John C. Allen

John C. Allen (May 21, 1907 – August 17, 1979) was a roller coaster designer who was responsible for the revival of wooden roller coasters which began in the 1960s. He attended Drexel University. He started working for the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1934 as a coaster operator and rose to become president of the company by 1954.[1] He has designed more than 25 coasters and made significant contributions to roller coaster technology.[2] He once said, "You don't need a degree in engineering to design roller coasters, you need a degree in psychology."[3]

This article is about the roller coaster designer. For other persons named John C. Allen, see John Allen.
John C. Allen
Born(1907-05-21)May 21, 1907
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DiedAugust 17, 1979(1979-08-17) (aged 72)
OccupationRoller coaster designer
Years active1934–1979
Known forPhiladelphia Toboggan Company manufacturers

List of roller coasters

The following is a list of roller coasters were credited as designed by John C. Allen:

NameLocationBuiltStatus
Nightmare Joyland 1949 Demolished
Jet Flyer/Sea DragonGooding Zoo Park/Wyandot Lake/Jungle Jack's Landing/Adventure Cove)1956Operating
Valley VolcanoAngela Park1956Demolished
Flyer Dinosaur Beach 1957 Demolished
Ghost Town Jet / Mighty Lightnin' / CometRocky Glen Park1959Demolished
SkylinerLakemont Park1960Operating
Golden Nugget Mine/Black DiamondKnoebels Amusement Resort1960Operating
TornadoWedgewood Village1961Demolished
StarlinerMiracle Strip/Cypress Gardens1963Demolished
Blue StreakCedar Point1964Operating
Jeatstream Riverview Park 1964 Demolished
Mr. Twister Elitch Gardens 1965 Demolished
SkylinerFair Park1965Demolished
Swamp FoxGrand Strand Park/Family Kingdom1966Operating
Cannon BallLake Winnepesaukah1967Operating
Shooting Star Lakeside Park 1968 Demolished
ZingoBell's Amusement Park1968Demolished
Tornado Petticoat Junction 1970 Demolished
The RacerKings Island1972Operating
Woodstock ExpressKings Island1972Operating
Great American Scream MachineSix Flags Over Georgia1973Operating
Comet Funway Amusement Park 1973 Demolished
Woodstock ExpressKings Dominion1974Operating
Rebel Yell/Racer 75Kings Dominion1975Operating
Woodstock Express Carowinds 1975 Operating
Screamin' EagleSix Flags St. Louis1976Operating

References
  1. Wooley, Eric (May 26, 2020). "How Every Modern Wooden Roller Coaster Traces Back to One Company". Coaster101. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  2. Marden, Duane. "Person = John C. Allen". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  3. Ridgway, Andy (August 27, 2009). "The thrill engineers". BBC Science Focus. Retrieved August 31, 2020.

Further reading
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