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A colorized photograph of the Great Switchback R.R. at Highland Beach ca. 1892 — the gravity-railroad loading tower with red-lettered signs reading GREAT SWITCHBACK R.R. THE FINEST SPORT OF EARTH 3¢, the wooden coaster trestle behind, two men and barrels in the foreground
COLORIZED

The Great Switchback R.R. at Highland Beach, colorized

ca. 1892

Highland Beach, foot of Sandy Hook (approximate)

A colorized period photograph of the Great Switchback R.R. at Highland Beach — the gravity-powered wooden roller coaster the Improvement Company completed by 1888. The station board on the loading tower reads GREAT SWITCHBACK R.R. THE FINEST SPORT OF EARTH 3¢ ROUND TRIP 3¢. Two men in period dress stand at left with wooden barrels at their feet; behind the loading tower stand a passenger car and a second smaller tower down the line. The full coaster trestle runs to the far end of the frame. One of the earliest roller coasters on the East Coast — running for a nickel less than the ferry from Manhattan.

Original and colorized

A sepia photograph ca. 1892 of the Great Switchback R.R. loading tower at Highland Beach from a second angle — seven passengers on the platform under the GREAT SWITCHBACK R.R. signboard, the large ticket board reading THE FINEST SPORT OF EARTH 3¢ ROUND TRIP, two men and barrels at foreground left
A colorized photograph of the Great Switchback R.R. at Highland Beach ca. 1892 — the gravity-railroad loading tower with red-lettered signs reading GREAT SWITCHBACK R.R. THE FINEST SPORT OF EARTH 3¢, the wooden coaster trestle behind, two men and barrels in the foreground

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Item record

Title
The Great Switchback R.R. at Highland Beach, colorized
Date
ca. 1892
Source
Sandlass Family Collection · via ATH archive
Contributor
Sandlass Family Collection
Rights
Sandlass Family Collection — permission granted for ATH publication
Slug
hb-family-img-9294

Verification: unverified.

Cite this item

The Great Switchback R.R. at Highland Beach, colorized (ca. 1892). Sandlass Family Collection · via ATH archive The Highlands History Project, https://history.abovethehook.com/archive/hb-family-img-9294/.