Thunderhawk (formerly known as The Coaster) is a wooden out and back roller coaster located at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom near Allentown, Pennsylvania.
The coaster was built in 1923 and is one of the oldest operating roller coasters in the northeast.
Thunderhawk was designed by Herbert Paul Schmeck and built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. When Thunderhawk opened in 1923 and for many years after the ride was known simply as the Coaste...
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Thunderhawk (formerly known as The Coaster) is a wooden out and back roller coaster located at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom near Allentown, Pennsylvania.
The coaster was built in 1923 and is one of the oldest operating roller coasters in the northeast.
Thunderhawk was designed by Herbert Paul Schmeck and built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. When Thunderhawk opened in 1923 and for many years after the ride was known simply as the Coaster. The Coaster was renamed Thunderhawk with the addition of the Hercules roller coaster to the park in 1989.
Originally, the Coaster was built as an out-and-back coaster, meaning it went straight out from the first drop, turned around and came straight back. The ride was reconfigured in 1930 to its present design with a figure-eight twister section in the middle of the ride. Over the years, the ride has seen many cosmetic changes. At one point the ride featured a bright yellow paint job, which has since been painted over with an off-white...
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