I'd love to see a comback of some of the older classic rides such as the
Spider, Trabant, Enterprise etc.
Dorney park is re-introducing their "Monster" this year, Six Flags America
installed a Polyp ride (similar to monster) there's a beautiful "monster" next
to Geminii at Cedar Point. Unfortunately many of today's amusement parks have
decided to JUST have coasters, and a couple flat rides. this vastly reduces the
price they pay for maintenance workers. Today Six Flags has been pumping flat
rides into their parks, and there are LINES for almost every one of them on any
given day! SFA has a trabant in storage which may be installed this year
SAM
.
Coaster Zombies Club
P.O. Box 12
Arlington,VA 22210-0012
http://members.aol.com/coasterzombies/CZPAGE..html
Yes PKI still has one and this is the ride that Al Webber president of
Paramount parks operated when he was hired on back in 1972. Als Quote is that
as long as hes employed with the company it will allways be there! The ride
was removed for a year or two but was returned when Al became president of PKI.
Cedar point also has one in front of gemini
Hope this helps
Chuck
Chuck. Member of Ace since 2/03/00
http://members.aol.com/coasterfanatic/CoasterFaNaTiCsFoRuMindex.html
In addition to the parks Sam mentioned, WOF, SFGAm, VF, Lakeside,
and Silverwood all have one. I'm sure there are more out there
that I've either forgotten or haven't been to yet. The one at
Lakeside in particular was giving a nice ride, though I'm not
sure whether that was anything special to that unit or just the
fact that it went on for over 5 minutes.
I wonder if part of the reason they've disappeared
somewhat is because of the horrendous complexities involved in
loading and unloading it.
>I'd love to see a comback of some of the older classic rides
such as the
>Spider, Trabant, Enterprise etc.
>
Have you gotten to try a Chance Wipeout yet? It's like a Trabant
on steroids. Very, very fun.
mike
* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
Sdbaker99 wrote:
>
> What has happened to the Spider/Octopus ride? Busch Gardens and PKD both used
> to have one and I really enjoyed this ride as a kid. What parks still have one
> of these? I know PKI used to but I haven't been there in quite a few years.
> Is it still there?
>
-----------------------------------------------------------
T2 - Tyler to the Second Power
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
Cedar Point. BGT
#1 Steel-Apollo's Chariot!!!!!!!!!
#1 Wood-Great American Scream Machine!!!!!!
#1 Non Coaster Ride-Double Shot!!!!!!
Go Gators!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The OCTOPUS has eight straight sweeps, and either eight or sixteen tubs.
The sweeps on the Octopus are really long, and the Octopus seems to have
more up-and-down action than the other models.
The SPIDER has six curved sweeps, each sweep ending in two curved
stub-arms. Each stub arm has a tub sitting on it, so there are twelve
tubs. The construction and action of the OCTOPUS and SPIDER are very
similar. In fact, Funtastic Shows has a very special Spider...the only
one left that has *eight* curved sweeps on it, and sixteen tubs. Both the
Octopus and the Spider have a single drive shaft which, through a clever
arrangement of brakes and clutches, drives two old Ford half-differentials
which turn the drive chains which turn the center and the eccentric assembly.
The MONSTER is a much bigger ride than either the Octopus or the Spider.
The Monster, like the Spider, has six curved sweeps, but at the end of
each sweep there is a spider assembly: a rotating pod which carries four
stub arms, with a tub on each stub arm. These pods are electrically
driven at 11 RPM, but the two center rotations (the center and the
eccentric) are hydraulically driven with independent hydraulic motors
supplied off a single HPU located under the center structure.
OTHER VARIATIONS:
The first two Monsters had only five sweeps. The Octopus at Enchanted
Village has only six sweeps; you can see a couple of pictures of this one
on my web site:
http://capital2.capital.edu/admin-staff/dalthoff/v99/enchvill.html
The Enchanted Village machine is also interesting in that it has the
new-style side-opening tubs rather than the usual drop-nose tubs.
Apparently Funtastic Shows has, or had, a set of those tubs, and ORI is
building a new set for an unnamed park in the Pacific Northwest.
