National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives
NRCMA works to discover, preserve, interpret and share the historical heritage of the roller coaster for present and future generations. Our goal is to protect these artifacts and make them accessible to those who love roller coasters and amusement parks!
Latest News
ICONIC CANOBIE LAKE CORKSCREW SPINS TO MUSEUM
The First-Generation Arrow Looper and “Movie Star” Ride Joins the Museum Collection The National Roller Coaster Museum & Archives (NRCMA) is thrilled to receive the Canobie Lake Corkscrew into its permanent collection thanks to a donation by the park. The ride's...
The Collection
National Roller Coaster Museum expansion sees great progress
Established in 2009, the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives facility in West Texas is seeing considerable growth.
Virtual Museum
Mark Moore Wing Nears Completion at the National Roller Coaster Museum in Plainview, TX.
The 10,000 Square Foot expansion is being outfitted as exhibition space as the organization evolves into a physical museum.
NRCMA Videos Now Available on Youtube!
You can now watch videos from the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives on Youtube!
Exhibit 2014
The history of the Roller Coaster timeline was on display at The Adventuredome at Circus Circus, Las Vegas during the spring and summer.
NATIONAL ROLLER COASTER MUSEUM TO EXPAND IN 2019
The 10,000-Square-Foot Exhibition Space to Honor Mark Moore, Industry Pioneer PLAINVIEW, TX (October 18, 2018) – Thanks to the incredible generosity of the entire amusement industry, the National Roller Coaster Museum (NRCMA) is expanding its Plainview, Texas archive...
THIS MONTH IN HISTORY
October 24, 1924
When the State Fair of Texas, in Dallas, Texas, closed on Oct. 24, the new Lightning roller coaster at the Dallas Fairgrounds was credited for bringing in the crowds, as nearly a million visitors enjoyed the fair. Many had come out to ride the new 3,000-foot-long, out-and-back wooden coaster, which had first operated on Aug. 7. Officials credited the new ride for increasing attendance from the 1923 fair, in conjunction with a new midway and other mechanical rides. Paired up with the nearby John Miller Skyrocket, the state-of-the-art Miller coaster, built by F.W. Pearce, it thrilled fairgoers for nearly a decade. It wasthe first time the Fairgrounds operated four wooden coasters.
October 2, 1946
The October 2 fire at Coney Island, Brooklyn, N.Y., was the final nail in the coffin for Thompson and Dundy’s Luna Park, which had closed permanently after a devastating fire two years earlier. Sparks from a worker’s blow torch ignited refuse under the remaining section of the Mile Sky Chaser coaster. The four-alarm fire lasted into the night while subway and trolley service near the former park was halted. With the flames moving to other structures in rapid succession, the fire consumed everything that was left except the ballroom, pool and administration building. The park was in the process of being torn down to make room for a housing project, which did not materialize at that time. It was used primarily as a parking lot until the city began construction of the Luna Park Houses (a set of high-rise, low income housing projects which still stand today) in the late 1950s.
#matterhornmonday. That is all.
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I always credit my first visit in 1976 to Marriott's Great America Santa Clara with my lifelong passion for coasters (Turn of the Century/ Willard's Whizzer and theme parks... but in reality, my first 'big' coaster was the Matterhorn a year earlier in1975...(2022 - 210+ coasters and counting).
I want to touch it.
There are coaster trains, and then there's the PTC Rollo Coaster train...
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💓 Eurosat lives here 💓
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I miss those trains. My childhood. Greetings from the netherlands
Glad that this train is in good hands ! And lucky I got 2 wheels from the other trains for my collection. #Nostalgic
One of my favorite theme parks~!
This museum is amazing!!
Très sympa 🙂
I wish I had that Chang logo. Miss that ride so much.
❤😅 just let me come early and get the exclusive preview.
Steve Hinz
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BIG NEWS!
We are humbled to receive a historic corkscrew inversion donation from Canobie Lake Park!
It will take five truckloads to move this single inversion, but we’re excited to make it a landmark for all who come to visit when we open to the public!
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Thank you to Canobie Lake Park for providing this to the NRCMA.
That coaster at Canobie Lake was my first roller coaster as an adult. I was still afraid of wooden coasters but felt safe with the corkscrew’s restraints. Later, I would hate them. We joined ACE the following year. Thank you!!! PS Back then we didn’t realize some rides at Disneyland and Disney World were coasters.
Both awesome and sad.
Used to be my "home" park. It's nice that you all have one of the 3 original Corkscrew inversions from the Arrow Corkscrew. I rode it opening day at Canobie Lake Park. I hope you all will be able to raise funds to sand blast it and restore it to its original gleaming white color scheme.
The Arrow fan in me hates to lose the coaster from Old Chicago which I visited during its short life. Also got to ride it at Canobie in 2003. But how incredible to see a full inversion saved! You rarely see more than a single piece survive.
That coaster has a cool history. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canobie_Corkscrew
Great to see a piece of this historic coaster being preserved. This ride really meant a lot to me as it was my first coaster I wish I had the opportunity to have a piece of my own.
This coaster first opened at Old Chicago an indoor amusement park. It was the first time I went upside down on a coaster in 1975
Got to ride this at the 2nd and 3rd locations. Our group of 5 rode it June 19, 1982, not long after its installation in Birmingham. Then rode it at Canobie in Summer 1998, between stops during the ACE Summer Event. The 3rd of 6 parks we stopped at that Saturday.
I am so looking forward to seeing this place when the public opening happens!
Nice, very Alton Towers!
My dad helped with getting this coaster to Canobie back in the day. I still have a couple of prints from it’s first few runs in the old black and yellow scheme!
Lots of good memories with my family back when the corkscrew was yellow back in the 90s. I will miss it! It sure would mean a lot to many if you could restore it to its bright yellow before it goes on display!
I LOVE that color, and the paint scheme as a whole. Only got to ride it once but took lots of pictures of it, just because of that paint scheme.
Canobie Lake Park is my home park and this coaster was my first coaster once I was old enough to ride it. So sad seeing it no longer operational and had to be removed from the park 😢
Thank you for taking care of her National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives 🥺I miss her so much and I know she will be honored and remembered respectfully, here with you! Texas just got added to my bucket list! 🥹
Heard it's the coaster from Old Chicago. A now defunct indoor amusement park in Bolingbrook IL, not terribly far from Chicago. There was a big buzz about that indoor coaster when I was a kid......
That One is formerly famous Chicago Loop at the Old Chicago before sold to fairground and later sold to Canobie.
It finally made it!!
Thank you Canobie Lake Park! What an awesome addition to NRCMA!
The collections coming along nicely
Y'all are growing so quickly and I'm here for it. 🗣👏🏾 I can't wait to come visit the museum.
My childhood home park!
Steven Kratovich Liz Kratovich Awww the corkscrew is gonna be in a museum! 🥹 Happy Retirement, Corkscrew! 🫡
I was always afraid to go on this!
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