Yes, "scenic railway" is the antique American term (up to 1920?)
for a roller coaster -- it was used for the original Cedar Point, Ohio,
amusement park.  In fact, as a child in the early 1950s I remember
seeing the term on signs for little amusement parks that were already
falling into disuse.  "Racer Dip" was another roller coaster term for
those with flat, smooth wooden tracks instead of steel rails, or so
it seemed.

Even more bizarre is the French term for a roller coaster: "Russian
Mountain Montage [les montagnes russe]."  Some French fairground
operator must have been mightily impressed with the Urals!  This
I found twice in the French version of the album notes on a CD of
the Gavioli organ at Foire du Trone, on the Musique Mechanique label.
This big Gavioli was used, among other things in its long history,
to accompany such a ride.

Fantasy journeys, such as the original scenic railways represented,
are still with us in the Disney theme parks and a new water ride at
Sea World, San Diego, where rafts carry you through cartoon-style
innards of wrecked ships and such.  But not much in the way of music
-- where's Captain Nemo and his organ when we need him?

Mike Knudsen