Jack Rabbit is a

wooden roller coaster A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also ...

located at

Kennywood Park Kennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, just southeast of Pittsburgh. The park opened on May 30, 1899, as a trolley park attraction at the end of the Mellon family's Monongahela Street Railway. It was purchased in 1 ...

near

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

West Mifflin, Pennsylvania West Mifflin is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, located southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. The population was 20,313 at the 2010 census. It is named after Thomas Mifflin, 1st Governor of Pennsylvania, signer of the Un ...

. Designed and built by John A. Miller and Harry C. Baker, Jack Rabbit opened in 1920, making it one of the oldest roller coasters in the world still in operation. The ride's three trains were manufactured by Edward Vettel, Sr. in 1951 and contain three cars of six seats each. The aging cars are considered a part of the ride's nostalgic experience but also lead to some young children being disallowed to enter the ride (42” is the minimum), due to the use of a small lap bar to hold in riders. A popular early feature of the ride was a tunnel which covered the turnaround section after the first drop, but this was removed in 1947 when the new cars were ordered. In 1991, the tunnel was restored, at a slightly shorter length. The Jack Rabbit was built shortly after Miller patented a new track design in 1920 (which all wooden coasters built since have used). This design involved the use of wheels both under and over the track, which allowed Miller to create the then enormous drop that is the attraction's largest. It is most well known for its double dip element following the lift hill. The double dip produces strong airtime that makes the rider feel that they will be thrown from the seat, and a feeling that the train leaves the track (it rises up but the upstop wheels keep it firmly on the rails). According to

Rick Sebak Richard "Rick" Sebak (born June 5, 1953) is an American public broadcasting television producer, writer and narrator who lives and works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States. Early life and education Richard Sebak was born on Ju ...

, producer of Pittsburgh history programs for WQED, the layout and train design results in the rear seat of each train experiencing the greatest amount of airtime. In 2019, Kennywood released a video of the Jack Rabbit, likely from 1920, on their

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

channel. The video features clips of people on the ride and clips taken from the front row seat of the Jack Rabbit. Kennywood claims their video is "the oldest coaster POV video in the world".

Awards

The nonprofit organization American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) designated Jack Rabbit as a Coaster Classic. The ACE also designated Jack Rabbit as an "ACE Roller Coaster Landmark" in June 2010. It is also a contributing structure to the Kennywood Park historic district, listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Gallery

Image:Kennywood Jack Rabbit DSCN2794.JPG, The orange train after departing the station. Image:KW-Jack Rabbit.jpg, The pink train begins its descent down the double dip. This train has since been repainted orange as seen in the other photos. Image:Kennywood Jack Rabbit DSCN2786.JPG, The double dip, the Jack Rabbit's signature element, as seen from the queue at left along with the ride's first drop next to it. Image:Kennywood Jack Rabbit DSCN2780.JPG, The orange train loading in the station.

References

{{Pittsburgh Metro Area Kennywood Roller coasters introduced in 1920