PARAMOUNT:
If Kings Island did indeed remove their Monster for a while and then
return it to service, then it may explain something I've wondered about
for a while. You see, Coney Island had a Monster, which was presumably
moved to Kings Island. But I have been informed that Kings Island's
Monster was built in (I believe it was) 1974, and was the last Monster
ever built. But that doesn't explain where Canada's Wonderland, which
opened ten years later, managed to come up with their Monster, which is
also clearly an Eyerly ride.
SPIDERS, MONSTERS, and OCTOPI THAT I HAVE KNOWN:
(this is NOT a complete list!)
Wyandot Lake, Powell, Ohio: Spider
Geauga Lake, Aurora, Ohio: Spider
Camden Park, Huntington, West Virginia: Spider
Holiday World, Santa Claus, Indiana: Spider
Waldameer Park, Erie, Pennsylvania: Spider
Oaks Park, Portland, Oregon: Spider
Amusements of America: Spider
Bates Amusements: Spider
Funtastic Shows: Spider
Conklin Shows: Spider
Erieview Park, Geneva-On-The-Lake, Ohio: Octopus
Lakemont Park, Altoona, Pennsylvania: Octopus
Thrill-Ville USA, Turner, Oregon: Octopus
Nolan Amusements: Octopus
Enchanted Village, Federal Way, Washington: Spidopus
Williams Grove, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Monster
Lakemont Park, Altoona, Pennsylvania: Monster
Kings Island, Mason, Ohio: Monster
Canada's Wonderland, Vaughn, Ontario: Monster
Silverwood, Athol, Idaho: Monster
Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio: Monster
Okay, there's a start...now see where your home park fits in. Most parks
have one of these things.
Oh, by the way, the ride at Playland up in Vancouver that kind of looks
like a Monster? That's a Soriani & Moser Polyp, and one of its
distinguishing features (aside from having five sweeps and five stub
arms/cars per sweep) is that all of the tubs can be loaded simultaneously.
Other Eyerly rides include the Rock-O-Plane, Roll-O-Plane, Loop-O-Plane,
Fly-O-Plane, Sidewinder, Midge-O-Racer, Toon Kar, Ladybug, and Bulgy the
Whale.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
--
/^\ _ _ _*** Closed for the season ***
/XXX\ /X\ /X\_ _ /X\__ _ _ _____
/XXXXX\ /XXX\ _/XXXX\_ /X\ /XXXXX\ /X\ /X\ /XXXXX
_/XXXXXXX\__/XXXXX\/XXXXXXXX\_/XXX\_/XXXXXXX\__/XXX\_/XXX\_/\_/XXXXXX
SFGAd has some of the classics. They have an Enterprise,Trabant,and Rotor.
--
Rob Vaccaro
Vacc...@mindspring.com
=======================
> What parks still have one
>of these?
Holiday World has one and it's fantastic! I don't think I've had more spinning
action on one of these rides!
Waldameer also has a very good one.
They've always appeared to be very "high maintenance" rides to me. My
experience indicates that they seem to have a lot of down time. Maybe that's
why many parks have removed them.
Cindy Stout
css...@aol.com
Scott Schaffer "Lake Superior White Fish" (Remove *Y2CLAY* to respond)
No.1 Steel: Raging Bull
No.1 Wood: Shivering Timbers
Favorite Non-Coaster rides: Ejector Seat, Skyscraper, *ZIPPER*
SOB Countdown: *43 DAYS*
Coaster Count: 51
They also had a Monster where the Enchanted Tea Cups are. I miss that one. it
was one of my favorite flat rides.
-=[Vader]=-
-=(Please: No chain letters or spam)=-
Well, as far as the Trabant, there is an updated Chance version called
"Wipeout," that can be found in numerous occasions. And there are still
Enterprises everywhere.
I must ask, though, I have been on 2 variations of the Enterprise. I've been on
quite a few of them where you straddle a seat, and the door of the cage opens
out. The one at Kennywood was different than the rest. I beleive on this one,
the seat and door to the cage are quite different. I'm sorry I don't remember
exactly. Anyway, are these just different generations of the Enterprise?
-Conner Purcell (Remove RCotW to reply)
--Member, Roller Coasters of the World family
---http://members.xoom.com/rcotw
----News, park & coaster profiles, trip reports, downloads, 100+ high quality
photos, special features, and more! Visit RCotW today!
