Fully Restored, 1911 Side Friction Car Welcomed to Museum

Photo credit: Robert Ingle III

Donation becomes the oldest vehicle to be featured in the museum’s collection.

The National Roller Coaster Museum & Archives (NRCMA) is proud to announce the donation of a fully-restored, 1911 ride vehicle, originally from Derby Racer at Lakeside Park in Colorado, making it the oldest vehicle in the museum’s collection.

The vehicle, which was restored over the past 20 years by American Coaster Enthusiasts member, Randy Duffer, features a rudimentary restraint system and required painstaking attention to detail to bring the vehicle back to life.

“The Derby Racer is a unique part of amusement park history and a missing, foundational piece in our collection,” said Jeff Novotny, President of the NRCMA Board of Directors. “We look forward to preserving and maintaining this special piece of amusement park history for years to come.”

“This really was a labor of love,” said Randy Duffer, the Derby Racer restorer. “After nearly a quarter century of work, I’m thrilled that this vehicle will now not only have a safe and secure location to be forever preserved, but also to be admired for the artistry and technology it represents.”

This exhibit joins a historic Ottaway Train Set and two full Arrow Development trains from Canobie Lake Park for recent donations, all of which will be integrated into the museum’s master plan.  While construction continues at the museum’s main facility in Plainview, Texas, it is still reliant solely on the generosity of industry fans and facilities.