Jack Rabbit (Kennywood)

Jack Rabbit is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood Park near Pittsburgh in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. Designed and built by John A. Miller[1] and Harry C. Baker[2], Jack Rabbit opened in 1920, making it is one of the oldest roller coasters in the world still in operation, and it's tied with Jack Rabbit at Seabreeze Amusement Park for being the oldest in the United States.[3] The ride's three trains were manufactured by Edward Vettel, Sr. in 1951 and contain three cars of six seats each. The aging cars are considered a part of the ride's nostalgic experience but also lead to some young children being disallowed to enter the ride (42” is the minimum), due to the use of a small lap bar to hold in riders. 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 when the new cars were ordered. In 1991, the tunnel was restored, at a slightly shorter length.

Jack Rabbit
Kennywood
LocationKennywood
Coordinates40°23′12″N 79°51′46″W
StatusOperating
Opening date1920
Cost$50,000 USD
General statistics
TypeWood
ManufacturerHarry C. Baker
DesignerJohn A. Miller
Track layoutTerrain, Out and Back roller coaster
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height40 ft (12 m)
Drop70 ft (21 m)
Length2,132 ft (650 m)
Speed45 mph (72 km/h)
Inversions0
Duration1:36
Max vertical angle45°
Height restriction42 in (107 cm)
Trains3 trains with 3 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 18 riders per train.
Jack Rabbit at RCDB
Pictures of Jack Rabbit at RCDB

The Jack Rabbit was built shortly after Miller patented a new track design in 1920 (which all wooden coasters built since have used). This design involved the use of wheels both under and over the track, which allowed Miller to create the then enormous 70-foot (21 m) drop that is the attraction's largest. It is most well known for its double dip element following the lift hill. The double dip produces strong airtime that makes the rider feel that they will be thrown from the seat, and a feeling that the train leaves the track (it rises up but the upstop wheels keep it firmly on the rails).

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.

Awards

It is an ACE Coaster Classic.[4]

Jack Rabbit was designated as an "ACE Roller Coaster Landmark" by American Coaster Enthusiasts in June, 2010.[5]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year199819992001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019
Ranking 20[6]22[7]36[8]37[9]42[10]34[11]28[12]37[13]33[14]34[15]39[16]20[17]23[18]16[19]18[20]19[21]21[22]20[23]26[24]20[25]20[26]
  • 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 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.


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References
  1. Marden, Duane. "Jack Rabbit  (Kennywood)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  2. Miller and Baker Inc. 1923 Catalogue (reprint). Natrona Heights, PA: Amusement Park Journal. 1923.
  3. "World's Oldest Operating Roller Coasters". National Amusement Park Historical Association. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  4. "ACE Coaster Classic Awards". Archived from the original on 2015-09-08. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  5. "Coaster Landmark Awards - Jack Rabbit". www.aceonline.org.
  6. "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 1998. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  7. "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 1999. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  8. "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  9. "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  10. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 10–11B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  11. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  12. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 22–23B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  13. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 30–31B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  14. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 42–43. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  15. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 42–43. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  16. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 38–39. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  17. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 38–39. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  18. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 46–47. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  19. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  20. "2013 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 40–41. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  21. "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  22. "2015 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 45–46. September 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  23. "2016 top 50 wooden roller coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  24. "2017 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  25. "2018 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  26. "2019 Top Wood". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
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