Mobius (
also commonly spelled Moebius but placed under Mobius as per editor notes ) is a term for a form of
roller coaster track in which two tracks form a single continuous circuit. At first glance these coasters appear as a racer or twin coaster, such as the
American Eagle, but in actuality it is one track, two trains, and one station for both. If you were riding Train A you would leave the station from Train A’s side, run the track (first half), return to the station on Train B’s side, pass through the station, run the track (second half), and return to the station on Train A’s side to disembark. Coasters of this sort are
rare.
Notably, unlike most coaster types that have a main builder/designer, no two Mobius coasters had the same builder/designer and each is a rarity. Each coaster is wooden and each is considered a twin coaster as well as a Mobius. Another rarity with this coaster type is the age. Of the four, the build dates range from 1913 to 1964. This is obviously an older coaster type. The Racer, at
Kennywood, is the oldest still operating Mobius coaster running since 1927.
There have only been four ever built and only three are operating to this day. The following is a run-down of the basic statistics of each of these dinosaurs or legends, whichever your viewpoint may be.
- Coaster Name – Location – Opening Date – Builder – Statistics (if known)
- Racing Coaster – Euclid Beach in Cleveland, OH – 1913 until September 28th, 1969 – Miller and Ingersoll
- Racer – Kennywood - 1927 – Charlie Mach/Kennywood – 72’6” tall
- Montana Rusa – La Feria Chapultepec Magico in Mexico City – 1964 - International Amusement Devices, Inc. - 110’ tall
- Grand National – Blackpool Pleasure Beach – 1935 – Charles Paige – 62’ tall, 50 mph top speed
Resources include roller coaster database