America's Top Roller Coasters and Amusement Parks


Book Description

Offers a brief history of the roller coaster, and describes rollercoaster rides found at amusement parks across America.




Roller Coasters of America


Book Description

ROLLER COAST OF AMERTHROGMORTON, T




The American Amusement Park


Book Description

A photographic retrospective covers more than 100 years of images from the history of the American amusement park.




American Coasters


Book Description

American Coasters is one coaster enthusiast's photographic journey across the country in search of the next great thrill. From Massachusetts to Florida, from New Jersey to California, this book contains adrenaline-inducing images of more than 100 different roller coasters from 21 different parks in 12 states. And for the adrenaline junky searching for that perfect ride, this thrilling look at American coasters also covers nearly 40 featured coaster profiles complete with all the vitals and a brief commentary. Whether you like wood or steel, loops or launches, this book showcases a wide variety of different roller coasters built over the last 90 years at parks like Cedar Point, Busch Gardens, Kings Dominion, and Six Flags Magic Mountain.




The Amusement Park


Book Description

Experience the electrifying, never-before-told true story of amusement parks, from the middle ages to present day, and meet the colorful (and sometimes criminal) characters who are responsible for their enchanting charms. Step right up! The Amusement Park is a rich, anecdotal history that begins nine centuries ago with the "pleasure gardens" of Europe and England and ends with the most elaborate modern parks in the world. It's a history told largely through the stories of the colorful, sometimes hedonistic characters who built them, including: Showmen like Joseph and Nicholas Schenck and Marcus Loew Railroad barons Andrew Mellon and Henry E. Huntington The men who ultimately destroyed the parks, including Robert Moses and Fred Trump Gifted artisans and craft-people who brought the parks to life An amazing cast of supporting players, from Al Capone to Annie Oakley And, of course, this is a full-throttle celebration of the rides, those marvels of engineering and heart-stopping thrills from an author, Stephen Silverman, whose life-long passion for his subject shines through. The parks and fairs featured include the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, Coney Island, Steeplechase Park, Dreamland, Euclid Beach Park, Cedar Point, Palisades Park, Ferrari World, Dollywood, Sea World, Six Flags Great Adventure, Universal Studios, Disney World and Disneyland, and many more.




Palisades Park


Book Description

Sharing a family life in the 1930s near the legendary Palisades Amusement Park, a family of dreamers explores ambitions and cultural boundaries that are challenged by the realities of the Great Depression, multiple wars, and the park's eventual closing in 1971.




Cedar Point


Book Description

In 1870, Louis Zistel began ferrying passengers from Sandusky to the Cedar Point Peninsula's beer garden and sandy beaches. In 1888, the Grand Pavilion was built, housing a massive theatre, bowling alley, photographic studio, and kitchen, and shortly thereafter, the resort's first roller coaster was installed. George Boeckling transformed the resort into a self-sufficient city and amusement park, but the park suffered badly in the 1930s economic depression. However, after Cedar Point changed hands several times in the 1950s, it became one of America's leading amusement parks. Today, the park is best known as the world's largest amusement park and the "Roller Coaster Capital of the World."




The Incredible Scream Machine


Book Description

In 1984 America celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of the first successful roller coaster device: La Marcus A. Thompson’s switchback railway, erected at Coney Island. Robert Cartmell examines every phase of roller coaster history, from the use of the roller coaster by Albert Einstein to demonstrate his theory of physics, to John Allen’s use of psychology in designing one.




Maryland's Amusement Parks


Book Description

From Ferris wheels to roller coasters to tunnels of love, everyone has a favorite amusement park memory. For nearly 130 years, many of those memories have been made at Maryland's amusement parks. Today, only five exist, but throughout history, nearly three dozen have been part of Maryland's landscape. Images of America: Maryland's Amusement Parks offers a glimpse of those parks and how they helped millions quench their thirst for recreation. Maryland's first recorded amusement park, Cabin John Park in Montgomery County, opened in 1876, serving as a training ground for such industry luminaries as Scenic Railway and roller coaster pioneer L.A. Thompson and carousel carver Gustav Dentzel. More than a century later, Maryland's oldest park, Trimper's Rides and Amusements in Ocean City, is a virtual museum of amusement park history with operating rides dating to 1902. Some favorite parks, including Glen Echo, Gwynn Oak, Pen Mar, Tolchester Beach, and The Enchanted Forest, did not last as long, but their memories live on through more than 200 images in this volume.




Coasters 101


Book Description

Have you always wanted to learn more about how roller coasters work? I’m not talking about the basic “roller coasters use gravity!” descriptions you’re used to. I’m talking about learning in-depth about the nitty gritty engineering details, like: How do roller coaster engineers know what size motor is needed to pull the train to the top of the lift hill and how much will it cost to operate it? What material are the wheels made out of and how does it affect the performance of the ride? What is the difference between LIM and LSM propulsion? How does the control system on a racing or dueling coaster time up the near collision moments perfectly every single time? All of these questions and more are answered in the latest edition of Coasters 101: An Engineer’s Guide to Roller Coaster Design. “I thought it was great. It was a good first look at roller coaster design. It also gave great information and details about roller coasters in general.” - Adrina from Goodreads “Thanks for writing a very good book. I could not put it down. Lot's of great information. I am a technology and engineering teacher and the information I found here is very helpful in trying to get students more excited about engineering.” -Amazon reviewer