The first looping coasters appeared in the late 1900's as portable exhibition pieces. Coney Island had one called the Flic-Flac (or something).
People only used to ride them once, then spend weeks in traction laughing at other idiots who tried them.
I used to know loads about the obscure early coasters, but it's all a bit vague now.
Anyway, chances are that's from an exhibition. I don't know if you've noticed, but it's some kind of shuttle. I've no idea how they managed to get the cars back. I think the Flic-Flac had a circuit.
I saw a show last week and in the background was a picture of the Flic-Flac, can't remember for the life of me what it was. Something like Arrow, or Star Trek or something rubbish I caught for ten minutes while channel hopping.
ashtonrick said:
That Britain from Above site really does have some gems on it. I'd never seen the full layout of the Scenic Railway and Velvet Coaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach before, but here it is in all it's glory, along with the Switchback (being dismantled) which sits roughly where the Big Dipper is now. Watson Road would run straight through the round building in the middle of the image. On the actual site you can zoom in on the image and see it more clearly. Velvet Coaster is to the right of the round building, and the Scenic Railway is just above that (below the Water Chute) - This pic is from 1920:
And again from 1929 with the Big Dipper!
Those images are priceless. I've seen a lot of decent old photos of seaside parks and I find them beyond fascinating. There was a great one of Folkestone's Switchback on the beach and one of Matlock's. I've also seen some glorious images down on the ground at Blackpool in the 1930's with the ghost train and stuff looming over crowded paths. I just can't get enough of them, but these are sublime.
When you look at the whole area and compare it to today. Hell, compare it to my earliest memories in the 1970's. The entire beach, front, railway line - the whole lot is utterly unrecognisable to what it is today. You can just make out the shape, but in terms of infrastructure and everything, it's just a load of stuff dumped on a beach on the edge of the middle of nowhere. I love it!
Here's the Folkestone Switchback:
The Matlock Bath Switchback was in the pleasure gardens mentioned in last week's "Our Zoo" where they got the bears from (if anyone watched it).
I find the Matlock Switchback really compelling as Matlock Bath itself is now seen as a kind of posh, "part of area of outstanding natural beauty" place - but in fact it's got a hidden history of trying to be an inland Blackpool.
). I think the Coney Island one was the first to have a circular return track, but it was a lot later.
Flip_Flap_Railway_Sea_Lion_Park by elyse.shirebooks, on Flickr
Loop_the_Loop,_Luna_Park,_Coney_Island by elyse.shirebooks, on Flickr
