From Golden Age to Steel Thing of the Week! Peace, My Dudes

98-186: Roller Coasters Week 3: From Golden Age to Steel Thing of the Week! Peace, my Dudes ● World War I ends, leading into the “Roaring 20’s” and economic prosperity Tracks on Tracks on Tracks ● The rapid shifts in culture and economy led to a boom in coasters ● Over 2000 were built in this era (mostly in the U.S.) ● As parks battled for patrons, they began the battle to have the most intense, exciting coasters ● This ideology is the basis of entertainment Notable Golden Age Coasters Coney Island Cyclone ● Built in 1927, designed by Harry Baker (former associate of John Miller) ● 85 ft tall, 58 degree first drop, 60 mph (doubtful), 2850 ft long, cost $175,000 ● Was almost destroyed in 1972 for an aquarium, saved by restoration campaign Coney Island Cyclone Crystal Beach Cyclone ● Probably most intense coaster ever ● Built by Harry Traver, an entrepreneur, in 1926 ● Had two other clones; together they were Traver’s “Terrible Trio” ● Killed a rider on its first day and had a nurse on duty in the station full time ● Riders experienced over 4 G’s Crystal Beach Cyclone ● 96 ft tall, 60 mph (doubtful), steel support structure ● “Trick Track” section ● Closed 1944 after lots of deterioration ● Old structure used for Crystal Beach Comet in 1946 ● Now the Comet at the Great Escape in New York Fred Church - Designer ● Famous for designing coasters with lots of crossovers and twisting track, unlike John Miller’s camelbacks ● The Bobs at Chicago’s Riverview Park was intense, but not violent Flying Turns ● Result of collaboration between John Miller and Canadian Air Force pilot named Norman Bartlett ● Trains are in a trough, like a bobsled ● Rarely-produced, short-lived design ● Knoebels Park in PA made one based on original plans by Miller and Bartlett, opened 2013 Coastermania ● Outside of the U.S., England was another amusement leader ● Many first coasters in other countries were due to British Empire occupation ○ Egypt, first coaster in Africa ○ Hong Kong, first Chinese coaster ○ Australia ○ Argentina ● Not much of a Golden Age outside the U.S. Decline End of the Golden Age ● Brought about by the Great Depression in 1929 and other factors ● Few new coasters built ● Parks struggled with attendance, began to offer other attractions like concerts ● WWII’s demand on raw material caused coaster destruction Further Decline (1950s-60s) ● Further decline resulted from ○ Conservative mindsets ○ Alternative entertainment ○ Urban decay as the middle class suburbanized Walt Disney ● Born 1901 in Chicago ● Became well-known with his animation studio ● Decided to build an amusement park to make a family friendly place Disneyland ● Disney purchased an orange grove in Anaheim, CA ● Construction for Disneyland began 1954 ● The project cost $17 million, or about $150 million today ● Terrible opening day, but became successful ● Popularity inspired other amusement parks to open Beginning of the Theme Park A New Spark ● Taft Broadcasting planned Kings Island, a Disneyland-like park ● Hub-and-spokes design, coaster centerpiece ● Finagled John Allen into building them a wooden coaster even though he was retiring ● The result was the Racer at King’s Island, a racing out-and-back coaster The King’s Island Racer ● Led to the resurgence of coasters (causality is debatable) The Steel Coaster Origins of Steel Coasters ● Around 1950, the idea of using steel tracks took hold ● Wild Mouse coasters began to appear, but got rough easily ● Disneyland approached Arrow Dynamics with a coaster idea ● The “impossible” idea was realized using tubular steel track ● Thus, the Matterhorn Bobsleds were born, and the first steel coaster Matterhorn Bobsleds Into the Upside-Down ● Initial coaster inversions were limited by lack of safety features like the up-stop wheel ● Arrow Dynamics made the first inversion with their Corkscrew coaster at Knott’s Berry Farm, CA ● Two corkscrews, a sort of rolling-over motion ● Next year, Arrow put in a vertical loop on the Corkscrew at Cedar Point, OH; they were beat by Schwarzkopf though Into the Upside-Down Next Week Basics of coaster design!.

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