Roller coasters have evolved from wooden to steel, with names like Venom and The Dark Knight. The oldest roller coaster in the world is Leap the Dips, built in 1902. The Matterhorn at Disneyland is the granddaddy of steel coasters. Roller coasters are still popular and older ones are being preserved.
With names like Venom, The Dark Knight and Goliath, roller coasters have become the ultimate amusement park thrill. Their steel loops, turns, and inversions carry riders through one nausea-inducing, scream-inducing episode after another. It wasn’t always like this, though. There was a time in America when venerable wooden roller coasters were the greatest thrill around.
Roller coasters have been around for quite some time. They date from the late 19th century. Some of the oldest roller coasters still standing date back to the 19th century.
The competition to be one of the oldest coasters has been fierce at times. However, some of the older coasters no longer exist. They were torn down years ago.
The oldest roller coaster in the world is Leap the Dips, built in 1902. It is located in Lakemont Park in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It lay unused for several years, but was fully restored and reopened in 1999. Its wooden runway is 1,452 feet (442.6 meters) long and 48 feet (14.6 meters) high, and has a drop of nine feet (3 meters). . Roller coasters were risky business in the early days, and those who designed the older rides sometimes risked their entire fortunes.
Among other older roller coasters, the oldest outside the United States is Rutschebahnen, in Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark. This example was built in 1913 and is still running. One of the most famous wooden coasters is the Cyclone in Coney Island, New York. The Cyclone opened in 1927, which certainly makes it one of the oldest roller coasters still in operation.
Times have changed, though, and with those changes has come the innovation of the steel roller coaster. Steel rails and cars allowed for more varied track designs. The granddaddy of the steel roller coaster is the Matterhorn at Disneyland in California. Built in 1959, it caused a sensation when it opened.
Space Mountain, an indoor steel roller coaster at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, opened in 1975. It was the first fully enclosed roller coaster. Other parks followed suit and soon people were clamoring for a steel coaster at every theme park.
Roller coasters are still popular, particularly for roller coaster purists. They are still under construction, albeit with better materials than 100 years ago. However, older roller coasters are part of history, and organizations to preserve them are becoming increasingly popular.
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