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 View full image

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

ca. 1892

Highland Beach, foot of Sandy Hook (general area)

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

Featured in chapters

Highland Beach — the-coaster (image)

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/.