Rollercoaster Season - Introduction
It's been a while since I had a themed week, isn't it? Anyhow, with summer coming I thought it might be nice to devote one to rollercoasters, which are something of a personal passion. Having thought about it some more, I then reconsidered and came to the conclusion that given ten days, I could perhaps just about scratch the surface of the more interesting and unusual aspects of the subject.
Let's start today with a crash course in rollercoaster history. This goes back rather further than one might expect - to 18th century Russia, in fact, where 80-foot hills of ice were constructed for the purpose of sled rides. These eventually became popular enough that entrepreneurs developed versions suited to a more temperate climate, with wheeled cars built onto wooden tracks. One thing remained constant, however - the sole powering force was gravity. This was to remain constant for the better part of two centuries, and even today, in many languages the word for rollercoaster translates literally as Russian mountains.
Another early influence on the development of the modern rollercoaster was the Mauch Chunk gravity railroad, located in Pennsylvania, USA. This 14-kilometre downhill track was normally used to deliver coal, with a miner to operate as brake man. However, by the 1850s it was seeing more frequent use as a 50-cent ride for local thrillseekers. Witnessing this, LaMarcus Adna Thompson started formulating a plan for a closed circuit ride of the same type. The first one was built at the legendary Coney Island park in 1884, with several more being built across the USA. These early models were known as switchback railways, because at the end of the ride the cars needed to be pushed or switched back up a small hill.
One year later, Phillip Hinkle pioneered the concept of the lift hill - a chain belt that dragged the cars to the top of the initial hill prior to releasing them and letting gravity do the rest. Many coasters the world over still operate this way. Oh, and here's a fun fact: that distinctive clacking sound you hear as you head up the lift hill? Not the chain at all, but an anti-rollback device - a sawtoothed strip of metal that functions as a linear ratchet.
And that's your history lesson for today. There's lots more, of course, but given today's main subject (yep, the above was just a taster) it seems appropriate to take a break from this in favour of something a bit more, well, pictorial. Besides, if today's all about beginnings it probably makes sense to talk about what got me started.
Isn't she lovely? Astonishingly there's no mention of Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach on Wikipedia, nor of this truly wonderful old lady. Built in 1928, she moved to her current location in 1932. At 5249 feet she's the world's sixth longest wooden coaster, and one of only a very few to still require the use of a brakeman rather than mechanical or computerised trim brakes.
It's been a few years since I last had the privilege of riding the Roller Coaster (it has, and in my opinion requires, no other name), but on that occasion it was still a smoother, sweeter ride than many modern steel coasters. The long trains allow for multiple riding experiences depending on where one chooses to sit - select the middle for a relaxed ride, or the back for a bit more of a buzz. In my opinion, though, this is one of the few coasters where at least one front-row ride is a must. That long train design means that the front of the train is already halfway down the first drop when the rear of it breasts the lift hill, leading to the most unbelievable rush of speed.
Tomorrow, I'll be talking about the art of loops and inverts, which again, is older than one might suspect. Oh, and anybody who fails the test on day eleven gets an automatic defriend. You have been warned.*
*May not actually be true.
Let's start today with a crash course in rollercoaster history. This goes back rather further than one might expect - to 18th century Russia, in fact, where 80-foot hills of ice were constructed for the purpose of sled rides. These eventually became popular enough that entrepreneurs developed versions suited to a more temperate climate, with wheeled cars built onto wooden tracks. One thing remained constant, however - the sole powering force was gravity. This was to remain constant for the better part of two centuries, and even today, in many languages the word for rollercoaster translates literally as Russian mountains.
Another early influence on the development of the modern rollercoaster was the Mauch Chunk gravity railroad, located in Pennsylvania, USA. This 14-kilometre downhill track was normally used to deliver coal, with a miner to operate as brake man. However, by the 1850s it was seeing more frequent use as a 50-cent ride for local thrillseekers. Witnessing this, LaMarcus Adna Thompson started formulating a plan for a closed circuit ride of the same type. The first one was built at the legendary Coney Island park in 1884, with several more being built across the USA. These early models were known as switchback railways, because at the end of the ride the cars needed to be pushed or switched back up a small hill.
One year later, Phillip Hinkle pioneered the concept of the lift hill - a chain belt that dragged the cars to the top of the initial hill prior to releasing them and letting gravity do the rest. Many coasters the world over still operate this way. Oh, and here's a fun fact: that distinctive clacking sound you hear as you head up the lift hill? Not the chain at all, but an anti-rollback device - a sawtoothed strip of metal that functions as a linear ratchet.
And that's your history lesson for today. There's lots more, of course, but given today's main subject (yep, the above was just a taster) it seems appropriate to take a break from this in favour of something a bit more, well, pictorial. Besides, if today's all about beginnings it probably makes sense to talk about what got me started.
Isn't she lovely? Astonishingly there's no mention of Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach on Wikipedia, nor of this truly wonderful old lady. Built in 1928, she moved to her current location in 1932. At 5249 feet she's the world's sixth longest wooden coaster, and one of only a very few to still require the use of a brakeman rather than mechanical or computerised trim brakes.
It's been a few years since I last had the privilege of riding the Roller Coaster (it has, and in my opinion requires, no other name), but on that occasion it was still a smoother, sweeter ride than many modern steel coasters. The long trains allow for multiple riding experiences depending on where one chooses to sit - select the middle for a relaxed ride, or the back for a bit more of a buzz. In my opinion, though, this is one of the few coasters where at least one front-row ride is a must. That long train design means that the front of the train is already halfway down the first drop when the rear of it breasts the lift hill, leading to the most unbelievable rush of speed.
Tomorrow, I'll be talking about the art of loops and inverts, which again, is older than one might suspect. Oh, and anybody who fails the test on day eleven gets an automatic defriend. You have been warned.*
*May not actually be true.