If you ’re wondering how people first decided plummet downhill inside a rickety box on wheels seemed like a expert time , look no further than the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway in Pennsylvania . What began as a railroad for shooting ember down the mountain turned into a address for thousands oftouristsin the late nineteenth century .
There is earliest precedent ofroller coasters for Russia royal house , but it ’s Mauch Chunk that really popularized the thrill of gravitational force in America . Not a bad bequest for a railway in the beginning designed to ravish coal .
Back when the Mauch Chunk Railway first open up in 1827 , it seemed like a minuscule technical miracle for ember miners . The 9 - mi descent down the muckle take only half an hour , compared to the 4 - hour ascent by mule . As peculiar looker-on came to the Mauch Chunk — only the second in the U.S.—a braw few go up into the carts themselves .
By 1872 , however , Mauch Chunk had become obsolete for transporting coal . A tunnel through the mountain ship ember down even quicker . But its proprietor did n’t want to tear down the still perfectly useable railway line , so they turned it into a tourist attraction . 35,000 visitant a class line up to shoot down the mountain — for both the thrill of the drive and for the scenic eyeshot of the mickle .
Mauch Chunk eventually close during the Depression , as visitor and revenue declined . But it had already whet America ’s appetite for thrill rides , barrack curler coaster first on Coney Island and then all over the country . [ Entertainment Designer , Mental Floss , Ultimate Roller Coaster ]
Top image : Wikimedia Commons
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