> SPIDERS, MONSTERS, and OCTOPI THAT I HAVE KNOWN:
> (this is NOT a complete list!)
> Wyandot Lake, Powell, Ohio: Spider
> Geauga Lake, Aurora, Ohio: Spider
> Camden Park, Huntington, West Virginia: Spider
> Holiday World, Santa Claus, Indiana: Spider
> Waldameer Park, Erie, Pennsylvania: Spider
> Oaks Park, Portland, Oregon: Spider
> Amusements of America: Spider
> Bates Amusements: Spider
> Funtastic Shows: Spider
> Conklin Shows: Spider
> Erieview Park, Geneva-On-The-Lake, Ohio: Octopus
> Lakemont Park, Altoona, Pennsylvania: Octopus
> Thrill-Ville USA, Turner, Oregon: Octopus
> Nolan Amusements: Octopus
> Enchanted Village, Federal Way, Washington: Spidopus
> Williams Grove, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Monster
> Lakemont Park, Altoona, Pennsylvania: Monster
> Kings Island, Mason, Ohio: Monster
> Canada's Wonderland, Vaughn, Ontario: Monster
> Silverwood, Athol, Idaho: Monster
> Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio: Monster
Impressive listing. I didn't know that I saw a Spidopus
at Enchanted Village! Also add Idlewild to the Spider category.
--
Tim Melago - roll...@sgi.net
http://users.sgi.net/~rollocst/rc.html
> I must ask, though, I have been on 2 variations of the Enterprise.
I've been on
> quite a few of them where you straddle a seat, and the door of the
cage opens
> out. The one at Kennywood was different than the rest. I beleive on
this one,
> the seat and door to the cage are quite different. I'm sorry I don't
remember
> exactly. Anyway, are these just different generations of the
Enterprise?
We all know that SOME are LARGER than others.
Huss makes two different models I believe (cage door slides open), one
model is smaller than the other.
Schwarzkopf makes one, where the door opens out. Those have relatively
small seats as well.
-CK-
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
>We all know that SOME are LARGER than others.
>
>Huss makes two different models I believe (cage door slides open), one
>model is smaller than the other.
>
>-CK-
Huss also makes one, where even though there is only 4 people in line -
total, you end up two to a cabin while the fat kid sits on the midway
playing with your pogo (and sister).
Iain
--
tokama http://www.oxford.net/~hendryjr
ICQ UIN 5362826
AIM Linjerflyg
h e n d r y j r AT o x f o r d DOT n e t
(Remove bibiphoque to reply)
>Now just *please* don't test me on it at Stark Raven Mad this year.
>
>Mark-
>who sometimes wonders if he missed the boat when it comes to
>identifying machinery
What if the machinery is a boat?
: >Lakemont Park, Altoona, Pennsylvania: Octopus
: >Lakemont Park, Altoona, Pennsylvania: Monster
(I added that last one back in)
: I must have been dizzy on my last trip because while I know they have
: both an Octopus (near LtD) and a Monster (near Skydiver) I could swear
: they have 2 Octopi - one at both ends of the midway. One is fairly
: recent (and not so good) and the other has metal tubs and is
: absolutely, positively great - the only one I rank above Paul Revere's
: Ride at Holiday World.
: But I'm probably wrong about there being 2 Octopi -
Hmmm...
Well, when I was last there (for Ridefest) neither the Monster nor the
Octopus was operational. On my previous visit, in the 1998 season, they
had the Monster going...it's at the end of the park near the circle swing
and the Mad Mouse...and the Octopus was in pieces right across from the
Twister. I do not remember a second Octopus, though.
In any case, it is the only park I can think of that has two of these
Octopus variants!
> SPIDERS, MONSTERS, and OCTOPI THAT I HAVE KNOWN:
> (this is NOT a complete list!)
