Prior and Church

Frederick A. Church (1878–1936) was an American engineer and early roller coaster designer. He is most famous for his "Bobs" series of Roller Coasters that featured severe banking, steep drops, and nonstop action.

Fred Church was often associated with his business partners Tom Prior and, after Tom's death, Frank Prior. Church had met Tom Prior in Chicago when Prior was publicity director at White City and Riverview Park, Chicago's two great amusement parks. Church was born in Ontario Canada, studied mechanical engineering at Tufts University, and landed a job at Webster Manufacturing and Engineering near Chicago. The company designed and fabricated replacement parts for amusement park rides. Church was working on side-friction roller coaster car designs and began developing an interest in inventing new rides. Later coasters by Prior and Church would be built by Harry Traver, a legendary coaster builder and designer. Throughout the 1920s, Prior and Church coasters were built by Arthur Looff. (double out and back coasters)

Three of Church's coasters are still operating. They are:

Additional Church coasters that are well-known, but no longer standing, include:

The 1921-built Big Dipper at Playland in San Francisco (1921-1955) was at one time said to be an early Prior and Church coaster. However, park owner Arthur Looff built the Big Dipper with his own crew. Looff made a deal with Prior and Church to use the ride as a showcase for other potential parks wanting the new double out and back style roller coaster in their park. He would land the role as coaster builder for at least three double out and back coasters from the Big Dipper's ride popularity. The most famous roller coaster in the world today, the Cyclone at Coney Island, is similar in design to the Big Dipper.

Church developed a rolling stock with flanged wheels for negotiating steep curves. Prior and Church coaster trains typically consisted of ten or eleven single-bench cars with open-air fronts, each bench securing up to three riders with a leather strap lap restraint.

Prior and Church are the creators of a carousel-type ride often called a Racing Derby.

Church registered the following patents:

Robert Cartmell (1987). "Chapter X.  Traver, Prior and Church". The Incredible Scream Machine: A History of the Roller Coaster. Popular Press. pp. 153–166. ISBN .  http://www.westland.net/venicehistory/articles/church.htm

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