Roller Coaster (Lagoon)

	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Farmington, Utah
MPS	Lagoon Amusement Park, Farmington, Utah MPS
NRHP reference No.	12000883
Added to NRHP	October 24, 2012

Roller Coaster
Roller Coaster
	Roller Coaster as viewed from the Sky Ride
Lagoon Amusement Park
Location	Lagoon Amusement Park
Coordinates	40°59′05″N 111°53′42″W / 40.984861°N 111.895137°W
Status	Operating
Opening date	July 15, 1921; 103 years ago
General statistics
Type	Wood
Designer	John A. Miller
Track layout	Double Out and Back
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	18.9 m (62 ft)
Length	762 m (2,500 ft)
Speed	45 mph (72 km/h)
Inversions	0
Height restriction	46 in (117 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 12 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train.
	Roller Coaster at RCDB

The Roller Coaster is a wooden roller coaster located at Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, Utah. Built in 1921 and operating ever since, the Roller Coaster is the seventh oldest in the world, the fourth oldest in the United States, and the oldest at Lagoon.^[1]

History

The Roller Coaster was designed by John A. Miller and opened in 1921. In 1953, a fire that spread across the west side of the Midway damaged the coaster, meaning the station and lift hill had to be rebuilt.^[2] Over the years it has received computer upgrades and new trains. In 2005, it became an American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) Roller Coaster Landmark. In October 2012, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In early 2018, new trains from Great Coasters International (GCI) replaced the former Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) trains. The station was also reconfigured, with the entrance and exit swapped.^{[citation needed]}

Layout

The Roller Coaster starts with a turn out of the station where it enters the lift hill. The train rises 60 feet (18 m), and then plunges down the first hill, and up the next and down again around the west turn, into several more series of hills which gradually get smaller. It goes through two more turns before returning to the station.

Incidents

In 1934, 20-year-old Henry Howe of Ogden, Utah fell to his death as he attempted to stand up when the train was on its highest hill. Howe hit a number of support trestles on the way down.
In 1946, James Young Hess was struck by the train as he was working on scaffolding on the ride. Hess suffered skull, leg and arm fractures, as well as internal injuries, before dying on September 1, 1946.^[3]
In 1989, a 13-year-old girl slipped out from under the restraint and fell 35 feet to her death. She died at the scene.^[4] Lagoon made safety adjustments to the trains before reopening the ride, and new restraints were added the following year.

References

^ "World's Oldest Operating Roller Coasters". National Amusement Park Historical Association. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
^ "Lagoon Park Rides". Lagoon - It's What Fun Is!. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
^ Rosebrock, Don (June 13, 1989). "BOUNTIFUL GIRL'S DEATH NOT THE 1ST ON LAGOON'S WOODEN ROLLER COASTER". Deseret News. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
^ Rosebrock, Don (June 29, 1989). "Roller coaster death called a fluke a quirk of physics, teen's physique and her actions, detective says". Deseret News.

External links

Roller Coaster (Lagoon) at the Roller Coaster DataBase

[1] "World's Oldest Operating Roller Coasters". National Amusement Park Historical Association. Retrieved August 31, 2014.

[2] "Lagoon Park Rides". Lagoon - It's What Fun Is!. Retrieved August 31, 2014.

[3] Rosebrock, Don (June 13, 1989). "BOUNTIFUL GIRL'S DEATH NOT THE 1ST ON LAGOON'S WOODEN ROLLER COASTER". Deseret News. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.

[4] Rosebrock, Don (June 29, 1989). "Roller coaster death called a fluke a quirk of physics, teen's physique and her actions, detective says". Deseret News.

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