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Roller Coasters, Flumes & Flying Saucers: The Story of Ed Morgan & Karl Bacon, Ride Inventors of the Modern Amusement Parks
Who would have thought back in 1946 that a small, struggling machine shop named Arrow Development would change the way the world would have fun? In today's setting of themed environments and multi-million dollar attractions, it is hard to picture what the amusement industry was like right after the Second World War. Theme parks did not exist. "Kiddielands" were popular, but small and crude. Larger amusement parks, such as those at Coney Island, were becoming a bit ragged and seedy. Valuable raw materials went to war, not to pleasure. What was left after the war was in short supply and extremely expensive.
Ed and Karl's accomplishments are indeed stunning when viewed as a whole. Their association with Walt Disney lasted for nearly twenty years, and resulted in Arrow having a hand in numerous ride systems for Disney up until the opening of Walt Disney World. They created dark rides, boat rides, car rides, and a group of circling pachyderms named Dumbo. But the most important contribution to Disneyland by Ed and Karl was the Matterhorn Mountain Bobsleds. Before 1959, roller coasters were either wooden or small steel structures built of flat iron rails. The duo decided that to simulate a bobsled, none of these options would work. Instead, they came up with an entirely new system, where low slung vehicles would ride on polyurethane wheels over a tubular steel track. Thus, the modern roller coaster was born. Today, every tubular steel roller coaster in the world can trace its lineage back to Ed and Karl.
Ed and Karl's accomplishments are indeed stunning when viewed as a whole. Their association with Walt Disney lasted for nearly twenty years, and resulted in Arrow having a hand in numerous ride systems for Disney up until the opening of Walt Disney World. They created dark rides, boat rides, car rides, and a group of circling pachyderms named Dumbo. But the most important contribution to Disneyland by Ed and Karl was the Matterhorn Mountain Bobsleds. Before 1959, roller coasters were either wooden or small steel structures built of flat iron rails. The duo decided that to simulate a bobsled, none of these options would work. Instead, they came up with an entirely new system, where low slung vehicles would ride on polyurethane wheels over a tubular steel track. Thus, the modern roller coaster was born. Today, every tubular steel roller coaster in the world can trace its lineage back to Ed and Karl.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published April 7, 1999
16 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
R.R. Reynolds
6 books84 followersR. R. Reynolds was born in Phoenix, Arizona, but grew up on the beaches of Santa Monica, California. Eventually the polders of the Netherlands beckoned him to live below sea level. After stints working in Denmark, India, and Nepal, he ended up living a snowball's throw from the Arctic Circle in northern Sweden. Upon returning to the United States, he enjoyed ten years defrosting under the south Florida sunshine. Lilapsophobia drove him to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he found his new home and life as a certified Green Bay Packers-loving, Badger-rooting, brat-eating Wisconsin Cheesehead.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 28, 2015
I've read several books on the business practices and philosophies of the Disney company, but this one was completely enlightening. It is not intended to be a business book, but there are so many great stories and insights about how business was ACTUALLY done at Disney years ago that are surely not part of today's corporate culture at DIS, that the book ends up being more than it intends.
Fascinating accounts of the development of rides like It's a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, and classics like antique cars, log flumes, and tubular-steel roller coasters with corkscrews are told in some detail from the point of view of the engineers, but there are plenty of humorous anecdotes along the way.
It is amazing to hear how Disney's theme parks were really thrown together with a lot more "grit and spit" than one would imagine possible.
Like Garrett Cash said, the biggest frustration with the book is that it appears to have not been edited at all, with lots of errors, typos, and disjointed thoughts. Even so, like a Disney dark attraction built by Arrow, the ride is well worth the cost.
Fascinating accounts of the development of rides like It's a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, and classics like antique cars, log flumes, and tubular-steel roller coasters with corkscrews are told in some detail from the point of view of the engineers, but there are plenty of humorous anecdotes along the way.
It is amazing to hear how Disney's theme parks were really thrown together with a lot more "grit and spit" than one would imagine possible.