> Wyandot Lake, Powell, Ohio: Spider
> Geauga Lake, Aurora, Ohio: Spider
> Camden Park, Huntington, West Virginia: Spider
> Holiday World, Santa Claus, Indiana: Spider
> Waldameer Park, Erie, Pennsylvania: Spider
> Oaks Park, Portland, Oregon: Spider
> Amusements of America: Spider
> Bates Amusements: Spider
> Funtastic Shows: Spider
> Conklin Shows: Spider
> Erieview Park, Geneva-On-The-Lake, Ohio: Octopus
> Lakemont Park, Altoona, Pennsylvania: Octopus
> Thrill-Ville USA, Turner, Oregon: Octopus
> Nolan Amusements: Octopus
> Enchanted Village, Federal Way, Washington: Spidopus
> Williams Grove, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Monster
> Lakemont Park, Altoona, Pennsylvania: Monster
> Kings Island, Mason, Ohio: Monster
> Canada's Wonderland, Vaughn, Ontario: Monster
> Silverwood, Athol, Idaho: Monster
> Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio: Monster
>
> Okay, there's a start...now see where your home park fits in. Most parks
> have one of these things.
>
> Oh, by the way, the ride at Playland up in Vancouver that kind of looks
> like a Monster? That's a Soriani & Moser Polyp, and one of its
> distinguishing features (aside from having five sweeps and five stub
> arms/cars per sweep) is that all of the tubs can be loaded simultaneously.
To add some confusion:
Schwarzkopf alone has made three different versions of Spiders. They are called Monster
and have spinning gondolas and spinning crosses. All Gondolas can be loded simultanously.
They can be found all over Europe.
Have a look at http://www.rideindex.de/cgi-bin/rides.pl?mode=typ&typ=monster3 to see a
Monster 3.
CU, Ralph
>Lakemont Park, Altoona, Pennsylvania: Octopus
I must have been dizzy on my last trip because while I know they have
both an Octopus (near LtD) and a Monster (near Skydiver) I could swear
they have 2 Octopi - one at both ends of the midway. One is fairly
recent (and not so good) and the other has metal tubs and is
absolutely, positively great - the only one I rank above Paul Revere's
Ride at Holiday World.
But I'm probably wrong about there being 2 Octopi -
RU
Now just *please* don't test me on it at Stark Raven Mad this year.
Mark-
who sometimes wonders if he missed the boat when it comes to
identifying machinery
On 25 Feb 2000 17:16:06 -0500, dal...@gcfn.org (Dave Althoff Jr)
wrote:
>Lakemont Park, Altoona, Pennsylvania: Octopus
>Thrill-Ville USA, Turner, Oregon: Octopus
>Nolan Amusements: Octopus
>Enchanted Village, Federal Way, Washington: Spidopus
>Williams Grove, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Monster
>Lakemont Park, Altoona, Pennsylvania: Monster
>Kings Island, Mason, Ohio: Monster
>Canada's Wonderland, Vaughn, Ontario: Monster
>Silverwood, Athol, Idaho: Monster
>Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio: Monster
>
>Okay, there's a start...now see where your home park fits in. Most parks
>have one of these things.
>
>Oh, by the way, the ride at Playland up in Vancouver that kind of looks
>like a Monster? That's a Soriani & Moser Polyp, and one of its
>distinguishing features (aside from having five sweeps and five stub
>arms/cars per sweep) is that all of the tubs can be loaded simultaneously.
>
>Other Eyerly rides include the Rock-O-Plane, Roll-O-Plane, Loop-O-Plane,
>Fly-O-Plane, Sidewinder, Midge-O-Racer, Toon Kar, Ladybug, and Bulgy the
>Whale.
>
>--Dave Althoff, Jr.
Today for you, tomorrow for me
RunawayMT
The Trip Report
http://www.thetripreport.com
Mark Denning
>
> SPIDERS, MONSTERS, and OCTOPI THAT I HAVE KNOWN:
> (this is NOT a complete list!)
> Wyandot Lake, Powell, Ohio: Spider
> Geauga Lake, Aurora, Ohio: Spider
> Camden Park, Huntington, West Virginia: Spider
> Holiday World, Santa Claus, Indiana: Spider
> Waldameer Park, Erie, Pennsylvania: Spider
> Oaks Park, Portland, Oregon: Spider
> Amusements of America: Spider
> Bates Amusements: Spider
> Funtastic Shows: Spider
> Conklin Shows: Spider
> Erieview Park, Geneva-On-The-Lake, Ohio: Octopus
> Lakemont Park, Altoona, Pennsylvania: Octopus
> Thrill-Ville USA, Turner, Oregon: Octopus
> Nolan Amusements: Octopus
> Enchanted Village, Federal Way, Washington: Spidopus
> Williams Grove, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Monster
> Lakemont Park, Altoona, Pennsylvania: Monster
> Kings Island, Mason, Ohio: Monster
> Canada's Wonderland, Vaughn, Ontario: Monster
> Silverwood, Athol, Idaho: Monster
> Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio: Monster
>
>
: They've always appeared to be very "high maintenance" rides to me. My
: experience indicates that they seem to have a lot of down time. Maybe that's
: why many parks have removed them.
