I figured I'll bring this topic up because they share some similarities to the appliances we love. They're mechanical just like appliances, and people love the vintage ones just as much as the state of the art ones. What am I talking about? Roller coasters 
The classic chain drive coaster is pulled to the top of the first hill with the chain. The coaster train then leaves the chain at the top and decends down the first hill rapidly building enough momenteum and speed to travel through the rest of the track. The hill sizes diminish as the ride continues to the end, and momentium is consumed by friction or wind resistance. The slow ascent up the first hill builds anticipation as the riders await that huge first drop. Some longer coasters like the Loch Ness Monster in Busch Gardens may use multiple chain drives within the ride. The chain drive is still used on both wooden roller coasters, and high-tech steel coasters too.
Linear accellerators were developed back in the fifties, but have only recently take off as computer technology have made them more powerful and more precise. An electric motor is round. A linear accelerator is basically like an electric motor if one were to "unroll" it and lay it out flat. There are magnets in the coaster train, and a series of magnetic windings in the track. When the windings are energized, the magnets in the train are attracted to them....quickly!.. in sequence. The primary linear accelerator is typically laid out on a horizontal, straight piece of track. Riders experience a powerful, brisk acceleration along this piece of track as the coaster train accellerated to speeds in excess of 60mph in less than 2 seconds! The momenteum generated by this rapid thrust is enough to propel the coaster train through the rest of the ride. Some coasters with linear accelerators like the "Rock N Roller coaster" at MGM Studios, are placed in pitch black or dimly lit tunnels so the riders cannot tell where they are traveling within the ride. This further intensifies the experience. Sometimes, smaller linear accelerators may be stratigically placed throughout the ride that can keep the train up to speed throughout the entire ride eliminiating the need to reduce the size of the hills and other elements towards the ends. Some of the latest coasters even have secondary linear accellerators placed on the uphill runs to to work around the basic law of gravity that's always plagued coasters since they were invented...they slow down on uphill runs. There are no wooden coasters using linear accelerators as of yet.
The classic chain drive coaster is pulled to the top of the first hill with the chain. The coaster train then leaves the chain at the top and decends down the first hill rapidly building enough momenteum and speed to travel through the rest of the track. The hill sizes diminish as the ride continues to the end, and momentium is consumed by friction or wind resistance. The slow ascent up the first hill builds anticipation as the riders await that huge first drop. Some longer coasters like the Loch Ness Monster in Busch Gardens may use multiple chain drives within the ride. The chain drive is still used on both wooden roller coasters, and high-tech steel coasters too.
Linear accellerators were developed back in the fifties, but have only recently take off as computer technology have made them more powerful and more precise. An electric motor is round. A linear accelerator is basically like an electric motor if one were to "unroll" it and lay it out flat. There are magnets in the coaster train, and a series of magnetic windings in the track. When the windings are energized, the magnets in the train are attracted to them....quickly!.. in sequence. The primary linear accelerator is typically laid out on a horizontal, straight piece of track. Riders experience a powerful, brisk acceleration along this piece of track as the coaster train accellerated to speeds in excess of 60mph in less than 2 seconds! The momenteum generated by this rapid thrust is enough to propel the coaster train through the rest of the ride. Some coasters with linear accelerators like the "Rock N Roller coaster" at MGM Studios, are placed in pitch black or dimly lit tunnels so the riders cannot tell where they are traveling within the ride. This further intensifies the experience. Sometimes, smaller linear accelerators may be stratigically placed throughout the ride that can keep the train up to speed throughout the entire ride eliminiating the need to reduce the size of the hills and other elements towards the ends. Some of the latest coasters even have secondary linear accellerators placed on the uphill runs to to work around the basic law of gravity that's always plagued coasters since they were invented...they slow down on uphill runs. There are no wooden coasters using linear accelerators as of yet.
