Roller Coasters
Roller coasters—from the earliest ice slides to the powered steel coasters of today—continue to impact society in a shocking and thrilling way, sure to influence future roller coasters even more. Modern-day roller coasters developed from their earliest roots in Russia. These simple sleds, at first, did not use rollers at all. They were “ice slides”—made of wood and covered in ice—that allowed riders to sled down an icy hill and crash-land in a pile of sand.
A French businessman—or several French entrepreneurs (coaster historians disagree on how many people there were)—saw these ice slides and tried to bring the idea back to France. Perhaps this was a way to earn profit, or perhaps it was just for recreational fun. The problem was: the climate in France was too hot, and the chilly ice slides melted. In an effort to solve this major problem, the slides were built with waxed wood and rollers to roll down the hill instead of slide. This was the first coaster with rollers; hence the term “roller coaster.” Catherine the Great, empress of Russia, loved these rides. It is
speculated that she inspired the first coaster with these rollers so that people could enjoy the ride in the summer as well ("History").
These simple roller coasters were an instant hit with visitors and natives alike. Despite the pleasure that could be derived from them, these roller coasters were actually extremely dangerous. However, the more peril the ride presented, the more people came to seek thrill and excitement from them.
In America at this time, coal miners were using the Mauch Chunk Railway to transfer coal back and forth. Soon, people were paying money to ride the carts on this track for recreational purposes. After the coal miners starting using steam engines and underground tunnels in 1870, a hotel and restaurant were built on the top of the mountain where the railway lay.
Following in the 1880s-90s, LaMarcus Adna Thompson, an American businessman, made history with his creation of the Switchback Railway, the
world’s first modern roller coaster. His roller coaster was also the first to have connected carts instead of separate, individual carts. His roller coasters featured many positive aspects of previous roller coaster models. The coaster also had an automatic cable grip that prevented the carts from rolling backwards and triggered electric lighting in the tunnels installed along the track. Because of his work with the modern roller coaster and other inventions regarding energy and gravity, Thompson is known as the “father of gravity” (Wurfel).
An interview with the General Manager of the Switchback Railway Company in 1888 stated that “The switchback is safety itself, and the very essence of the concern, that which gives it its name, is the switch by which the car is switched from one line of rails and run into another. It is quite impossible for such an accident to happen on a switchback railway as that which happened on the roller-coaster at the Crystal Palace … The breaks did not work, and the ascending car descended, with consequences horrible to contemplate. On the switchback, supposing that a car did run backwards, it would not run into anything; the possibility of risk is minimized” ("Stories").
During the Great Depression and World War II, roller coaster production declined and no one had the time or heart to go coasting. In the 1970s and early 1980s, however, roller coasters made a revival stronger than ever before. Some people call this period the “roller coaster renaissance” of the 1970s. This era also introduced the concept of tubular steel coasters.
According to Cavette in his "Roller Coaster" article, roller coasters can be very complex structures, indeed. There are two main types: wooden roller coasters and steel roller coasters. Both types provide the excitement passengers are looking for. Steel coasters include more daring tracks while wooden coasters tend to rock and sway more during the ride.
Wooden roller coasters use massive structures to support the track. The wood used is often Douglas fir or southern yellow pine. The entire coaster is supported by a concrete foundation, and the bits and pieces are joined together by bolts and nails. There are steel plates under the carts.
Steel roller coasters use thin or tubular structures to support the track. All visible surfaces are painted, and most other attributes are made of steel as well. The cars are often made of aluminum or fiberglass, and the wheels are made from urethane. The significance of using steel to build roller coasters is big. Steel is made from iron. When used in roller coaster production, less wood (and, therefore, fewer trees) are needed, and steel doesn’t require as much amounts as using wood would have. Steel has the added benefit of being able to be twisted into various structures, leading to innovations with the roller coaster such as the inverted structure.
Other than being extremely fun to ride, roller coasters have also impacted society in a shocking way. Simply put, roller coasters exceed the limits of physics by providing a thrilling and potentially dangerous ride to passengers.
Many modern coasters are at least 100 meters high, and they can reach speeds of 150 miles per hour (Formula Rossa at Ferrari World). One of the most popular features of modern roller coasters it the steep drop or dive. Roller coasters take riders on numerous drops of 89-degree, 90-degree, and 112-degree drops. Some popular roller coasters include Superman: Escape from Krypton (a roller coaster much like a freefall ride), Steel Dragon 2000 (the coaster with the longest track record), and Diving Coaster (a coaster with two ninety degree drops) ("List").
