| The Great Scenic Railway | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Luna Park Melbourne | |
| Location | Luna Park Melbourne |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | December 1912 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Wood |
| Manufacturer | LaMarcus Thompson |
| Lift/launch system | Cable lift hill |
| Height | 16 m (52 ft) |
| Length | 967 m (3,173 ft) |
| Speed | 60 km/h (37 mph) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Height restriction | 100 cm (3 ft 3 in) |
| Trains | 3 trains with 2 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 5 rows for a total of 20 riders per train. |
| Website | Official website |
| The Great Scenic Railway at RCDB | |
The Great Scenic Railway is a heritage-listed wooden roller coaster located at Luna Park Melbourne in Melbourne, Australia. The roller coaster is the oldest operating roller coaster in the Southern Hemisphere and the second-oldest in the world. The ride is one of only seven roller coasters remaining that requires a brakeman to stand on the train.
History
The Great Scenic Railway opened in December 1912, making it the second-oldest operating roller coaster. The roller coaster was originally built with 65,674 metres (215,466 ft) of Canadian Oregon pine. The roller coaster is regarded as an ACE Classic Coaster.[1] The Great Scenic Railway, Luna Park Sydney’s Wild Mouse and Sea World's Leviathan are the only three operating wooden roller coasters in Australia.[2]
Characteristics
The Great Scenic Railway is a 967 metres (3,173 ft) long coaster which has a height of 16 metres (52 ft) and a top speed of 60 kilometres per hour (37 mph). A brakeman is required in order to brake the roller coaster.[3]
The roller coaster has three trains with two cars. Each car can sit up to 10 riders. Each train weighs about 2 tonnes.[4][5]
Ride experience
The roller coaster begins by entering a cable lift hill. It then reaches its highest point. The ride starts with a few large drops and goes through a series of small structures. The ride then goes through a series of smaller drops.[6][7]
See also
- Leap-The-Dips - oldest operating roller coaster in the world
- List of heritage-listed buildings in Melbourne
References
- ↑ ACE Coaster Classic Awards Archived 8 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Parkz (7 December 2020). "Six upcoming roller coasters you can ride without leaving Australia in 2021". Parkz. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "The Great Scenic Railway". Luna Park Melbourne. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "Scenic Railway Overview". Parkz. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ Wilson, Richard (6 March 2006). "Scenic Railway". Parkz. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
As its name would imply, it is more of a scenic journey than anything, with great views of the nearby Port Phillip Bay.
- ↑ Wilson, Richard (6 March 2006). "Scenic Railway". Parkz. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
A series of bunny hills makes up the second half of the ride.
- ↑ Theme Park Review (2 April 2011). "Scenic Railway Wooden Roller Coaster Front Seat POV Luna Park Melbourne Australia". YouTube. Retrieved 27 October 2021.