West View Park had two roller coasters called Figure-8.
The first Figure-8 was built in 1906 – for purposes of designation, this roller coaster will be called Figure-8 (1906) – for West View Park’s first season. It was one major part of the $250,000 spent on constructing the park. It was constructed by T.M. Harton & Company, who was also owner of the park through the West View Park Company.
Rear view of Figure-8 in West View Park, as seen in The Pittsburgh Gazette, on April 29, 1906, in Section 4, page 8.After the 1908 season, Figure-8 (1906) was closed down. It was overhauled and rebuilt by T.M. Harton & Company into a new figure-8 coaster. For purposes of designation, this roller coaster will be called Figure-8 (1909).
Figure-8 (1909) was claimed to be the longest roller coaster in America, with a length of a half-mile.
Article with photo about West View Park in The Pittsburgh Gazette Times, May 16, 1909, in Section 1, on page 6.This roller coaster was closed at the conclusion of the 1916 season. It was replaced by a new $50,000 roller coaster called Speed-O-Plane.
The next article in my series on West View Park will be about the Speed-O-Plane and its successor, Greyhound.
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