Like Garrett Cash said, the biggest frustration with the book is that it appears to have not been edited at all, with lots of errors, typos, and disjointed thoughts. Even so, like a Disney dark attraction built by Arrow, the ride is well worth the cost.
July 5, 2014
I discovered this little book among the shelves of my library and knew from the title I had to read it. I'm fascinated by the science and history behind amusement parks, and being an avid fan of Disney certainly factored in. It's really astonishing all the brilliant things these two men invented or refined that are completely key elements of all theme park attractions today. This is really just the book I had been hoping I could find someday.
My gripe is that it appears little to no editing was done at all in the process, because there were on average three to four mistakes on each page alone. This can drive someone like me nearly batty, but the content was good enough for me to push through.
This book will make an Arrow Development fan out of any reader for sure.
My gripe is that it appears little to no editing was done at all in the process, because there were on average three to four mistakes on each page alone. This can drive someone like me nearly batty, but the content was good enough for me to push through.
This book will make an Arrow Development fan out of any reader for sure.
September 22, 2013
Interesting read. They were amazing inventors, worked so hard! Some funny stories. Fascinating to hear Walt Disney's input, what a character! Liked the way it was mainly told by the men themselves. Remarkable relationship
March 6, 2022
By default, one of the essential books for theme park history enthusiasts. Nonstandard choice to make almost the entire book just interview transcripts, but I actually kind of liked that because it removed any layers of information loss that would have come from summarizing interviews.
October 31, 2024
Roller Coasters, Flumes and Flying Saucers by R.R. Reynolds offers an insightful look into Arrow Development, the essential ride developer that played a critical role in building Disneyland. This book gives a fascinating behind-the-scenes view of Disneyland’s construction, showing how this influential company helped shape many of the park's iconic attractions. It’s a valuable read for those interested in Disneyland's history and the unsung innovators who helped bring Walt’s vision to life.
August 15, 2013
A really interesting and unique little book that I randomly came across at my local library. Before reading, I hadn't even been aware of the role Arrow Development had in the development of the ride vehicles at Disney. Or even the fact that Disney was outsourcing essential jobs like this right from the start. It was interesting to hear Karl and Ed jokingly discussing how WED's engineering group was so often not up to the task of building their own vehicles - whether or not they were willing to admit it. One got the sense that WED has very good at dreaming up ideas, but not as good at actually implementing them. The patent blueprints included in the book for various ride vehicles (particularly the guide track for Pirates) were absolutely fascinating. The mechanical savvy of these two men in an age before computers is something to marvel at.
Another anecdote I found interesting was on the subject of billing Disney. Ed said that Arrow was forced to work on fixed bids, and they lost money on every ride vehicle they built for many years. After Disneyland opened, Walt asked them how they made out on their contracts. They told him they lost money, and he said from then on he would cover their costs. He wanted to make sure they benefited from their partnership. As someone who has struggled with the same fixed bidding model in my own career, I was shocked to hear that Arrow was fighting the same battles a half century ago in a very different industry. I suppose certain aspects of being a contractor are universal, no matter what you're doing.
The content of the book is presented as a interviews with Ed Morgan and Karl Bacon, the two founding partners of Arrow. It gives the book a very laid back, conversational quality, a bit like It's Kind Of A Cute Story. However, Jeff Heimbuch did a better job in the latter of filling in the gaps between the conversation. This book would have benefitted greatly from the inclusion of more context around the conversation with the two men.
Another anecdote I found interesting was on the subject of billing Disney. Ed said that Arrow was forced to work on fixed bids, and they lost money on every ride vehicle they built for many years. After Disneyland opened, Walt asked them how they made out on their contracts. They told him they lost money, and he said from then on he would cover their costs. He wanted to make sure they benefited from their partnership. As someone who has struggled with the same fixed bidding model in my own career, I was shocked to hear that Arrow was fighting the same battles a half century ago in a very different industry. I suppose certain aspects of being a contractor are universal, no matter what you're doing.
