Scenic railway (roller coaster design) explained

A scenic railway is an early roller coaster design that uses only road wheels. It usually requires a brakeman to ride on the train and slow it, if needed. Their name derives from the fact that they are often adorned with elaborate façades.

Current installations

• The Scenic Railway at Luna Park, Melbourne. Built in 1912, it is the oldest continuously operating roller coaster in the world, and the oldest roller coaster in Australia.^[1]
• Rutschebanen (literally, "The Roller Coaster") at Tivoli Gardens in Denmark. Built by Denmark native Valdemar Lebech. Opened in 1914.^[2]
• The Scenic Railway at Dreamland Margate in Kent, England. Opened in 1920, The Scenic Railway was granted Grade II listed status in the UK by English Heritage – the UK equivalent of a national historic landmark. In 2008 a portion of the ride was damaged in a fire and the ride ceased operation.^[3] It underwent restoration and Dreamland reopened on 19 June 2015 following an £18m investment.^{[4] [5]}
• The Hullámvasút at Vidámpark in Budapest, Hungary. Built in 1922, opened in 1926, after it was set on fire. Hullámvasút closed on 11 November 2015, but remains standing.^[6]
• The Montaña Suiza ("Swiss Mountain" in Spanish) at Parque de Atracciones Monte Igueldo in Donostia/San Sebastián, Spain. Built by Erich Heidrich and operating since 1928.^[7]
• The Roller Coaster at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach in Norfolk, England. Also built by Erich Heidrich for the Colonial Exhibition in Paris in 1929. Moved to Great Yarmouth in 1932.^[8]
• Rutschebanen (the name literally means "The Roller Coaster") at Dyrehavsbakken in Denmark. Built by Denmark native Valdemar Lebech. Opened in 1932.^[9]
• The Hochschaubahn at Wurstelprater in Vienna, Austria. Opened in 1950 as a replacement for the original, which was destroyed during World War II.^[10]
• Vuoristorata at Linnanmäki in Helsinki, Finland. Built by Denmark native Valdemar Lebech. A slightly taller and longer copy of Rutschebanen at Dyrehavsbakken in Denmark. Opened in 1951, still featuring the original oak wooden trains operated by brakemen.^[11]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Scenic Railway - Luna Park (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) . 2020-08-06 . rcdb.com.
2. Web site: Rutschebanen - Tivoli Gardens (Copenhagen, Sjælland, Denmark) . 2020-08-06 . rcdb.com.
3. News: April 7, 2008 . Fire rips through rollercoaster . BBC News . May 14, 2015.
4. News: 27 March 2015 . Margate's Dreamland funfair to reopen after restoration . BBC News .
5. Web site: Scenic Railway - Dreamland (Margate, Kent, England, United Kingdom) . 2020-08-06 . rcdb.com.
6. Web site: Hullámvasút - Holnemvolt Park (Budapest, Hungary) . 2020-08-06 . rcdb.com.
7. Web site: Montaña Suiza - Parque de Atracciones Monte Igueldo (San Sebastián, Guipuzcoa, Basque Country, Spain) . 2020-08-06 . rcdb.com.
8. Web site: Roller Coaster - Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach (Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom) . 2020-08-06 . rcdb.com.
9. Web site: Rutschebanen - Bakken (Klampenborg, Sjælland, Denmark) . 2020-08-06 . rcdb.com.
10. Web site: Hochschaubahn - Wiener Prater (Vienna, Vienna, Austria) . 2020-08-06 . rcdb.com.
11. Web site: Vuoristorata - Linnanmäki (Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland) . 2020-08-06 . rcdb.com.