Dragon Coaster (Playland)
Encyclopedia
The Dragon Coaster, Playland Amusement Park's
iconic attraction, in Rye, New York
, is a wooden roller coaster
that was opened in 1929. It was designed and built by legendary amusement ride creator Frederick A. Church, who also was the co-inventor of the Racing Derby, another famous early 20th century amusement park ride. The Dragon Coaster has approximately 3400 feet of track and is, at its highest, approximately 80 feet tall. It has a tunnel along its span, a common feature of wooden roller coasters from the 1920s, that resembles the body of a Dragon and the opening of the tunnel resembling the mouth of a Dragon. It has also been featured in the film Fatal Attraction, Mariah Carey's music video Fantasy, and Big
, starring Tom Hanks
. The Dragon Coaster is still in operation to this day.
.
Once at the top, riders are given a quick view of the Long Island Sound
before plunging down an abrupt dip which gives the train a rush of momentum. The train takes a quick right and proceeds down the main drop of about 80 ft. An on-ride camera
snaps photos of the riders as the near the bottom of the drop which they can later buy. The train passes a few head-choppers
as it passes under the lift hill, and then climbs up into a turn-around directly above the boarding station. The trains then proceed down a double-dip like drop. This momentum sends the train careening toward the mouth of the fire breathing dragon!
As they enter the tunnel, a roaring sound-effect plays, the eyes of the dragon light up, and a fog machine sprays out a smoke-like mist from the nostrils of the dragon, (and consequently, producing a simultaneous drooling effect, where drops of the condensation in the fog machine fall on the riders heads). The tunnel wraps around the turn off the lift hill's upper middle, and sends the riders out into the coaster's left leg.
The trains dip down out of the tunnel into a short straightaway, and then climb up into a turnaround at the far end of the left leg. The trains head back toward the center lift hill turn portion. After a few dips, the trains reach another turn around, directly under the dragon tunnel. They trains proceed back out into the left leg for one more out-and-back trip before heading toward the boarding station. Riders exit the trains; which are manually blocked by the operator, and exit the boarding station. The train then heads from the unload section to the load section.
The ride was master planned by Church to fit directly on top of the Old Mill ride; which he also designed. The ride's dips are consequently placed in clearings in between the Old Mill's tunnels, and some dips dive up over the tunnels. Both are veteran attractions from the opening day, and have shared the same plot of land for almost a century.
An original train car is mounted across the path from the entrance, next to the on-ride photo purchase booth, so visitors can sit down and take pictures.
Playland (New York)
Playland, often called Rye Playland and also known as Playland Amusement Park, is an amusement park located in Rye, New York. Run by Westchester County, it is the only government owned-and-operated amusement park in the United States.-History:...
iconic attraction, in Rye, New York
Rye (city), New York
Rye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the town of Rye, which is larger than the city. Rye city, formerly the village of Rye, was part of the town until 1942, when it received its charter as a city, the most recent to be issued in New York...
, is a wooden roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
that was opened in 1929. It was designed and built by legendary amusement ride creator Frederick A. Church, who also was the co-inventor of the Racing Derby, another famous early 20th century amusement park ride. The Dragon Coaster has approximately 3400 feet of track and is, at its highest, approximately 80 feet tall. It has a tunnel along its span, a common feature of wooden roller coasters from the 1920s, that resembles the body of a Dragon and the opening of the tunnel resembling the mouth of a Dragon. It has also been featured in the film Fatal Attraction, Mariah Carey's music video Fantasy, and Big
Big
Big is a 1988 romantic comedy film directed by Penny Marshall and stars Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin, a young boy who makes a wish "to be big" to a magical fortune-telling machine and is then aged to adulthood overnight...
, starring Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
. The Dragon Coaster is still in operation to this day.
Ride layout and experience
The Dragon Coaster's boarding station is wrapped around the right leg of the layout. After climbing into the new Morgan trains, the operator pushes a lever to release the still used manual braking system. The trains roll down a short inclined curve toward the lift hillLift hill
A lift hill, or chain hill, is often the initial upward-sloping section of track on a typical roller coaster that initially transports the roller coaster train to an elevated point or peak in the roller coaster ride...
.
Once at the top, riders are given a quick view of the Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
before plunging down an abrupt dip which gives the train a rush of momentum. The train takes a quick right and proceeds down the main drop of about 80 ft. An on-ride camera
On-ride camera
An on-ride camera is a camera mounted alongside the track of a roller coaster, log flume or other thrill ride that automatically photographs all of the riders on each passing vehicle. They are often mounted at the most intense or fastest part of the ride, resulting in humorously distorted...
snaps photos of the riders as the near the bottom of the drop which they can later buy. The train passes a few head-choppers
Roller coaster elements
Roller coasters are composed of various elements, the individual parts of the design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, turn, etc. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements."...
as it passes under the lift hill, and then climbs up into a turn-around directly above the boarding station. The trains then proceed down a double-dip like drop. This momentum sends the train careening toward the mouth of the fire breathing dragon!
As they enter the tunnel, a roaring sound-effect plays, the eyes of the dragon light up, and a fog machine sprays out a smoke-like mist from the nostrils of the dragon, (and consequently, producing a simultaneous drooling effect, where drops of the condensation in the fog machine fall on the riders heads). The tunnel wraps around the turn off the lift hill's upper middle, and sends the riders out into the coaster's left leg.
The trains dip down out of the tunnel into a short straightaway, and then climb up into a turnaround at the far end of the left leg. The trains head back toward the center lift hill turn portion. After a few dips, the trains reach another turn around, directly under the dragon tunnel. They trains proceed back out into the left leg for one more out-and-back trip before heading toward the boarding station. Riders exit the trains; which are manually blocked by the operator, and exit the boarding station. The train then heads from the unload section to the load section.
The ride was master planned by Church to fit directly on top of the Old Mill ride; which he also designed. The ride's dips are consequently placed in clearings in between the Old Mill's tunnels, and some dips dive up over the tunnels. Both are veteran attractions from the opening day, and have shared the same plot of land for almost a century.
Historical preservation
The coaster, along with other rides in Playland are under the protection of a National Historic Landmark status. A marker on the wall of the loading station lists the ride as one of the original attractions at Playland. The ride is still being manually braked, a feat few coasters can claim today. The ride ran using the original flanged wheel trains until the early 1980s, when the lack of rare parts forced management to switch them out with Morgan Manufacturing trains. These trains are also in use on the two Giant Dipper roller coasters in California, (San Diego and Santa Cruz respectively) the only other roller coasters designed by Church still in operation.An original train car is mounted across the path from the entrance, next to the on-ride photo purchase booth, so visitors can sit down and take pictures.