The content of the book is presented as a interviews with Ed Morgan and Karl Bacon, the two founding partners of Arrow. It gives the book a very laid back, conversational quality, a bit like It's Kind Of A Cute Story. However, Jeff Heimbuch did a better job in the latter of filling in the gaps between the conversation. This book would have benefitted greatly from the inclusion of more context around the conversation with the two men.
February 27, 2014
This is an interesting and very technical book that provides an inside look at the design and development of some of the most famous amusement and theme park rides in the world, including Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, and the Matterhorn.
What unfolds is a story that is part narrative, part interview of ride designers Ed Morgan and Karl Bacon, founders of Arrow Development. As it turns out, this is the company, and these are the men, responsible for rides that have become common household names. I found this book when I was searching on "Disney" in the kindle store. The connection is that much of Arrow's work, and the relationship that rocketed them into the forefront of ride design as opposed to other types of mechnical engineering, was their work with Walt Disney and The Disney Company from the time that Disney was planning Disneyland through the opening of Walt Disney World.
Ed and Karl quite often delve into the very technical aspects behind designing their rides, occasionally providing more anecdotal stories such as when one or the other of them was nearly swept off their feet by gushing water or pockets of high pressured air, depending on the ride mechanism they were inventing. They are respectful of history and you can tell that they are honest in crediting what they did versus what others were responsible for, for example clearly sharing what their development in Disney rides were versus the theming that Disney themselves were very much involved in and responsible for. You never feel that these men are grandstanding, but you end the book in awe of their technical expertise and brilliance in formulating solutions to make rides work and developing technology that stands the test of time. These guys invented the building blocks of much of what makes rides so great today.
If you are not interested in the technical details behind their inventions, then some of this will seem dry to you, but you can easily scan through those sections and still find plenty of entertainment in their behind the scenes tales. Ed and Karl not only worked with Disney but also with Knott's Berry Farm, Six Flags, Busch Gardens and plenty of other now defunct amusement parks and their stories about these ventures will amuse and delight you.
What unfolds is a story that is part narrative, part interview of ride designers Ed Morgan and Karl Bacon, founders of Arrow Development. As it turns out, this is the company, and these are the men, responsible for rides that have become common household names. I found this book when I was searching on "Disney" in the kindle store. The connection is that much of Arrow's work, and the relationship that rocketed them into the forefront of ride design as opposed to other types of mechnical engineering, was their work with Walt Disney and The Disney Company from the time that Disney was planning Disneyland through the opening of Walt Disney World.
Ed and Karl quite often delve into the very technical aspects behind designing their rides, occasionally providing more anecdotal stories such as when one or the other of them was nearly swept off their feet by gushing water or pockets of high pressured air, depending on the ride mechanism they were inventing. They are respectful of history and you can tell that they are honest in crediting what they did versus what others were responsible for, for example clearly sharing what their development in Disney rides were versus the theming that Disney themselves were very much involved in and responsible for. You never feel that these men are grandstanding, but you end the book in awe of their technical expertise and brilliance in formulating solutions to make rides work and developing technology that stands the test of time. These guys invented the building blocks of much of what makes rides so great today.
If you are not interested in the technical details behind their inventions, then some of this will seem dry to you, but you can easily scan through those sections and still find plenty of entertainment in their behind the scenes tales. Ed and Karl not only worked with Disney but also with Knott's Berry Farm, Six Flags, Busch Gardens and plenty of other now defunct amusement parks and their stories about these ventures will amuse and delight you.
March 7, 2012
A very interesting style book, with interviews of the people behind the story. Disney fans often hear about the great wonders of Bob Gurr, but this shows a slightly deeper story of the people that helped him make the magic happen.
March 3, 2012
A very interesting tale of the inventors of the modern day rollercoasters and what they built back in the 50s & 60s.
September 9, 2013
I had no idea of the complexity of roller coasters and rides of all kinds! Very interesting book - a good read for anyone!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews