Switchback railway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).

Designed by La Marcus Thompson in 1881, the original Switchback Railway at Coney Island was constructed in 1884 and was the first roller coaster in America. Thompson patented his invention soon after, and it was an instant success. For only five cents, riders would climb aboard the large train-like car and push off. The car went only just over 7 mph, and needed to be pushed back up a small hill at the end of the ride--or "switched back" (hence the name.) Several more early roller coasters of this type were built across the country until Charles Alcoke patented the steam-powered chain lift system. Thompson still proceeded to build many more roller coasters, such as the famous Coney Island Cyclone, and soon enire amusement parks.

Many of these very early coasters were torn down to be replaced by larger ones, and soon most roller coasters built before the 1930s had been demolished. But modern roller coaster companies are now resurrecting old "woodies" and building what they call "hybrid" roller coasters, which combine the safety and sturdiness of steel structures with the classic feel of wooden tracks. Many of these, such as Son of Beast and Thunderhead are becoming just as popular as Thompson's original Switchback Railway.

This article or section does not cite its references or sources.
Please help improve this article by introducing appropriate citations. (help, get involved!) This article has been tagged since September 2006.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../s/w/i/Switchback_railway.html"