A California boy asked his father for a backyard roller coaster and he said yes; six weeks and about $3,500 later, a 180-foot homemade ride was winding through the family’s quarter-acre yard | World News
A 10-year-old California boy asked his father if they could have a roller coaster in their backyard. His father said yes, then spent six weeks turning the idea into a working ride.Will Pemble, an e-commerce consultant in Orinda, California, built a 180-foot roller coaster through the trees on his family’s quarter-acre property for his son, Lyle. The project cost about $3,500 and involved roughly 300 hours of work.“I started building the coaster because, Lyle, my son asked me if we could, and I couldn’t think of a good reason to say no,” Pemble told KPIX-TV.The idea took shape after a family trip to an amusement park, where Lyle became interested in roller coasters and started researching how they worked.
From amusement park ride to backyard project
Lyle’s interest grew after riding a roller coaster during a family trip. He began looking into other rides and learning about their designs.The research eventually turned into a much bigger idea: building one at home.Pemble agreed to take on the project with his son. The pair planned the layout, bought PVC pipes and lumber and started constructing the track in their backyard.The finished ride, painted red, winds through the trees and uses gravity to carry a cart along its 180-foot track. A little assistance from Pemble helps get the cart moving before gravity takes over.The construction took about six weeks and cost around $3,500.
A roller coaster becomes a classroom
For Pemble, the project was not only about giving his son a ride in the backyard. It also became a practical way to show how mathematics, physics and engineering work outside a classroom.Measurements, track length, forces and the movement of the cart all became part of the project.Pemble said the work gave his son a reason to engage with difficult school subjects. A mathematical problem became easier to understand when there was a real project waiting on the other side of the calculation.The construction also gave father and son a shared project to work on together.Pemble documented the build through a blog and YouTube videos, sharing details about the engineering and construction process. The project attracted attention as more people followed the progress of the homemade ride.
Neighbours watch the coaster take shape
The unusual construction quickly became a neighbourhood talking point.“All of the neighbors have said ‘what the hell are you doing back there?’ None of them have complained,” Pemble said.Once completed, the coaster gave Lyle his own version of an amusement-park ride at home.He rated it 9.5 out of 10.