Most new roller coasters are controlled by computers, and some people have declared roller coasters as being safer than normal car trips. Unless there is a problem with the programming of the ride or machine technicalities, there is virtually no possibility of human error, and, therefore, no way to make a bad decision regarding the roller coaster’s path. While accidents do still occur from time to time, their chances of happening have been reduced greatly in the modern time.
Roller coasters, by all means, are used mainly as recreational rides. They proved an instant hit with daredevils. Today, roller coasters present a number of special features designed into the ride, such as headchoppers, launch tracks, trick hills, and on-ride cameras. Some people believe roller coasters provide humans with an experience they were never meant to be presented with. However, as long as roller coasters have already been invented, engineers and people will continue to improve one of the most popular rides in amusement parks worldwide.
By the help of new understanding of physics and roller coasters, professional designers have experimented with daredevil structures such as loop-the-loops and inverted track paths because they know how to keep the sequence of carts attached to the track. People today can learn much about gravitational and centrifugal forces from roller coasters. Furthermore, they can analyze the effects of these strong forces and make even better discoveries in the future.
Likely, roller coasters will be even more thrilling and exciting than they are today, with greater speeds and heights. Daredevil designs will probably also be incorporated into new and improved coasters, including such ideas like leap-the-gap coasters. These type of coasters were tried before, but had failed. They simply weren’t safe enough, nor did they give anyone even the remotest assurance of safety. With the rate technology is advancing nowadays, it is highly likely leap-the-gap coasters will one day make it into amusement parks everywhere.
During the summer of 2012, two amusement park rides were demolished on behalf of the construction of a new steel roller coaster, GateKeeper. The roller coaster will open on May 11, 2013, at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, showing the rising fame of roller coasters as the ultimate speed demon and park attraction. The number of roller coasters in the world will predictably continue to rise until resources run out or another outside force stops production once again ("GateKeeper").
Perhaps some passengers will sustain injuries while being the first to try out new roller coasters; perhaps they won’t be hurt at all. Whatever the reason for creating new roller coasters, we can be sure that roller coasters are a popular cultural icon that will exceed the limits of speed, height, and physics even more in the future than it already has.
A French businessman—or several French entrepreneurs (coaster historians disagree on how many people there were)—saw these ice slides and tried to bring the idea back to France. Perhaps this was a way to earn profit, or perhaps it was just for recreational fun. The problem was: the climate in France was too hot, and the chilly ice slides melted. In an effort to solve this major problem, the slides were built with waxed wood and rollers to roll down the hill instead of slide. This was the first coaster with rollers; hence the term “roller coaster.” Catherine the Great, empress of Russia, loved these rides. It is
speculated that she inspired the first coaster with these rollers so that people could enjoy the ride in the summer as well ("History").
These simple roller coasters were an instant hit with visitors and natives alike. Despite the pleasure that could be derived from them, these roller coasters were actually extremely dangerous. However, the more peril the ride presented, the more people came to seek thrill and excitement from them.
In America at this time, coal miners were using the Mauch Chunk Railway to transfer coal back and forth. Soon, people were paying money to ride the carts on this track for recreational purposes. After the coal miners starting using steam engines and underground tunnels in 1870, a hotel and restaurant were built on the top of the mountain where the railway lay.
Following in the 1880s-90s, LaMarcus Adna Thompson, an American businessman, made history with his creation of the Switchback Railway, the
world’s first modern roller coaster. His roller coaster was also the first to have connected carts instead of separate, individual carts. His roller coasters featured many positive aspects of previous roller coaster models. The coaster also had an automatic cable grip that prevented the carts from rolling backwards and triggered electric lighting in the tunnels installed along the track. Because of his work with the modern roller coaster and other inventions regarding energy and gravity, Thompson is known as the “father of gravity” (Wurfel).
An interview with the General Manager of the Switchback Railway Company in 1888 stated that “The switchback is safety itself, and the very essence of the concern, that which gives it its name, is the switch by which the car is switched from one line of rails and run into another. It is quite impossible for such an accident to happen on a switchback railway as that which happened on the roller-coaster at the Crystal Palace … The breaks did not work, and the ascending car descended, with consequences horrible to contemplate. On the switchback, supposing that a car did run backwards, it would not run into anything; the possibility of risk is minimized” ("Stories").
