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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Jack Rabbit (Kennywood)
Jack Rabbit is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. Designed and built by John A. Miller and Harry C. Baker, Jack Rabbit opened in 1920, making it one of the oldest roller coasters in the world still in operation. The ride's three trains were manufactured by Edward Vettel Sr. in 1951 and contain three cars of six seats each. Due to the use of a small lap bar in the cars, some young children are disallowed to enter the ride, as 42” is the minimum. A popular early feature of the ride was a tunnel which covered the turnaround section after the first drop, but this was removed in 1947. In 1991, the tunnel was restored at a slightly shorter length.

Jack Rabbit was built shortly after Miller patented a new track design in 1920. This design involved the use of wheels both under and over the track, which allowed Miller to create the attraction's largest 70-foot (21 m) drop, which was very large for the time. It is also known for its double dip element following the lift hill. The double dip produces strong airtime.

According to Rick Sebak, producer of Pittsburgh history programs for WQED, the layout and train design results in the rear seat of each train experiencing the greatest amount of airtime.

In 2019, Kennywood released a video of Jack Rabbit estimated to be from 1920 on their YouTube channel. The video features clips of people on the ride and shots taken from the front row seat of Jack Rabbit. Kennywood claims their video is "the oldest coaster POV video in the world".

Awards

The nonprofit organization American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) designated Jack Rabbit as a Coaster Classic. ACE also designated Jack Rabbit as an "ACE Roller Coaster Landmark" in June 2010. It is also a contributing structure to the Kennywood Park historic district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year 1998 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023 2024
Ranking 20 22 36 37 42 34 28 37 33 34 39 20 23 16 18 19 21 20 26 20 20 12 15 17
  • The orange train after departing the station.
    The orange train after departing the station.
  • The pink train begins its descent down the double dip. This train has since been repainted orange as seen in the other photos.
    The pink train begins its descent down the double dip. This train has since been repainted orange as seen in the other photos.
  • The double dip, the Jack Rabbit's signature element, as seen from the queue at left along with the ride's first drop next to it.
    The double dip, the Jack Rabbit's signature element, as seen from the queue at left along with the ride's first drop next to it.
  • The orange train loading in the station.
    The orange train loading in the station.


References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jack Rabbit (Kennywood).
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  2. ^ Marden, Duane. "Jack Rabbit  (Kennywood)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
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  4. ^ "World's Oldest Operating Roller Coasters". National Amusement Park Historical Association. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  5. ^ Kennywood Jack Rabbit The World's Oldest Coaster POV!, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2021-05-25
  6. ^ "ACE Coaster Classic Awards". Archived from the original on 2015-09-08. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  7. ^ "Coaster Landmark Awards - Jack Rabbit". www.aceonline.org.
  8. ^ Kennywood Park (Kenny's Grove) (Report). National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service. February 27, 1987. p. 5.
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  32. ^ "2024 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2024. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
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