Side friction roller coaster
Encyclopedia
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...
design that does not have an extra set of wheels under the track to prevent cars from becoming airborne. Before the invention of up-stop wheels
Underfriction
On a roller coaster train, the underfriction, up-lift, or up-stop wheels are a device to keep the train from jumping off the track under intense movement. The design was patented in 1919 by John Miller....
, coaster cars were built to run in a trough, with wheels under the car and side plates to help keep the cars on the track. Because the cars were not firmly anchored and could derail if they took a corner too fast, the largest side friction coasters required a brakeman to ride on the train and slow it down when necessary.
The invention of up-stop wheels in the 1920s allowed much more scope for height and speed in coaster designs, leaving side friction coasters to quickly fall out of favor. Only two have been built since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and none since 1951. Today, there are only nine left in the world. Seven of them are located in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, one in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and one in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. A tenth one that had been "standing but not operating
Standing But Not Operating
Standing but not operating is a term used for an amusement park, amusement ride or roller coaster, which means it is standing, but it is not operated for various reasons. Reasons might include irreparable damage or simply a lack of funding to operate the amusement park or ride...
,(SBNO)" since 2003, the "Runaway Coaster" at the defunct Rotunda amusement park in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, was demolished on April 5, 2007.
Installations
- Leap the Dips at Lakemont ParkLakemont ParkLakemont Park, located in Altoona, Pennsylvania, houses the world's oldest-surviving roller coaster, the Leap-The-Dips. The park opened in 1894 as a trolley park and became an amusement park in the summer of 1899. It is the 8th oldest in the United States...
in AltoonaAltoonaAltoona, a variant of "Altona", is the name of several municipalities in the United States of America:*Altoona, Alabama*Altoona, Florida*Altoona, Iowa*Altoona, Kansas*Altoona, Pennsylvania*Altoona, Washington*Altoona, Wisconsin...
, PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. - Rutschebanen (the name literally means "The Roller Coaster") at Tivoli Gardens in DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. Opened in 1914. - The Scenic RailwayThe Scenic RailwayThe Scenic Railway is a wooden double out-and-back scenic railway located at the site of the former Dreamland Amusement Park, Margate, UK. It was built at the park in 1919/1920 and opened in March 1920. The ride is now almost unique, as a brakeman is still required to travel with the train to...
at Dreamland MargateDreamland MargateDreamland Margate is an amusement park located in Margate, Kent, England. It is currently owned by Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company and is closed to the public...
in KentKentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Opened in 1920, and given Grade II "listed" status by English Heritage (the equivalent of a national historic landmark in the United States). Part of the ride was destroyed by fire in April 2007; and it currently is SBNO. - The scenic railway ride at Luna Park, MelbourneLuna Park, MelbourneFor other amusement parks of the same name, see Luna Park; for other uses of the phrase, see Luna Park Melbourne's Luna Park is a historic amusement park located on the foreshore of Port Phillip Bay in St Kilda, Victoria, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Australia...
that has been running since 1912. - The Hullámvasút at Vidámpark in Budapest, Hungary. Built in 1922, opened in 1926, after it was set on fire, this is the oldest operating roller coaster in Central EuropeCentral EuropeCentral Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
. - The "Montaña SuizaMontaña SuizaMontaña Suiza is a steel side-friction scenic railway roller coaster located at Parque de atracciones Monte Igueldo on the coast at Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain...
" ("Swiss Mountain" in Spanish) at Parque de atracciones Monte Igueldo in Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain. Built by Erich Heidrich and operating since 1928. - The Roller CoasterScenic Railway Roller CoasterThe Scenic Railway Roller Coaster, known simply as the Scenic or Roller Coaster, is a wooden triple out-and-back scenic railway at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach, Great Yarmouth, UK. The ride was built at the park in 1932 and has been operational ever since. It stands and operates as the only...
at Great Yarmouth Pleasure BeachGreat Yarmouth Pleasure BeachGreat Yarmouth Pleasure Beach is a historic free entry pleasure park located in the seaside resort town of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, on the English east coast. The park first opened in 1909 and has been operating ever since....
in Norfolk, England. Also built by Erich Heidrich for the Colonial Exhibition in ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1929. Moved to Great Yarmouth in 1932. - Rutschebanen (the name literally means "The Roller Coaster") at DyrehavsbakkenDyrehavsbakkenDyrehavsbakken , commonly referred to as Bakken , is the world's oldest operating amusement park. It is located near Klampenborg but belongs under Lyngby-Taarbæk Kommune, Denmark about 10 km north of Copenhagen...
in Denmark. Opened in 1932. - The Hochschaubahn at WurstelpraterWurstelpraterThe Wurstelprater is an amusement park and section of the Wiener Prater in the second district of Vienna, Leopoldstadt.This institution dates back to the time of the Austro-Hungarian empire, when Emperor Josef II. made the Prater open to public in 1766...
in Vienna, Austria. Opened in 1950 as a replacement for the original, which was destroyed during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. - VuoristorataVuoristorataVuoristorata is a roller coaster in the Finnish amusement park Linnanmäki. It opened on July 13, 1951 and was designed as a temporary attraction for the Linnanmäki park, opened in 1950. One of the main reasons for its construction was to attract tourists of the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki...
at LinnanmäkiLinnanmäkiLinnanmäki is an amusement park in Helsinki, Finland. It was opened on May 27, 1950 and is owned by non-profit Lasten Päivän Säätiö . Linnanmäki has 44 different rides of different sizes...
in Helsinki, Finland. Opened in 1951. To date, this is the last side friction coaster ever built.
External links
- An article on the remaining side friction coasters
- The "Save Dreamland" web site, a campaign to preserve the park and its side friction coaster.