Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters
Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters is one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world. Based in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, it was established in 1904 by Henry B. Auchy and Chester Albright under the name Philadelphia Toboggan Company. The company manufactured carousels, wooden roller coasters, toboggans and later, roller coaster trains.
History
The Philadelphia Toboggan Company was incorporated on January 20, 1904.It built and designed roller coasters until 1979. Notable designers included Joe McKee, John A. Miller, Herbert Schmeck, Frank Hoover, and John C. Allen. When Allen retired as president in 1976, the company stopped designing roller coasters but continued to work on coaster projects until 1979 when it exited the coaster-construction industry permanently.
The company manufactured carousels known for their elaborate carvings and decorations. It expanded with the acquisition of the inventory of the Dentzel Carousel Company in 1927. Lead carvers included Daniel Carl Muller, Leo Zoller, John Zalar, and Frank Caretta. Examples of the company's carousels exist throughout the United States.
The Philadelphia Toboggan Company built the Rollo Coaster at Idlewild Park in 1938, and the carousel for the same amusement park in 1931. The company manufactured Skee Ball games from 1946 to 1977. In 1926, PTC was granted a trademark on a new name, Philtobco.
Flying Turns
Developed by J. Norman Bartlett and John Miller, the Flying Turns coasters came to the attention of PTC. Recognizing the ride's potential, PTC signed a licensing agreement with Bartlett and Miller to market the ride in North America—with the exception of the state of California. With the arrival of the Great Depression, PTC built only one in 1931, at Rocky Point Amusement Park. The coaster was engineered by Herbert Schmeck, but experienced problems. The ride opened late in the summer and Schmeck stayed on site for some time before he was able to get the ride operating consistently. The ride was damaged beyond repair by a storm on September 21, 1938.Schmeck engineered a second Flying Turns for Hershey Park in August 1941. Due to the entry of the United States into World War II, and the resulting rationing of building materials, the roller coaster was never built. It would have been located in the park next to what is now the Wave Swinger, and part of where Comet's lift hill is located. Though Bartlett and Miller went on to build several more Flying Turns-type coasters, PTC never proposed another.
no|Removed