During the Great Depression and World War II, roller coaster production declined and no one had the time or heart to go coasting. In the 1970s and early 1980s, however, roller coasters made a revival stronger than ever before. Some people call this period the “roller coaster renaissance” of the 1970s. This era also introduced the concept of tubular steel coasters.
According to Cavette in his "Roller Coaster" article, roller coasters can be very complex structures, indeed. There are two main types: wooden roller coasters and steel roller coasters. Both types provide the excitement passengers are looking for. Steel coasters include more daring tracks while wooden coasters tend to rock and sway more during the ride.
Wooden roller coasters use massive structures to support the track. The wood used is often Douglas fir or southern yellow pine. The entire coaster is supported by a concrete foundation, and the bits and pieces are joined together by bolts and nails. There are steel plates under the carts.
Steel roller coasters use thin or tubular structures to support the track. All visible surfaces are painted, and most other attributes are made of steel as well. The cars are often made of aluminum or fiberglass, and the wheels are made from urethane. The significance of using steel to build roller coasters is big. Steel is made from iron. When used in roller coaster production, less wood (and, therefore, fewer trees) are needed, and steel doesn’t require as much amounts as using wood would have. Steel has the added benefit of being able to be twisted into various structures, leading to innovations with the roller coaster such as the inverted structure.
Other than being extremely fun to ride, roller coasters have also impacted society in a shocking way. Simply put, roller coasters exceed the limits of physics by providing a thrilling and potentially dangerous ride to passengers.
Many modern coasters are at least 100 meters high, and they can reach speeds of 150 miles per hour (Formula Rossa at Ferrari World). One of the most popular features of modern roller coasters it the steep drop or dive. Roller coasters take riders on numerous drops of 89-degree, 90-degree, and 112-degree drops. Some popular roller coasters include Superman: Escape from Krypton (a roller coaster much like a freefall ride), Steel Dragon 2000 (the coaster with the longest track record), and Diving Coaster (a coaster with two ninety degree drops) ("List").
Most new roller coasters are controlled by computers, and some people have declared roller coasters as being safer than normal car trips. Unless there is a problem with the programming of the ride or machine technicalities, there is virtually no possibility of human error, and, therefore, no way to make a bad decision regarding the roller coaster’s path. While accidents do still occur from time to time, their chances of happening have been reduced greatly in the modern time.
Roller coasters, by all means, are used mainly as recreational rides. They proved an instant hit with daredevils. Today, roller coasters present a number of special features designed into the ride, such as headchoppers, launch tracks, trick hills, and on-ride cameras. Some people believe roller coasters provide humans with an experience they were never meant to be presented with. However, as long as roller coasters have already been invented, engineers and people will continue to improve one of the most popular rides in amusement parks worldwide.
By the help of new understanding of physics and roller coasters, professional designers have experimented with daredevil structures such as loop-the-loops and inverted track paths because they know how to keep the sequence of carts attached to the track. People today can learn much about gravitational and centrifugal forces from roller coasters. Furthermore, they can analyze the effects of these strong forces and make even better discoveries in the future.
Likely, roller coasters will be even more thrilling and exciting than they are today, with greater speeds and heights. Daredevil designs will probably also be incorporated into new and improved coasters, including such ideas like leap-the-gap coasters. These type of coasters were tried before, but had failed. They simply weren’t safe enough, nor did they give anyone even the remotest assurance of safety. With the rate technology is advancing nowadays, it is highly likely leap-the-gap coasters will one day make it into amusement parks everywhere.
During the summer of 2012, two amusement park rides were demolished on behalf of the construction of a new steel roller coaster, GateKeeper. The roller coaster will open on May 11, 2013, at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, showing the rising fame of roller coasters as the ultimate speed demon and park attraction. The number of roller coasters in the world will predictably continue to rise until resources run out or another outside force stops production once again ("GateKeeper").
Perhaps some passengers will sustain injuries while being the first to try out new roller coasters; perhaps they won’t be hurt at all. Whatever the reason for creating new roller coasters, we can be sure that roller coasters are a popular cultural icon that will exceed the limits of speed, height, and physics even more in the future than it already has.