hybrid), above them said “what’s NOT coming to Kennywood next year”, so t they are either trying to troll enthusiasts and throw us off, or it could have been a fake (I only saw it one place, so IDK how reliable it is) or they’re eluding to an RMC ground up wooden coaster. Just throwing that out there.
Wasn’t there something regarding RMC and Kennywood a while back? I might be wrong, but I feel like there was. Knowing Kennywood’s love of wooden coasters, could they possibly be trying out one of the topper track wooden coasters? Knowing how insane some of those rides are, the 197 hight and 3 inversions could still be plausible in it. Idk how realistic this could be, but just throwing it out.
An additional number was released on the parks Facebook last night. 220
I’d be pleasantly surprised if they decided to go with an expensive B&M. Even a smaller dive coaster can’t be cheap. Some of the internet thinks it’s going to be a Soaring with Dragon clone (https://rcdb.com/13420.htm). I hope not, it seems like Kennywood could do better with their unique terrain. Can’t wait for the next clue!
Did you guys see they scratched off 75?
9 and 75 have been scratched off
Here’s my predictions:
220: height of the largest drop, possibly into a tunnel
24: passengers/train (6 rows of 4)
9: elements (airtime hills, overbank turns, loops, etc.)
197: highest point above ground
120: ride time (2 minutes)
3: trains
75: top speed (mph)
50: this is a tough one. Average speed in mph? 50 foot tunnel?
I’m predicting this will be an S&S thrust air launch coaster. Seems like an odd choice for this park considering it would be like a bigger version of Sky Rocket, but I’d love to see one of these compressed air launches back in the US. Maybe Palace Entertainment got a discount after working with S&S on Merlin’s Mayhem?
They didn’t announce it yet they just put out a word search containing a bunch of words that could possibly correspond with stats… This is one heck of an elaborate teaser and I hope nothing gets leaked so they can keep it up!