The Evolution of the Roller Coaster

In the Russian Mountains around Saint Petersburg were hills constructed of ice and wood and riders would slide down, these slides were very popular in russia.

In France the centrifugal coasters were invented with a wheeled sled running through a loop, these loops were called centrifugal railways.

A mining company in Pennsylvania constructed a downhill railroad to deliver coal and by 1872 people payed 50 cents to ride the rail road. LaMarcus Adna Thompson based his two lane roller coaster in Coney Isand off of this railroad. Phillip Hinkle was the first man to make a complete circut coaster in 1885

Richard Knudsen created a coaster that consisted of two parallel sets of tracks, that progressed from high to ground level. the tracks raised by lift mechanism to other sets of tracks.

Phillip Hinckle had the idea to make seats face forward and also made a steam powered chain lift entering the roller coasters into a race of trying to outdue one another.

Bergy County Traction created a ride with a electrified rail and the ability to go forward and backward for 4,500 feet of tracks.

John Miller invented the "under friction wheels". Older coasters used "side friction wheels" that rolled along the inside of the tracks. the "under friction wheels" roll under the track which solved the problem of derailment

Walt Disney and Arrow Development Company created a new roller coaster and these new roller coasters were made of steel. the new tracks rode smoother and quieter taking away the feeling of danger that had existed in the time of wooden roller coasters

The Arrow Development Company went into designing a new corkscrew roller coaster. Using steel pipes to keep the wheels on the track in case the roller coaster were to stop. With a new elliptical pattern the Arrow Development Company created the corkscrew in Buena Park, California.

Schwarzkopf created the shuttle roller coaster which was not a complete circuit but are still popular today.