Teenager films the ups and downs of building a rollercoaster in his backyard - starting with a 10ft drop off his parents' balcony
- Ben Tolliday, 19, built a rollercoaster with a 10ft drop in his parents' back garden
- Making the ride took lots of patience and tweaks to ensure it was safe to use
- After making a range of alterations, Ben was able to ride it for the first time A daredevil has shared his madcap scheme to build a rollercoaster in his back garden, complete with a 10ft high drop.
Ben Tolliday, 19, had the idea to construct and ride a single-lane rollercoaster in March, and then took three weeks to build it in his parents' garden in Atlanta, Georgia.
He filmed his progress and his eventual successful ride down the track, whooping in delight as he sat in an old go-kart seat attached to his homemade wooden carriage.
Ben Tolliday, 19, (pictured) created a rollercoaster in his parents' backyard in Atlanta, Georgia, complete with a 10ft high drop, after dreaming up the scheme in March
The 19 year old did various test runs for the rollercoaster, some of which were not very successful, including the cart flying off the side and end of the track
During the video Ben can be seen doing test runs with bags of flour which do not quite go to plan - with the bags being flung off the end of the rollercoaster. During another test the rollercoaster cart flies off the track as it travels down the first drop without a third set of wheels.
But after much perseverance and tweaking he was able to create a fully-functioning rollercoaster in his own back yard.Ben destroyed half of his parents' balcony to accommodate the project and install the tracks made from plastic pipes and wooden two-by-fours.
The initial build was steep and sudden with not much run-off for high speeds, but after modifying the angles it was safe to use.
The cart consisted of a go-kart seat fixed to planks of wood with 12 caster wheels attached that hooked over the tracks to increase stability.
Ben destroyed half of his parents' balcony at their home to bring his vision to life
The seat for the rollercoaster was made from an old go-kart seat which he attached to a piece of wood and attached wheels to (Ben pictured beside the seat at the top of the rollercoaster)
Ben said: 'I have always loved rollercoasters but I had been looking for something to build for quite a while and came across a YouTube video of someone who had made something similar in their backyard a few years ago and decided that I wanted to give it a try.
'I was so happy after going down it for the first time because It had taken me a lot longer than I expected and I came quite close to giving up at some points.
'I had anticipated it would take me about a week to finish but it ended up taking three weeks but it was definitely worth it.
'It is very smooth, quite fast, and very scary!'
Ben is not the first to build his own backyard rollercoaster. Sean LaRochelle, from California, created a replica of his favorite ride outside his home in Napa, California, after theme parks shut nationwide due to the pandemic.
A California man has brought the magic of Disneyland home by building a mini version of the Matterhorn roller coaster in his own backyard (pictured) He brought the magic of Disneyland home by building a mini version of the Matterhorn roller coaster in his own backyard.
The iconic Matterhorn ride was built in 1959 in Disneyland in Annaheim, California, and is said to be one of the most eye-catching sights in the park to this day.
The ride is modelled on the Matterhorn mountain in Zermatt, Switzerland, and takes thrill-seekers on bobsled-style carriages down the mountain in pursuit of a yeti.
Similarly, a group of theme park junkies decided to take a break from riding multimillion-dollar Disney-style rollercoasters by having a go on a homemade backyard coaster instead in 2019.
Chad Miller, a 24-year-old chemist, and his buddies Paul Polelle, 25, Alec Reynolds, 21, and Lucas Feilds comprise the Ohio Valley Coasters Team.
Together, they travel from state to state to experience the extreme highs and lows of theme park attractions.
But on this occasion, they wanted to try out the Blue Flash - a rickety mini rollercoaster, with now-peeling paint, built by John Ivers in his yard in Bruceville, Indiana, which even has a loop the loop.
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