Designed by the Miller & Baker Company and constructed in 1921, the Jack Rabbit is the fifth oldest operating roller coaster in the world. This wooden coaster, is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Kennywood amusement park. Construction of the roller coaster cost $50,000 - a huge investment for that time. John A. Miller, of Miller & Baker, utilized his newly invented safety system on the Jack Rabbit that placed the wheels of the train both above and below the track.
Because of high insurance costs, many amusement parks have removed the double dips on their coasters and have replaced the cars with new ones that have adjustable lap bars. Kennywood, sticking to its National Historic Landmark status, has retained the Jack Rabbit's world-famous, gravity defying, double-dip and up until recently, the old-style cars still had a simple leather strap to hold you in. Taking advantage of a ravine in the park, the short initial 40ft (12.2m) lift leads to a 70ft (21.3m) drop.
While the stats below may seem pretty tame by today's roller coaster standards, it's still a very fun experience on a historical thrill ride.
Stats
- Maximum Speed: 45 mph (72.4 kph)
- Lift Height: 40 ft (12.2 meters)
- First Drop Height: 70 ft (21.3 meters)
- Angle of Decent: 45°
- Track Length: 2132 ft (649.8 meters)
- Number of Trains: 3
- Passengers per Train: 18
- Minimum Height Required to ride: 36 inches (.9 meters)
- Ride Time: 1 minute 15 seconds
References
- Personal experience
- http://www.kennywood.com
- http://home.nyc.rr.com/johnmiller/kenny.html
- http://www.wqed.org/erc/pghist/units/fun/fun5.html
- http://www.coasterbuzz.com/coasters/coaster.asp?CoasterID=251