Al Collins

A designer linked to American wooden roller coasters

Al Collins is best known in the amusement park world for his work as a designer and engineer on wooden roller coasters. His name is mostly connected with projects where layout, terrain and structural calculations played a central role, at a time when major coaster design still relied heavily on technical experience and hand calculations.

He is notably associated with The Beast at Kings Island, the famous wooden roller coaster developed in-house by the park’s team in the late 1970s with Jeff Gramke and guidance from John C. Allen. The ride became a landmark thanks to its wooded terrain setting, exceptional length and lasting place in wooden coaster history.

Al Collins is also listed as the designer of Tornado at Stricker’s Grove, another wooden roller coaster in Ohio. These projects help place his name within the story of American wooden coasters: rides shaped by terrain, speed and gradually building thrills, long before standardized coaster layouts became common.

Key points

• A figure associated with wooden roller coaster design in the United States.
• Closely linked to The Beast, one of Kings Island’s most notable attractions.
• An interesting name for understanding the history of several notable American wooden coasters.