Homemade Roller Coasters: The Thrill of the Build
Written by S. Kim Henson
There’s just something about a roller coaster as a backyard addition that I never would have thought about. Nope, not in a million years. But leave it to these coaster lovers and their grandpa to not only think about it, but to pull out the tool belt and let the building begin!
Jeremy Reid’s wooden do-it-yourselfer took 2,900 feet of lumber, 7,000 screws and nails, a roller chain and one HP motor to build. “The Oklahoma Land Run” cost $5,500 and took well over a thousand hours to plan and construct for the thrill of a one-minute ride on a roller coaster he assembled with his own two hands.
Interesting facts:
- Track is 444 feet long
- Height is 17 feet
- Speed is 20 mph
- Number of drops: 4
Reid said that he’s had hundreds of emails from all over the world commenting on his coaster, and several who have asked what he would charge to build another one. His response, “I do not have the energy to build another. One was enough.”
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