Built in 1902, Leap the Dips is the world's oldest roller coaster! Located in
Lakemont Park in Altoona, PA (home of the Horseshoe Curve), I have been aware of it for years but just this year have gotten the opportunity to ride it.
Roller Coaster DataBase lists its status as follows, with "SBNO" meaning "Standing But Not Operating."
- SBNO from 2017 to 7/2/2020
- Operated from 5/31/1999 to 2016
- SBNO from 1986 to 1998
- Operated from 1937 to 1985
- SBNO during 1936
- Operated from 6/2/1902 to 1935
As you can see, Lakemont Park and especially Leap the Dips have had a rocky history. Lakemont was announced to be closed in 2017 to undergo a rebranding, but that closure stretched through 2018, and when the park did reopen in 2019, Leap the Dips remained closed for the whole year. Luckily, though, as soon as Lakemont reopened for 2020, Leap the Dips was back up and running for the first time in four years, sporting a fresh coat of paint and riding better than ever.
As soon as you board the car, you realize that this is a coaster from a different era. There are no seatbelts, and the only restraint is a lap bar fixed to the car. It's impressive that they were able to reopen the ride and keep such simple restraints. Seen below is the storage shed where the unused cars are kept.
Leap the Dips is the last "Figure 8" coaster left in the world. At the turn of the 1900s, there were more than 300 of this model of coaster across the country, and any park worth its salt had one. However, they were proved obsolete by the golden age rides of the 1920s, and I'd guess that only a handful was left by 1950.
Leap the Dips is in a unique position in that the park fell on such hard times that they didn't have the money to tear the old coaster down during the years it sat closed. It's a case of lack of funds actually saving a coaster instead of spelling its doom!
The dips are all on the smaller side, never reaching heights of more than 10 feet, but Leap the Dips is surprisingly wild and throws you out of your seat more times than you would expect when looking at it.
Lakemont Park has one other wooden coaster, the Skyliner, moved from a park in New York in 1987 when the Boyer candy company attempted to rebrand the property as a large new theme park. This turned out to be a huge fiasco that Lakemont has never completely recovered from.
Leap the Dips holds a solid place as part of the "new" Lakemont Park, so hopefully, it will be gently thrilling riders for years to come.
It was also my hundredth roller coaster. :-)
7 comments:
Very interesting and well-written post, Andrew! This is the first I’ve heard about this roller coaster and from what you’ve described, I know I’d love it!
Congratulations on your 100th coaster! How many are there in the U.S.?
Yes, congratulations on riding your 100th coaster. I never thought to count the number of coasters I've been on. Maybe I'll have to figure that out!
What is the significance of that one car (last pic) sitting on what I'm assuming is an old section of track? Is it just a display? And do you know if the cars are the original ones from 1902?
"Leap the Dips" looks and sounds like a fun coaster. I'm so glad to hear that it has survived through all of these years!
Sue, Roller Coaster DataBase (RCDB) lists 766 coasters currently operating in the US. More than you thought?? Kiddie coasters make up a big chunk of that number. I'm glad that you liked the post!
TokyoMagic!, counting coasters is a pretty big thing, though not everyone is into it. There are websites you can use to help you. That car on display is one of the ones that was restored before the rest of the coaster to show how nice the cars were in the past. It's to my understanding that all of the cars are basically original, but I'm sure that all of the wood on them has been replaced over time. It's kind of cool to think that Civil War veterans probably rode this coaster... thanks for reading!
Nice post Andrew. I used to love coasters but I haven't been on one for about 15 years, and that was the one in California Adventure.
Did notice the restraining bar on those restored coasters left a bit to be desired as far as safety goes. The good old days.
Interesting thought about the Civil War vets. Pretty cool Andrew.
Congratulations on the 100th! Quite a blast.
Do you remember or have info (or have ridden on) a roller coaster called the Crazy Mouse or something like that? I remember those being around at those small carnivals that used to drift through town back then.
Wasn't quite "Something Wicked this Way Comes" but some of them were dubious.
Thanks Andrew.
DrGoat, I don't blame you for not riding coasters. I'll see how I'm doing at your age... I'd like to think that I will still be riding them. :-)
The "Crazy Mouse" sounds like a Wild Mouse coaster, one of the most common coaster models anywhere. The defining characteristic of them is the hairpin turns at the start of the ride. California Adventure has one. I've been to some sketchy carnivals, but Something Wicked... is something else. Bradbury is great in a unique way. Thanks for the comment!
Hey now, TokyoMagic, I realize that I totally gave you the wrong answer about the car you pointed out. The restored car that I mentioned is in the glass case in the first picture. The car in the last picture that you talked about is in a storage shed with other cars not in service. There are several, and I've added a picture to the post.
Of the set, the red and blue cars are the only ones that ever run, and only one of these two runs at once due to a PA law that requires roller coasters with multiple ride vehicles to be computer controlled.
Thanks for that additional info and pic, Andrew! :-)
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