{Roller Coaster Research - 2 of 3}

Coney Island's Success
In 1884, La Marcus Adna Thompson built his Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway at Coney Island, New York. For a nickel, riders could ride the roller coaster that went six miles per hour at its fastest speed. Although admission was cheap, Thompson gained back all $1,600 he invested in the railway in only a week. This ride started a series of similar rides and improvements that would make roller coasters what we know them to be today.

There's Always Room for Improvement
Later Thompson invented the Scenic Railway, which had many different scenes, similar to Disney's Splash Mountain without the water or drops. Soon after the Scenic Railway, faster roller coasters began to appear. The fastest roller coasters at that time went only around twelve miles per hour or so. Inventions began to improve roller coasters greatly. Phillip Hinckle created the steam-powered chain, which could pull cars up hills and help them reach faster downhill speeds. John Miller's upstops, which kept cars on the track from underneath; and safety dogs, which kept cars from rolling backwards as they traveled up a hill, were also very important revolutions.

A view of Six Flags St. Louis's newest roller coaster, the Boss, which
boasts incredible speeds and 3Gs. Taken at the top of the Ferris wheel.

The Golden Age of Coasters
The 1920s are often referred to as the Golden Age of roller coasters. During this era, some of the best coasters ever were built, and it is believed that over 1,500 roller coasters were running globally. One such coaster, created by Harry Traver in 1927, was the Cyclone. It included an 85-foot drop and was the harshest ride ever created for the human body. Riders frequently left the ride with broken bones, so a nurse's station was set up at the exit of the ride. The Cyclone eventually couldn't support itself, as each ride in those days was an individual cost, and the coaster was very expensive to support. It was eventually torn down, like every other coaster Traver ever designed. However, by using steel for the track, Traver gave a news idea to the roller coaster industry.

Coasters Suffer Through the Great Depression
In 1929, roller coaster production came to a crashing halt as the Great Depression took its toll. With no extra money available to spend at amusement parks, people stopped going to them, and eventually most parks went out of business and were torn down. It is thought that some of the coasters were sold to other countries melted down, made into ammunition, and actually used to shoot back at the United States uring the Second World War. This dark period for coasters left as few as 200 standing the United States in 1960. However, one man would bring back the roller coaster once again to rule in a new type of amusement park: the theme park.

Roller Coaster Revival
When Walt Disney built his theme park in 1955, he wanted a thrilling new ride that would make the riders feel as if they were riding down the Swiss Alps in a bobsled. This was made possible in his ride the Matterhorn Bobsled Ride, built in 1959. This renewed interest in roller coasters sparked a battle between businesses to create the biggest, fastest, and most exciting roller coaster ever.

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