Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/06/01/the-scenic-spiral-wheel-was-a-beautiful-thrill-ride-at-coney-island-in-1917.html
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If you’re interested in a quick history of Coney Island, this is recommended…
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So many of those old rides were both cutting edge and questionable in terms of their engineering. They were fun, and had at the same time a frisson of danger; you never knew if a bolt would give way and drop you to your doom. We still have the same relationship with carnival rides, from poorly maintained traveling fairs to home-built attractions (remember Class-Action Park?) to the occasional injury at a major theme park.
A few have really stood the test of time though. There are many antique carousels still in service, and a couple of pretty fun coasters on the West Coast are celebrating 100 years anniversaries.
Engineers back then generally knew what they were doing. I’m thinking about how the original Angel’s Flight funicular in Los Angeles had a great safety record when it ran from 1901 to 1969, and that fatal accident didn’t happen until modern engineers redesigned the winch system when they rebuilt it in the 1990s thinking that they could do better.
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