Scenic railway (roller coaster design)

A scenic railway is an early roller coaster design that uses only road wheels. It usually requires a brakeman to ride on the train and slow it, if needed. Their name derives from the fact that they are often adorned with elaborate façades.

Current installations
  • The Scenic Railway at Luna Park, Melbourne. Built in 1912, it is the oldest continuously operating roller coaster in the world, and the oldest roller coaster in Australia.[1]
  • Rutschebanen (literally, "The Roller Coaster") at Tivoli Gardens in Denmark. Built by Denmark native Valdemar Lebech. Opened in 1914.[2]
  • The Scenic Railway at Dreamland Margate in Kent, England. Opened in 1920, The Scenic Railway was granted Grade II listed status in the UK by English Heritage – the UK equivalent of a national historic landmark. In 2008 a portion of the ride was damaged in a fire and the ride ceased operation.[3] It underwent restoration and Dreamland reopened on 19 June 2015 following an £18m investment.[4][5]
  • The Hullámvasút at Vidámpark in Budapest, Hungary. Built in 1922, opened in 1926, after it was set on fire. Hullámvasút closed on 11 November 2015, but remains standing.[6]
  • The Montaña Suiza ("Swiss Mountain" in Spanish) at Parque de Atracciones Monte Igueldo in Donostia/San Sebastián, Spain. Built by Erich Heidrich and operating since 1928.[7]
  • The Roller Coaster at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach in Norfolk, England. Also built by Erich Heidrich for the Colonial Exhibition in Paris in 1929. Moved to Great Yarmouth in 1932.[8]
  • Rutschebanen (the name literally means "The Roller Coaster") at Dyrehavsbakken in Denmark. Built by Denmark native Valdemar Lebech. Opened in 1932.[9]
  • The Hochschaubahn at Wurstelprater in Vienna, Austria. Opened in 1950 as a replacement for the original, which was destroyed during World War II.[10]
  • Vuoristorata at Linnanmäki in Helsinki, Finland. Built by Denmark native Valdemar Lebech. A slightly taller and longer copy of Rutschebanen at Dyrehavsbakken in Denmark. Opened in 1951, still featuring the original oak wooden trains operated by brakemen.[11]

References
  1. "Scenic Railway - Luna Park (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)". rcdb.com. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  2. "Rutschebanen - Tivoli Gardens (Copenhagen, Sjælland, Denmark)". rcdb.com. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  3. "Fire rips through rollercoaster". BBC News. April 7, 2008. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  4. "Margate's Dreamland funfair to reopen after restoration". BBC News. 27 March 2015.
  5. "Scenic Railway - Dreamland (Margate, Kent, England, United Kingdom)". rcdb.com. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  6. "Hullámvasút - Holnemvolt Park (Budapest, Hungary)". rcdb.com. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  7. "Montaña Suiza - Parque de Atracciones Monte Igueldo (San Sebastián, Guipuzcoa, Basque Country, Spain)". rcdb.com. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  8. "Roller Coaster - Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach (Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom)". rcdb.com. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  9. "Rutschebanen - Bakken (Klampenborg, Sjælland, Denmark)". rcdb.com. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  10. "Hochschaubahn - Wiener Prater (Vienna, Vienna, Austria)". rcdb.com. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  11. "Vuoristorata - Linnanmäki (Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland)". rcdb.com. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
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