Backety-Back Scenic Railway, Wooden roller coaster in Crystal Beach, Ontario
The Backety-Back Scenic Railway was a wooden roller coaster with two parallel tracks that allowed trains to travel in both directions. Each train carried about 20 passengers across two cars with five rows each.
The ride was built in 1909 by John H. Brown and operated an innovative track mechanism where trains reversed direction. It ran at Crystal Beach Park until closing in 1926.
The station building exhibited riverboat architecture, reflecting early 20th century North American amusement park design preferences.
The ride was compact with its two parallel tracks fitting neatly into the park layout. Visitors should know that the direction of travel reversed, making the experience distinctive from other coasters.
A special switching mechanism required an operator to manually reverse the train when it reached the end of the track. This patented system was a distinctive feature that set it apart from other coasters of its era.
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