I scratch-built this 1:24 scale model of a section of the Giant Dipper’s track, showing how it is constructed. This model is partly based on Frederick Church’s 1929 patent for “laminated construction for roller coaster tracks” and was reverse-engineered using historical and contemporary photos. One side of the track is built as seen in the patent, while the other side shows every layer of its construction.
Keen-eyed observers will notice that this model does not match the contemporary Giant Dipper’s track, which utilizes stacked lumber beneath the running steel. This model uses the patent’s “butt-laminated” strips for the first three layers of lumber beneath the running steel. These butt-laminated boards are still in use on the bottom side of the Giant Dipper’s tracks and were an economical method for coaster building a century ago. Next time you’re at the park, look at the bottom of the track from underneath and spot the slightly diagonal thin boards that run underneath each rail!