You mean because the Spider has something like 66 different grease points
that have to be hit after every eight hours of operation?? 8-)
I've actually noticed just the opposite...that because the Spider/Octopus
are such simple rides, they don't seem to break down very often. But the
capacity is a problem. Spider can load four tubs at a time; Monster can
load eight...Octopus can load one or two, depending on whether it has
eight or sixteen. Three stops per cycle is a pretty serious problem in my
book. Personally, I'd like to see ORI come up with an update to the
eccentric assembly: a lifting center as we see on a Wave Swinger, so that
all of the sweeps can be loaded at once. Quite frankly, I don't much like
the tactic that Soriani & Moser used on their Polyp, where the support
rods have hydraulic cylinders on them to extend the ones on the high
side of the eccentric hub. But then I haven't looked closely at the
mechanism on that system, either.
In any case, I think the Octopus/Spider/Monster would be more popular if
all seats could load at once.
--
Nathan Thompson
frontseat~nt~
nth...@ev1.net
Ride Count=33
Favorite Wood=Texas Giant
Favorite Steel=Steel Eel or Serial Thriller
Favorite Non Coaster Ride=Frisbee
Favorite Parks=SFOT,SFFT, and SWOT
I love my coaster gal
Mark7594 <mde...@bcn.net> wrote in message
news:897ipl$pls$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
>>What has happened to the Spider/Octopus ride? Busch Gardens and PKD both
used
to have one and I really enjoyed this ride as a kid. What parks still have one
of these? I know PKI used to but I haven't been there in quite a few years.
Is it still there?
I'd love to see a comback of some of the older classic rides such as the
Spider, Trabant, Enterprise etc.<<
The following parks have them that I know of:
Conneaut Lake Park (ground mount)
Arnold's Park (portable model I think)
Casino variation:
Blands Park (ground mount)
Hershey Park (ground mount)
Trabant ride action:
I have ridden on the Trabant, Casino, and Wipeout and all 3 rides are
similar but have differences. My last ride on the Trabant was over 20 years
ago, but I remember it well. It started out in its flat (loading position).
The hydrolic arm started first backwards, then the platter started forwards
faster than the hydrolic arm. Then the arm raised the platter to its 45
degree angle and the ride pretty much stayed at a constant speed for about a
minute until it came to a halt. At this point the hydrolic arm reversed
direction as well as the platter and it continued backwards for about a
another minute until the hydrolic arm started lowering the platform back
down to its loading position at which time the ride stopped.
Casino ride action:
I rode a Casino at a recent carnival in a nearby town (American Traveling
Shows) and the ride action was very similar to the Trabant except the speeds
were varied and the ride overall was much faster and wilder. It started out
by the hydrolic arm going backwards, at the same time raising the platter
upwards. About half way up the platter started rotating forwards. About 30
seconds later the platter literally "took off" in its forward direction
while the hydrolic arm slowed to a crawl. It was extremely fast and the
lateralls were very forceful (Think of the Wipeout final spin sequence and
the speed here is about the same). About 20 seconds later they threw on the
brakes on the platter and the hyrolic arm began its forward movements
extremely fast, while the platter reversed direction with speed about equal
to the hydrolic arm giving the sensation of bobbing up and down for about 20
seconds until the platter increased speed backwards while the hyrolic arm
slowed to a crawl. It then began its wildly forceful backward spin which
lasted for another 15 seconds or so until the ride lowered back to its
loading position and came to a stop.
I hear the last generations of Trabants were similar in ride action to the
Casino, but I have not ridden on any so can't comment.
