Playland's wooden roller coaster, ranked best in Canada, makes world's top 25

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      If you've ever been freaked out on Playland's old-school Wooden Coaster at the PNE, there's good reason why.

      Once again, it's been named among the top 25 best wooden roller coasters in the world, and the sole Canadian entry in the top 100. In fact, it beat other Canadian roller coasters in the top 200 list by quite a lengthy stretch.

      According to the second annual poll by Ello Coaster, the scream machine ranked number 12 in the world, rising two spots from 2017.

      The entry on the list for Vancouver's coaster advises thrillseekers to look west when considering Canada.

      "While Ontario and Quebec often steal the Canadian coaster spotlight with their giant collections of steel coasters, you shouldn’t overlook the west coast for coaster thrills in the Great White North," the description reads. "Playland’s Coaster runs exactly as it has since 1958 with handbrakes, classic trains, and genuinely terrifying airtime."

      In its previous entry at number 14 in 2017, the description stated: "Playland’s Wooden Roller Coaster is an absolute treasure, an immaculately maintained piece of history that has thrilled generations of visitors and will hopefully remain for generations to come."

      The historic roller coaster, which was built from Douglas Fir in 1957 and opened in 1958, features three 16-passenger trains that travel at a maximum speed of 45 miles per hour for a ride on a 2,840-feet track that lasts 90 seconds. Its maximum height is its first hill, which rises to 75 feet.

      The freakfest ride celebrated its 60th anniversary last year and in 2009, it was designated as an American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) Roller Coaster Landmark.

      Meanwhile the next Canadian wooden coaster to make the list was the right track of Monstre at La Ronde in Montreal way down at number 128 (with its left track coming in at number 134), which opened in 1985.

      The top spot for the second consecutive year went to the Wildfire in Kolmården, Sweden.

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      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook.

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