John C. Allen


John C. Allen was a roller coaster designer who was responsible for the revival of wooden roller coasters which began in the 1960s. He attended Drexel University. He started working for the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1934 as a coaster operator and rose to become president of the company by 1954. He has designed more than 25 coasters and made significant contributions to roller coaster technology. He once said, "You don't need a degree in engineering to design roller coasters, you need a degree in psychology."

Coasters (incomplete list)

NameLocationBuiltStatus
Valley VolcanoAngela Park1956Closed 1989
Jet Flyer/Sea DragonGooding Zoo Park/Wyandot Lake/Jungle Jack's Landing/Adventure Cove)1956Operating
TornadoWedgewood Village1960Closed 1969
SkylinerLakemont Park1960Operating
Golden Nugget Mine/Black DiamondKnoebels Amusement Resort1960Operating
StarlinerMiracle Strip/Cypress Gardens1963Closed 2008
Blue StreakCedar Point1964Operating
Swamp FoxGrand Strand Park/Family Kingdom1966Operating
Cannon BallLake Winnepesaukah1967Operating
ZingoBell's Amusement Park1968Closed 2006
Great American Scream MachineSix Flags Over Georgia1973Operating
Rebel Yell/Racer 75Kings Dominion1975Operating
Woodstock ExpressKings Dominion1975Operating
Screamin' EagleSix Flags St. Louis1976Operating
The RacerKings Island1972Operating
Woodstock ExpressKings Island1972Operating
Ghost Town Jet / Mighty Lightnin' / CometRocky Glen Park1959Closed 1987
SkylinerFair Park1965Demolished