Side friction roller coaster

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A side friction roller coaster is an early roller coaster design that does not have an extra set of wheels under the track to prevent cars from becoming airborne. Before the invention of up-stop wheels, coaster cars were built to run in a trough, with wheels under the car and side plates to help keep the cars on the track. Because the cars were not firmly anchored and could derail if they took a corner too fast, the largest side friction coasters required a brakeman to ride on the train and slow it down when necessary.

With the invention of up-stop wheels in the 1920s, which allowed much more scope for height and speed in coaster designs, side friction coasters quickly fell out of favor. Only two have been built since World War II, and none since 1951. Today, there are only nine that remain in active service, with a tenth currently "standing but not operating." Eight of them are located in Europe, one in Australia, and one in North America.

[edit] List of operating side friction roller coasters

Leap the Dips at Lakemont Park in Altoona, PA, USA, the world's oldest operating roller coaster. It opened in 1902, and after being closed for several years, was restored and re-opened in 1999.
The Scenic Railway at Luna Park, Melbourne in Australia, which has been in continuous operation since 1912.
The Rutschebanen at Tivoli Gardens in Denmark. Opened in 1914.
The Scenic Railway at Dreamland Margate in Kent, England. Opened in 1920. This one is in danger of being shut down, as the owners of Dreamland want to close the park and sell the land. They already shut down their other Kent-based park in 2003, The Rotunda, which also had a side friction "Transportable" roller coaster, the "Runaway Coaster" (currently standing but not operating, and listed for sale)(now sold and moving west for restoration).
The Hullámvasút at Vidámpark in Budapest, Hungary. Opened in 1922, after it was set on fire, this is the oldest operating roller coaster in Central Europe.
The Roller Coaster at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach in Norfolk, England. Opened in Paris in 1929, and moved to Norfolk in 1932.
The Rutschebanen at Dyrehavsbakken in Denmark. Opened in 1932.
The Hochschaubahn at Prater Park in Vienna, Austria. Opened in 1950 as a replacement for the original, which was destroyed during World War II.
The Vuoristorata in Helsinki, Finland. Opened in 1951. To date, this is the last side friction coaster ever built.