| Backety-Back Scenic Railway | |
| Location: | Crystal Beach |
| Locationarticle: | Crystal Beach Park |
| Status: | Removed |
| Cost: | $50,000 |
| Type: | Wood |
| Type2: | Shuttle |
| Designer: | John H. Brown |
| Speed Mph: | 10 |
| Inversions: | 0 |
| Carspertrain: | 2 |
| Rowspercar: | 5 |
| Ridersperrow: | 2 |
| Rcdb Number: | 1855 |
Backety-Back Scenic Railway was a wooden roller coaster located at Crystal Beach Park. The ride opened to the public in 1909 and operated until 1926.[1] The Backety-Back Scenic Railway was notable for a backward-traveling innovation which would be adopted many years later in more modern steel roller coasters.[2] It was also one of the earliest shuttle roller coasters to be built,[3] as well as being the second roller coaster to be built in the Crystal Beach amusement park.[4] The coaster has been cited as a particularly beautiful example of roller coaster architecture.[5]
Backety-Back Scenic Railway was built in 1909 by Pennsylvanian John H. Brown and construction of the coaster cost $50,000.[6] Backety-Back Scenic Railway was the only roller coaster Brown would ever build.[7] In 1904, however, he patented the unique track-reversal design which made the coaster a predecessor to modern shuttle roller coasters.[8]
Being a shuttle roller coaster, Backety-Back Scenic Railway traveled over its course both forwards and backwards. The coaster had two lift hills and also necessitated the operation of a switchman when the coaster had reached the end of its forward progress.[6] Following this reversal, the train would engage a second reversal and continue on its way.[8] The course of the roller coaster was a twister layout[9] and the roller coaster had a curved tunnel in its course as well.[6] Trains had 2 cars of 5 rows apiece, with each row having two riders.[8]
The coaster had a large station which resembled a riverboat in shape. Inside this station was a ticket office (tickets were sold for 10 cents) and the queue for the ride itself.[8]
In 1910, a 17-year-old girl, Louise Koch was killed after falling from the Backety-Back Scenic Railway.[9] The coaster had minimal safety features, and the only restraints were the sides of the cars themselves.[8]