Thunderhawk is a wooden roller coaster with an out-and-back layout located at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Originally opening as The Coaster in 1924, Thunderhawk is the oldest operating roller coaster in the Cedar Fair chain, and one of the oldest in the world still in operation. It was manufactured by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) and designed by Herbert Paul Schmeck.

This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2014)

Quick Facts Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, Location ...

Thunderhawk
Previously known as "The Coaster"
Thunderhawk's lift hill and station at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Location	Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Coordinates	40.5798°N 75.5355°W / 40.5798; -75.5355
Status	Operating
Opening date	March 30, 1924 (1924-03-30)
General statistics
Type	Wood
Manufacturer	Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters
Designer	Herbert Paul Schmeck
Track layout	Out and Back / Twister
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	80 ft (24 m)
Drop	65 ft (20 m)
Length	2,767 ft (843 m)
Speed	45 mph (72 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	1:18
Max vertical angle	45°
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 4 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Fast Lane available
Thunderhawk at RCDB

Close

Thunderhawk was designed by Herbert Paul Schmeck and built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. When Thunderhawk opened on March 30,1924, it was known simply as "The Coaster." It was renamed Thunderhawk in 1989.

Originally, The Coaster was an out-and-back coaster, meaning it went straight out from the first drop, turned around, and came straight back through several smaller hills. 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 color.

The original station pavilion featured a separate bumper car ride, which the line for The Coaster wrapped around, providing some entertainment to those waiting in line. Originally, the ride began with a tunneled section and ended with another tunneled section, as the train went under the portion of the pavilion devoted to the bumper cars. The bumper cars were removed following Cedar Fair's purchase of the park in 1993. In addition, a set of brakes was placed in the middle of the return bunny hills, causing the train to slow down and lose much of its airtime.

For the 2016 season, Dorney Park announced major renovations to Thunderhawk. Among the changes were new trains designed by PTC,^[1] featuring an open-air design, with individual ratcheting lap bars (as opposed to the previous "buzz bars").^[2] The ride also received a new coat of white paint, reminiscent of the coaster's original color,^[2] and a new white lighting package to outline the entire ride.^[2]

In 2021, the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) gave Thunderhawk an ACE Coaster Landmark plaque.^[3]

On July 21, 1990, two trains on Thunderhawk collided at the bottom of the lift hill. 17 people were taken to local hospitals to receive treatment for minor injuries. It is unknown what caused the accident, as certified ride operators tested the ride after the accident and found nothing mechanically or physically wrong with it; however, the parks spokeswomen said that operator error may have caused the accident. The ride was closed immediately after the accident happened and re-opened the next day.^[4]