Flip Flap Railway was the name of a
looping wooden roller coaster
A roller coaster is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride employing a form of elevated Railway track, railroad track that carries passengers on a roller coaster train, train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usua ...
which operated for a number of years at
Paul Boyton's Sea Lion Park on
Coney Island
Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...
in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
. The coaster, which opened in 1895, was one of the first looping roller coasters to operate in North America. It was also notable for its engineering as well as the extreme
G-force
The g-force or gravitational force equivalent is a Specific force, mass-specific force (force per unit mass), expressed in Unit of measurement, units of standard gravity (symbol ''g'' or ''g''0, not to be confused with "g", the symbol for ...
s which this engineering inflicted on riders.
History and design
The first looping roller coasters were built in Europe in the mid-1800s. These rides, known as "
centrifugal railways", were initially designed to be temporary installations and they achieved little success.
The Flip Flap Railway was tested in
Toledo,
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
in 1888 by designer Lina Beecher before the coaster was moved to Coney Island.
The coaster was tested with sand bags and monkeys before human riders were allowed on the coaster.
The coaster had a single rail and riders rode two-to-a-car and sat in
tandem
Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which two or more animals, machines, or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. ''Tandem'' can also be used more generally to refer to any group of persons or objects w ...
.
Sea Lion Park developer Boyton liked Beecher's coaster and decided to move it to Sea Lion Park.
Flip Flap Railway was shut down along with Sea Lion Park in 1902. While Sea Lion Park was replaced with
Luna Park in 1903, Flip Flap Railway was not retained as it was not as popular.
The 2-person cars also meant that it was difficult to turn a profit on the coaster.
Ride experience
Like the earlier centrifugal railways in Europe, Flip Flap Railway was notorious for the extreme g-forces that it produced in its riders. The circular nature of the coaster's loop, as well as its relatively small diameter of ,
meant that it could produce forces of approximately .
This caused riders to often experience discomfort and neck injuries from whiplash.
Modern looping roller coasters use teardrop-shaped loops to greatly reduce these g-forces.
G-Force Claims
Contemporary reports and later retellings have claimed that the Flip Flap Railway subjected riders to forces as high as 12 G. However, modern analyses of the ride’s design, speed, and dimensions suggest that these figures were likely exaggerated. Based on the ride’s estimated maximum speed of approximately 35 to 40 miles per hour and the geometry of its 25-foot circular loop, calculations indicate that the actual forces experienced would have been in the range of 6 to 8 G. While still extremely high by modern roller coaster standards, and sufficient to cause injury or discomfort, this is notably lower than the traditionally cited figure of 12 G.
See also
*
Loop the Loop (Coney Island), the second looping roller coaster built on Coney Island.
*
Loop the Loop (Young's Pier), a looping coaster built in
Atlantic City
Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...
,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
which was sometimes called ''Flip Flap Railway'' as well.
*
Loop the Loop (Olentangy Park), Lina Beecher's only other roller coaster. A looping steel coaster built at
Olentangy Park near
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
.
References
{{Coney Island
Coney Island
Demolished buildings and structures in Brooklyn
Former roller coasters in New York (state)