Jazz Railway

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Jazz Railway (sometimes Jazz Railroad)[1] was an early

model line of wood roller coasters incorporating a steel- Jazz Railway
frame structure. These operated at various amusement parks Rocky Glen Park
and fairgrounds during the mid to late 1920s.[2] The coaster Status Removed
model is considered to be the first of the Wild Mouse style
roller coaster.[1][3] Opening date 1925
Closing date 1927
Cost less than $20,000
Contents General statistics
Type Wood
1 History and design
2 Ride experience Manufacturer Traver Engineering
3 Locations Designer Harry G. Traver
4 References
Lift/launch Chain-lift
system

History and design Height 26 ft (7.9 m)

Length 1,200 ft (370 m)
While they ran on track constructed of laminated wood and Duration 1 minute 30 seconds
steeldefining the coasters as wooden by modern
standards[4]Jazz Railways were marketed by the Traver Trains 3 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across
Engineering Company as being all steel. The supporting in a single row for a total of 6 riders
structure of the track was indeed all-steel, and this was hailed per train.
as a new innovation in roller coaster design. Advantages of Jazz Railway at RCDB
the prefabricated steel support structure included reduced Pictures of Jazz Railway at RCDB
cost, imperviousness to rot and fire, and a quicker set-up and
take-down processwhich would allow the coaster to be
moved from location to location.[1] The name "Jazz Railway" itself was reported by Traver to be a way to
distance the design from the wooden-framed roller coasters of the past.[3][1]

Jazz Railways were important in its demonstration of (nearly) all-steel roller coaster construction. This
presaged Traver's later Giant Cyclone Safety Coasters, which utilized the same building technique as Jazz
Railway, but on a grander (and more frightening) scale. Jazz Railways were also important as a forerunner of
the modern Wild Mouse coaster design.[3][1]

Ride experience
Like modern Wild Mouse coasters, Jazz Railways were relatively compact in their design. The coasters had a
footprint of 70 by 160 feet (21 by 49 m). Besides their steel frame structure, another innovation which
connected Jazz Railways to the later Giant Cyclone Safety Coasters was its "jump" or "stunt" track (referred to
in later Traver Cyclones as a "Jazz Track"). This consisted of rapidly undulating track that created a rapid
shimmying motion.[1]

Locations
The first Jazz Railway was built at Rocky Glen Park near Moosic, Pennsylvania in 1925[4] after being tested at
Traver's factory.[1] Subsequent coasters were built at (or relocated to), the Sesquicentennial Exposition in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Alabama State Fairgrounds, as well as parks in Bombay, Toronto, Detroit, and
New Orleans.[2]

Diagram taken from one of Traver's
patents of the rapidly undulating track
utilized on Jazz Railways and later
coasters
References
1. Munch, Richard (1982). Harry G. Traver: Legends of Terror. Mentor,
OH: Amusement Park Books, Inc. ISBN 0935408029.
2. Cartmell, Robert (1987). The Incredible Scream Machine: A History of
the Roller Coaster. Fairview Park, OH and Bowling Green, OH:
Amusement Park Books, Inc. and Bowling Green State University
Popular Press. ISBN 0879723416.
3. Sandy, Adam (2006). "Harry G. Traver" (http://www.ultimaterollercoast
er.com/coasters/history/designer/traver.shtml). Ultimate Rollercoaster.
Roller Coaster History: Ride Designers. Ultimate Rollercoaster LLC.
Retrieved June 6, 2017.
4. Marden, Duane. "Jazz Railway (Rocky Glen Park)" (https://rcdb.com/2
010.htm). Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 6, 2017.

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This page was last edited on 1 August 2017, at 17:54.

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