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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[2] and Harry C. Baker,[3] Jack Rabbit opened in 1920, making it one of the oldest roller coasters in the world still in operation.[4] 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
Kennywood
Coordinates40°23′12″N 79°51′46″W / 40.38667°N 79.86278°W / 40.38667; -79.86278
StatusOperating
Opening date1920; 104 years ago (1920)
Cost$50,000 USD
Kennywood Park
Location4800 Kennywood Blvd., West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
Area40 acres (16 ha)
Built1920 (1920)
ArchitectDavidson,George S.
Part ofKennywood Park (ID87000824[1])
Designated NHLDCPFebruary 27, 1987
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

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.[citation needed]

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".[5]

Awards

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The nonprofit organization American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) designated Jack Rabbit as a Coaster Classic.[6] ACE also designated Jack Rabbit as an "ACE Roller Coaster Landmark" in June 2010.[7] It is also a contributing structure to the Kennywood Park historic district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[8]

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[9] 22[10] 36[11] 37[12] 42[13] 34[14] 28[15] 37[16] 33[17] 34[18] 39[19] 20[20] 23[21] 16[22] 18[23] 19[24] 21[25] 20[26] 26[27] 20[28] 20[29] 12[30] 15[31] 17[32]
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  • 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

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jack Rabbit (Kennywood).
  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. ^ Marden, Duane. "Jack Rabbit  (Kennywood)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  3. ^ Miller and Baker Inc. 1923 Catalogue (reprint). Natrona Heights, PA: Amusement Park Journal. 1923.
  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.
  9. ^ "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 1998. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  10. ^ "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 1999. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  11. ^ "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  12. ^ "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ "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.
  19. ^ "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.
  20. ^ "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.
  21. ^ "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.
  22. ^ "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  23. ^ "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.
  24. ^ "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  25. ^ "2015 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 45–46. September 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  26. ^ "2016 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  27. ^ "2017 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  28. ^ "2018 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  29. ^ "2019 Top 50 Wood Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  30. ^ "2022 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2022. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  31. ^ "2023 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Amusement Today. 27 (6.2): 71–72. September 2023. Archived from the original on September 10, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  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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