Roller Coaster

Ryan H., Kevin O., Emily P.

History
The history of the roller coaster dates back to the 18th
century in Russia when people constructed roller coasters
from wood and hills of snow all around Saint Petersburg
these attractions were called a Katalnaya Gorka sliding
hill in Russian. The sliding hills were built 70-80 feet high
and had a 50 degree drop, these sliding hills were also
reinforced with wood and used carts instead of sleds.
Later in Paris during the 19th century had roller coasters
appear on tracks and guided rails to keep them on
course.

First Roller Coaster In the US

The first roller coaster was built at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York
in 1884. It was known as the Switchback railway. It traveled about six
mph and only cost 5 cents each ride.

Who made the first Roller Coaster in

the US
Lamarcus Thompson created the first roller coaster in the U.S. he was born in Jersey,
Licking County, Ohio on March 8, 1848. In his adolescence he became a skilled carpenter.
In 1873 he began operating a grocery store in Elkhart, Indiana. There he began designing
a device to manufacture seamless hosiery. He made a fortune in that business, but failing
health forced him to quit it. Thompson is best known for his early work developing roller
coasters, and is sometimes called the "Father of the Gravity Ride". However he did not
invent the roller coaster. The history of the roller coaster dates back to at least the 17th
century, and John G. Taylor obtained an earlier patent under the name "Inclined Railway"
and actually invented the roller coaster in the U.S.; however, over his lifetime, Thompson
accumulated nearly thirty patents related to roller coaster technologies. An example is
the patent granted 22 Dec. 1884 for the Gravity Switch-back Railway.Thompson's Gravity
Pleasure Switchback Railway opened at Coney Island in 1884. A (6 mph) ride cost 5
cents. Eventually he built many more, both in the U.S. and in Europe. In 1887, along with
designer James A. Griffiths, he opened the Scenic Railway on the Boardwalk in Atlantic
City, N.J.

The First steel Roller Coaster

In 1959, Disneyland introduced a design breakthrough with
Matterhorn Bobsleds, the first roller coaster to use a tubular steel
track. Unlike wooden coaster rails, which are generally formed using
steel strips mounted on laminated wood, tubular steel can be bent in
any direction, allowing designers to incorporate loops, corkscrews,
and many other maneuvers into their designs. Most modern roller
coasters are made of steel, although wooden coasters are still being
built along with hybrids of steel and wood.

Elements of a roller coaster

Roller coasters are divided into two main categories: steel roller coasters and wooden roller coasters. Steel
coasters have tubular steel tracks, and compared to wooden coasters, they are typically known for offering a
smoother ride and their ability to turn riders upside-down. Wooden coasters have flat steel tracks, and are
typically renowned for producing "air time" through the use of negative G-forces when reaching the crest of some
hill elements. Newer types of track, such as I-Box and Topper introduced by Rocky Mountain Construction, improve
the ride experience on wooden coasters, lower maintenance costs, and add the ability to invert riders. Modern
roller coasters are constantly evolving to provide a variety of different experiences. More focus is being placed on
the position of riders in relation to the overall experience. Traditionally, riders sit facing forward, but newer
variations such as stand-up and flying models position the rider in different ways to change the experiences. A
flying model, for example, is a suspended roller coaster where the riders lie facing forward and down with their
chests and feet strapped in. Other ways of enhancing the experience involve removing the floor beneath
passengers riding above the track, as featured in floorless roller coasters. Also new track elements usually types
of inversions are often introduced to provide entirely new experiences

Safety
Many safety systems are implemented in roller coasters. One of these is the block system. Most
large roller coasters have the ability to run two or more trains at once, and the block system
prevents these trains from colliding. In this system, the track is divided into several sections, or
blocks. Only one train at a time is permitted in each block. At the end of each block, there is a
section of track where a train can be stopped if necessary either by preventing dispatch from the
station, closing brakes, or stopping a lift. Sensors at the end of each block detect when a train
passes so that the computer running the ride is aware of which blocks are occupied. When the
computer detects a train about to travel into an already occupied block, it uses whatever method is
available to keep it from entering.
Ride designers must carefully ensure the accelerations experienced throughout the ride do not subject the
human body to more than it can handle. The human body needs time to detect changes in force in order to
control muscle tension. Failure to take this into account can result in severe injuries such as whiplash.

Physics of a roller coaster

The cars on a typical roller coaster are not self-powered. Instead, a standard
full circuit coaster is pulled up with a chain or cable along the lift hill to the
first peak of the coaster track. The potential energy accumulated by the rise in
height is transferred to kinetic energy as the cars race down the first
downward slope. Kinetic energy is then converted back into potential energy
as the train moves up again to the second peak. This hill is necessarily lower,
as some mechanical energy is lost to friction.

The Racer Kings Island roller coaster

The Racer is a racing roller coaster at Kings
Island in Mason, Ohio. Designed by the
legendary John C. Allen, The Racer is often
recognized with being a vital part of the roller
coaster renaissance of the 1970s, generally
referred to as the industry's second golden age.
It was featured at the grand opening of the
amusement park in 1972 and inspired similar
designs in other roller coasters around the
world, such as Rebel Yell at Kings Dominion and
Thunder Road at Carowinds. The Racer is also
one of the few original Kings Island attractions

Specs of the racer

The Racer is an out and back roller coaster design featuring two
identical tracks that run parallel to each other. The design allows for
two trains to race in similar fashion from start to finish. A unique
design element that wasn't prevalent in 1972 was the splitting apart
of both tracks into separate, standalone structures that rejoin again
near the end. Previously, racing roller coasters were typically
designed with both tracks remaining side-by-side throughout the
entire course of the ride.

Specs
Type Wood Racing, Manufacturer Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters,
Designer John C. Allen, Track layout Out and back, Lift/launch
system
Chain, Blue and Red Height 88 ft (26.8 m), Drop 82.17 ft (25.0 m),
Length 3,415 ft (1,040.9 m), Speed 53 mph (85.3 km/h) Inversions
0, Duration 2:00, Max vertical angle 45, Capacity 2640 riders per
hour, Height restriction 48 in (122 cm), Trains 4 trains with 5 cars.
Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 30 riders per

Red side of the Racer roller coaster