ROLY COASTERS:
MAPPING AMERICAN ROLLER COASTERS
Decline: 1940-1970
The Nitty-Gritty: Further Insights
If it appears to you that there is no change in the map, you are not exactly wrong. Since so many coasters were either demolished or closed, the total numbers in the U.S. did not change much. Ohio experienced some small growth, as did Coney Island, but most places had a hard time funding coaster projects.
There was also little to no change in steel coasters, more so than wooden coasters. Since most steel was being used to fuel the war effort during this time, there was not always enough around to use for amusement park rides.
World War II was upon the US, and the amusement industry felt it. Since the U.S. needed all the supplies it could get, many roller coaster manufacturers went out of business. Many of the coasters built in the Golden Age met the wrecking ball during the decline.
Pictured: Many coasters met this fate during the decline. This is an unknown rollercoaster at Riverview Park in Chicago being taken down.
Pictured: Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, the first coaster built with tubular steel tracks!
On a more positive note, the world's first tubular steel roller coaster was built during this era. The Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland in Anaheim, California paved the way for steel coasters to evolve into their modern form. Tubular steel could be bent and shaped into loops, corkscrews, and other inversions. This was a stunning innovation in roller coaster technology!
