Being from the Northeast and considering Dorney Park as one of my “home parks,” attending Iron Menace media day brought a wave of pride and happiness for me at Cedar Fair’s park in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Iron Menace, a custom Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) dive coaster and the first dive coaster in the Northeast, offered its first rides today as Dorney Park opens its first new roller coaster in 19 years. That’s right, 19 years have passed since Dorney opened a brand new, custom roller coaster, dating back to Hydra the Revenge in 2005. To say this park deserved a ride as great as Iron Menace is a massive understatement.
The day started with Dorney Park personnel addressing the crowd of media and content creators as Iron Menace plunged 160 feet at a 95-degree angle behind them. You could feel the energy and emotions in the air on this April day with a perfectly foreboding and ominous sky in the background — just as Hiram S. McTavish would have imagined. See the image below of “The Mystery Behind The Menace” which creates context around the roller coaster’s theme and brand-new Steel Yard area, featuring a new restaurant and gift shop.
Iron Menace’s backstory:
In the early 1900s, Scottish businessman Hiram S. McTavish opened McTavish Steel Mill, a direct competitor to Bethlehem Steel Company. Greed dictated McTavish’s every move, and he was well known to prioritize profits above people. With an eye on maximizing output, McTavish created a massive hauler he dubbed “Iron Menace,” a device the steel industry had never seen. The rail transporter moved workers and ore at record volumes and dizzying speeds. Suddenly the greedy steel baron mysteriously disappeared—no one knows how or where. Shortly after, McTavish Steel Mill closed. All that remains today are the mill’s decrepit shell, rusty relics and wild tales of the owner’s whereabouts.
The ride’s first drop is perfectly placed around a viewing area for the masses to get a glimpse of what they may (or may not) choose to experience. Iron Menace boasts a minimum 48-inch height requirement, as this is a ride that people of all ages can enjoy. As I entered McTavish Steel, the highly themed queue surprised me with the level of detail and immersion that Dorney Park adopted to complete the guest experience.
I boarded the 24-passenger train, which will be great for the park’s capacity on those busy summer nights — I was selected to sit in the front row by the ride attendant. To no surprise, Iron Menace is easily a front-row ride for that unobstructed view looking straight down during the hold brake at the top of the lift hill. Don’t be upset if you’re told to sit in the back row as it provided an incredible airtime moment when the train is released from the top.
Iron Menace’s view from the hold brake took my breath away with sweeping views of the park and even the mountains located in the Lehigh Valley area. The rest of the ride is extremely well-paced and packs a punch, including an Immelmann inversion, barrel roll, inclined loop and corkscrew proceeding each other. I was expecting the inclined loop to be my favorite of the four inversions but I found myself liking the Immelmann the best as it had the most speed and was drawn out after plummeting down the first drop.
Overall, Iron Menace and its themed area should be marked as a huge achievement for Dorney Park and the region as this is a roller coaster that was desperately needed. This will quickly become a fan-favorite of guests, and it is conveniently located in its short proximity to Steel Force, Thunderhawk and Possessed within the park. If you’re looking for the perfect summer road trip in the Northeast, Dorney Park is not to be missed, with Iron Menace standing tall against its competition.
Coaster101 would like to thank Dorney Park for hosting us at Iron Menace’s media day and look forward to the ride’s success for years to come!
If you’ve had the chance to ride Iron Menace, share your Iron Menace review in the comments section below.
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