PNE's iconic Wooden Coaster celebrates 65th anniversary (PHOTOS)

PNE's iconic Wooden Roller Coaster celebrates 65th anniversary (PHOTOS)

The Wooden Coaster at Playland, 1986. (City of Vancouver Archives)

The Wooden Coaster has endured the test of time as Playland’s longest-running major ride attraction.

It reopened in July 2022 after a $1.5 million refit earlier in the pandemic, and its capacity doubled this past month with the reintroduction of a second train following a $500,000 reinvestment.

Many, if not nearly all, rides of Playland have come and gone over the decades, but the Wooden Coaster has been a staple. It is now synonymous with the identity of both Playland and the PNE, and needless to say this flagship ride is a fan favourite.

About six years ago, the American Coaster Enthusiasts, the world’s largest club of amusement ride enthusiasts, added the Playland ride to their “Coaster Classic” and “Landmark” lists.

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According to the PNE, the Wooden Coaster was built between 1957 and early 1958, and it opened 65 years ago in 1958.

And apparently, there were some big doubts about whether the Wooden Coaster would actually work as intended.

Playland in 1960, with the Wooden Coaster shown. (City of Vancouver Archives)

Playland in 1961, with the Wooden Coaster shown. (City of Vancouver Archives)

Playland in 1963, with the Wooden Coaster shown. (City of Vancouver Archives)

Playland in 1977, with the Wooden Coaster shown. (City of Vancouver Archives)

As the legend goes, according to the PNE, a group of BC engineers travelled to Hastings Park to inspect the nearly complete roller coaster. These engineers laughingly told the team who designed and built the ride that their project was a fool’s game.

Designed by Carl Phare, they believed there was no way that a roller coaster train would be able to traverse the tight collection of snakey dips, bends, and curves — powered only by laws of gravity and momentum after the first hill.

Of course, just about everything during this era of engineering and design was calculated manually, whereas modern techniques use highly advanced computer modelling and other technologies to simulate the ride in motion prior to the start of construction.

The first hill is the Wooden Coaster’s highest point with a height of 75 ft. A 75-horsepower electric motor and a chain lifts each passenger train up this first hill, before dropping the train downwards.

The Wooden Coaster at Playland, 1959. (City of Vancouver Archives)

Playland in 1959, with the Wooden Coaster shown. (City of Vancouver Archives)

Playland in 1969, with the Wooden Coaster shown. (City of Vancouver Archives)

Walker LeRoy, the lead builder of the ride, made a $100 bet (worth $1,040 in 2023 dollars) that the gravity-fed roller coaster would work as designed. He strapped a plank to the wheel of an unfinished train and cranked up the motor.

While holding only a piece of rope with nothing but his grip to keep him from getting whipped up and off the wood, he proved them wrong. A full 90 seconds later, he reached the end of the track and collected his $100.

The Wooden Coaster is built with Douglas Fir wood and carries a complete length of 2,840 ft (870 metres). Its maximum speed is 72 km/hr. Each train has 16 passenger seats.

The total construction cost in 1957/1958 was $200,000 — equivalent to $2.08 million in 2023 dollars.

Present day Playland and its Wooden Roller Coaster. (PNE)

Present day Playland and its Wooden Roller Coaster. (Shutterstock)

During the 2023 PNE Fair starting August 19, the PNE is expected to showcase its schematic designs and provide further information on its new launch coaster and amphitheatre projects.

The new launch coaster currently under construction on the north end of Playland, where the Corkscrew steel coaster used to be located, is expected to be ready by Summer 2024.

In early 2024, construction is expected to begin on the PNE’s new 10,000-seat covered outdoor amphitheatre, replacing the existing 1960s-built temporary amphitheatre immediately northwest of Playland.

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