Loop the Loop was a
dual-tracked steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
roller coaster
A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...
that operated on
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...
in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, from 1901 to 1910. The coaster was one of the first
looping roller coasters in North America.
History
Loop the Loop was the second looping roller coaster ever to be built on Coney Island and was one of a handful of early looping roller coasters built in the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was designed by Edward Green and manufactured by Edwin Prescott.
The coaster was operated independently, and was not part of one of the cohesive amusement parks which existed on Coney Island.
The coaster was built at the corner of West 10th and Surf Avenue on Coney Island, near the current location of the famous
Coney Island Cyclone
The Cyclone, also the Coney Island Cyclone, is a wooden roller coaster at Luna Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. Designed by Vernon Keenan, it opened to the public on June 26, 1927. The roller coaster is on a plot of land at the ...
and at the location of the former
Switchback Railway
The original Switchback Railway was the first roller coaster at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York City, and one of the earliest designed for amusement in the United States. The 1885 patent states the invention relates to the gravity double tr ...
. The Loop the Loop lasted from 1901 to 1910 but was a relative commercial failure because of the low rider volume.
This low rider volume was partly a function of the small cars on the coaster, and partly because safety inspectors would not allow more than one car on the course at any given time,
nor would they allow the cars to be joined into trains.
The operators attempted to supplement the coaster's revenue by having an observation gallery where patrons could pay to watch others ride the roller coaster.
Rides on the coaster itself cost 10 cents.
Track layout
![Loop the Loop Coney Island patent](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Loop_the_Loop_Coney_Island_patent.png)
Loop the Loop was an improvement in terms of ride comfort over previous looping coasters such as
Lina Beecher's Flip Flap Railway
Flip Flap Railway was the name of a looping wooden roller coaster which operated for a number of years at Paul Boyton's Sea Lion Park on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. The coaster, which opened in 1895, was the first looping roller coaster ...
and earlier
centrifugal railways. This was primarily because Loop the Loop incorporated a more elliptical design,
thereby reducing the
g-force
The gravitational force equivalent, or, more commonly, g-force, is a measurement of the type of force per unit mass – typically acceleration – that causes a perception of weight, with a g-force of 1 g (not gram in mass measure ...
s which riders experienced on more circular roller coaster loops (which could be up to 12 g on the Flip Flap Railway).
Loop the Loop also had rubber wheels to improve the ride comfort along with safety rails.
Nevertheless, many riders still experienced discomfort.
Loop the Loop was laid out as a dual-track roller coaster. The two tracks ran parallel with one loop on each track.
Despite the two tracks doubling possible rider volume, the small cars on the coaster restricted per-hour ridership numbers.
See also
*
Flip Flap Railway
Flip Flap Railway was the name of a looping wooden roller coaster which operated for a number of years at Paul Boyton's Sea Lion Park on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. The coaster, which opened in 1895, was the first looping roller coaster ...
, the first looping roller coaster built on Coney Island and the first in North America.
*
Loop the Loop (Young's Pier)
Loop the Loop (occasionally referred to as the Flip Flap Railway) was a steel, dual-tracked roller coaster located in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The roller coaster opened in 1901 and operated until 1912. It was one of the earliest looping roller ...
, a looping coaster built in
Atlantic City
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
which was sometimes called ''Flip Flap Railway'' as well.
*
Loop the Loop (Olentangy Park)
Loop the Loop was an early looping steel roller coaster which operated at Olentangy Park in Columbus, Ohio during the first decade of the 1900s. It was one of the first looping roller coasters to operate in North America, and it was designed a ...
, A looping steel coaster built at
Olentangy Park
Olentangy Park was a trolley park, a type of amusement park, in Clintonville, Columbus, Ohio, operating from 1880 to 1937.
Location
Olentangy Park was located in what is now the southwest corner of Clintonville. The park boundaries on its west ...
near
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
.
References
{{Coney Island
Coney Island
Demolished buildings and structures in Brooklyn
Former roller coasters in New York (state)