Top 5 Oldest Roller Coaster In The World

It will be some of our childhood dreams to be able to ride on a rollercoaster when reaching a certain age and it is considered a must-try ride in every theme park that we go to. Some would be willing to travel the world so that they could try what is believed to be the steepest roller coaster out there.

Most of the roller coasters today will give you that thrilling experience of wanting to try it even more. However, the early stages of the roller coaster's design are slower and more relaxing compared to now.

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Most of the oldest and earliest roller coasters in the world were made from wood and did not achieve a speed of more than 72km/h. All of these roller coasters date back to the early 20th century and most of them have remained operational ever since then.

Regardless of the roller coasters being modified, all of them still retain the same kind of experience for those who ride them.

5. Jack Rabbit (1920)

The Jack Rabbit rollercoaster was first built by John A. Miller and Harry C. Baker in 1920 at Kennywood Park, Pennsylvania. This rollercoaster was not long built after Miller patented the new track design where all the wooden rollercoaster being made since then uses the same type of design.

This particular design allowed him to place the 70 feet fall on the Jack Rabbit which happened to be the steepest fall in the world at that time. The Jack Rabbit rollercoaster that is being used today only started back in 1951 and was designed by Edward Vettel, Sr.

When newer trains were being added, the popular Jack Rabbit tunnel was forced to be moved it was then added back in 1991 but its length was reduced.

4. The Wild One (1917)

The Wild One in the Six Flags America theme park was not actually introduced to that park until 1986. However, the Wild One was originally opened in 1917 as a Giant Coaster in Paragon Park in Hull, Massachusetts.

Paragon Park was closed in 1985 but managed to sell the Giant Coaster to Wild World which now become a part of Six Flags America. According to the history of theme parks, one of the parts of World One that might be original will be the train, motors, and lift chain.

Paragon Park has also handed over the original plan of the design. Therefore, Six Flags has rebuilt all the roller coasters using the original specifications. But the old wooden rollercoaster is more expensive and quite difficult to be maintained.

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In the end, the theme park did not plan to make any type of change to what remains of this living classic history.

3. Rutschebanen (1914)

Rutschebanen or more commonly known as Roller Coaster by Tivoli Gardena is the oldest roller coaster in Europe since 1914. Even though the age itself is amazing, Tivoli Gardens have been operational for more than 7 decades before Rutschebanen made its presence.

Tivoli Gardens was opened in 1843 and happens to be the oldest theme park in the world that is still operational. For tourists from the outside, Rutschebanen might look almost similar to the popular Matterhorn roller coaster at Disney.

This is quite a coincidence especially when Disney itself has taken inspiration from Tivoli Gardens. To this day, Rutschebanen is still being handled manually by a brakeman.

2. The Great Scenic Railway (1912)

Despite Leap-the-Dips being much older, The Great Scenic Railway in Luna Park, Melbourne, Australia considers itself the oldest continuous operational roller coaster in the world.

The Great Scenic Railway was only closed for a brief moment of time following an incident in 1989 causing 20 people to be injured. It is not only one of the oldest roller coasters in the world but also one of the oldest attractions in Luna Park in which the roller coaster was established at the same time as the opening of the park in December 1912.

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Similar to how other roller coasters are being operated, the Great Scenic Railway also requires a brakeman to stand still in the middle of the railway. The Great Scenic Railway was built using the Canadian Oregon pine wood and its track goes on for 967 meters.

1. Leap-the-Dips (1902)

Starting being constructed in 1902 in Lakemont Park near Altoona, Pennsylvania, Leap-the-Dips is the oldest roller coaster in the world. Leap-the-Dips was designed by Edward Joy Morris and was built by Federal Construction Company.

Leap-the-Dips might be the oldest one yet but it did not remain operational throughout its presence. In 1985, Leap-the-Dips was forced to be closed due to fear of the integrity of the old structure as well as a lack of funds for its maintenance.

Following the closure and almost demolition of Leap-the-Dips, the American Coaster Enthusiasts(ACE) organization formed the Leap-the-Dips foundation that undertake the reopening and recovering of this roller coaster.

The starting process of the recovery was done in 1997 and it was then reopened to the public in 1999.

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