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Advertisement for the "Famous Switch-back Railroad," Mauch Chunk, PA, circa 1890.
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Scenic Switchback Railroad flyer

Credit: Courtesy of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania

Originally constructed to haul anthracite coal, the Mauch Chunk's Switchback Railroad was reborn as the nation's first tourist railroad. Here in the midst of the "The Switzerland of America," passengers thrilled to an exhilarating downhill ride that inspired the creation of the amusement park roller coaster.

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