famous 1950
Anyone know any famous roller coaster designer? Pre 1950?
I need to know 2 famous roller coaster designers, and why they are famous, why were their coasters groundbreaking or special, and examples of 2 coasters they each designed. Please I REALLY need help with this, this is for a project.
The first American roller coaster was not built at an amusement park or city, but in the mountains of Pennsylvania. The Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway, which was more like a runaway train than a modern coaster, is considered the forefather of today’s roller coaster.
In 1872 the Hauto Tunnel, in Pennsylvania, was completed and provided a new, easier way for the railroad owners to transport coal down the mountain. Previously, 2322 feet of track had been used to bring coal directly down the mountainside. The old track stood idle for a few months but in 1873 the railroad re-opened for business carrying passengers instead of coal. It was a success and carried over 35,000 passengers per-year. The railway was bought in 1874 by the Jersey Central railroad, but they allowed the control to remain with the Mauch Chunk management and did not stop the profitable journeys.
The railway offered spectacular views of the Lehigh River and the Blue Ridge Mountains for the region’s visitors to see. The area became a large Nineteenth Century tourist attraction and people came from all over to be thrilled by the M.C.R. Because of its popularity, special excursion trains from New York and New Jersey were created to help bring people to America’s first “roller coaster.” Sadly, the Jersey Central cancelled all runs on the Mauch Chunk in 1929. Tourism had declined and the Depression drove the final nail in the coffin for the aging railway. It will never be known how many people experienced the Mauch Chunk Railway, but we can rest assured whet the appetite of the visitors who experienced its wild rails.
La Marcus Adna Thompson, the father of the American roller coaster, was a creative man who helped bring the American roller coaster to commercial fruition. Growing up he created many devices- a butter churn for his mother, an ox-cart for his father and numerous toys & devices for his own pleasure. As he grew older Thompson ran many profitable businesses, such as the Eagle Knitting Company, which did well under his reign. All of the success put quite a strain on Thompson and he stepped back from the financial limelight to recover and find less stressful ventures.
Richard Knudson was one of the first to patent a coaster in 1878, an Inclined Railway.Being the creative man he was, Thompson could not stay idle long. He created his own version of the roller coaster. It was shaped like the early Russian slides- two hills parallel to each other. Thompson added undulating hills and the cars slowly (6 mph) rolled down a track six hundred feet long and fifty feet high. It is interesting to note that Thompson was not the first to patent a coaster-like item, as early as 1878 Richard Knudson had patented the “Improvement in Inclined Railways,” (patent #128,674), but it never opened. Some historians argue that Thompson simply took many of the concepts utilized by Knutson and added them to his own design.
No one is sure why Thompson decided to go into the amusement park business. Coaster lore says that he was a Sunday School teacher who was discouraged by all of the depravity found at places of amusement during his time. Like many legends of coaster history I found it written several places, but could find no solid evidence of the occupation. The only written statement by Thompson that talked about this aspect of his thoughts was dated very late in his life, so until more evidence is found I will relegate it to another myth surrounding the roller coaster’s development.
Thompson’s Switchback Railway opened in 1884 at Coney Island, New York. Whatever his motives, Thompson’s creation was a smashing success. The ride opened in the spring of 1884 at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York and made the inventor hundreds of dollars per-day. Considering that Thompson only charged a nickel per-ride, the success of the Switchback Railway is nothing short of amazing. History has dubbed him the “Father of Gravity” and I am inclined to agree.
La Marcus Thompson did not hold the monopoly on coasters for very long. Late in the 1884 season Charles Alcoke created a coaster that was a complete circuit and in the spring of 1885 Phillip Hinkle developed the concept of the “lift hill.” A lift hill was the initial hill that often began a coaster and it was here the train was often pulled up by a chain or cable. This mechanism allowed for a higher structure and designers became more liberal with their layouts, incorporating an elliptical design into the course of the coasters.
Thompson felt that the view was as important as the ride and created scenic railways. This coaster incorporated beautiful dioramas and darkness into the course of the ride. According to Cartmell, Thompson was given over thirty coaster-related patents between 1884 and 1887, many of which were related to the scenic railways he was planning. During this time Thompson collaborated with James A. Griffiths of Philadelphia, who was known for ornately carved cars and beautifully designe
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