Wipeout ride action:
I rode the SFFT Wipeout in October and it started out slowly in its lowered
position. The hydrolic arm went backwards while the platter went forwards
slightly faster while ride was raised to its 45 degree angle. About 45
seconds later the hydrolic arm stopped and the platter picked up speed, then
the hydrolic arm resumed its backwards cycle again about the same speed as
before while the platter was going forwards much faster giving you some
good air time as you hit the top each time. This went on for about 20
seconds or so until the hydrolic arm stopped completely while the platter
yet picked up more speed for its final spin sequence as the hydrolic arm
lowered back to its loading position. There was no backwards cycle on this
ride and the overall impression left on me was not much, compared to the
other, although still very fun. This must have been one of the weaker ride
cycles that this ride has to offer because I know it is capable of much
faster and wilder cycles as reported on this newsgroup many times.
There are Wipeouts at Kennywood, Knotts Berry Farm (reportedly very fast and
wild), SFMW, Waldameer Park in Erie, PA, and I am sure many others.
Helm and Sons Amusements in CA has a portable model which I am itching to
ride on as soon as the season starts around here again.
This ride and its variations are among my all time favorite rides as you
might have guessed.
--
Patrick McGuire
Stockton, CA
Pmcgu...@worldnet.att.net
Sdbaker99 <sdba...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20000225090012...@ng-cg1.aol.com...
The Trabant and the Casino are the same ride. In fact, if you look at the
data place on a newer Casino or Trabant, it is clearly marked,
"TRABANT/CASINO". The difference between the Casino and the Trabant is
that the Casino is decorated to look like a roulette wheel, while the
Trabant is merely decorated...I believe there is a tower in the center of
the wheel with a mirrored ball on top.
Mechanically, there is a rotating turret with a hinged arm on it; the arm
carries a large disc with twenty (I think) seats arranged around the
perimeter. The end of the arm with the center of the disc is offset from
the center of the turret, so with both the turret and the disc rotating,
the overall rotation wobbles. The disk is driven by one or two drive
tires mounted at the lower end of the lifting arm; the arm is lifted
hydraulicly.
Most of the Trabants out there have a very cumbersome safety bar
arrangement, where the lap bar is secured by a spring-metal latch and held
in place with a spring-loaded bar that hooks into a slot at the front of
the seat opening. This arrangement is a royal PITA and most operators
hate it, so there have been some updates and changes to do away with this
bar on later models.
The turret and rim speeds may vary throughout the ride, but the turret and
rim will NEVER rotate in the same direction. I do not know if any of the
Trabants have programmed controls or not; all the ones I have seen have
full-manual controls, with single-speed pushbuttons for CW and CCW rim and
turret rotations.
Around here, Geauga Lake, Bland's Park, and Coney Island all have Casinos
or Trabants. Cedar Point took theirs out in 1991, but they kept their
Mack Schwabinchen, a European ride with the same ride action.
The Wipeout, also from Chance, is an update on the Casino/Trabant. Like
the Casino, it has twenty seats, but half of the seats are reversed...so
each of the ten seating areas has four people sitting face to face. As
Pat described, the ride action is computer-programmed. The rim is driven
not by tires around the edge, but by a motor operating directly on the
center hub. Inconveniently, the control PLC for the Wipeout is located on
the center turret. Wipeout has ratcheting lap bars which are
automatically lowered at the start of the ride cycle, and monitored by the
PLC. Wipeout produces some of the strongest lateral forces you will find
on a flat ride. Ride one at Kennywood or Waldameer.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
(who does not have as much Chance information as ORI information...)
Ok, but in or about 1967, The Pike (Nu-Pike by then) replaced its old
straight 8 arm Octopus, with an 8 curved arm Octopus. One spinning tub at
the end of each curving sweep arm. What do you call that ride? My old
tickets said Octopus ride. Not to mention the fact that B&B Amusements used
to have one just like it when I worked for them years ago. In fact, they
looked just like the one at Geauga Lake (now SFOhio), but 8 curving arms.
Weren't those rides called Octopus? Or maybe their were two different types
of Spider? They have to be in Eyerly's or Oregon Rides catalog somewhere?
I have seen, ridden, and helped assemble them. 8 curved arms/sweeps, one
spinning tub per arm Octopus/Spider. Which is it? I love those rides.
Dwayne L. Allen
_________
/_CYCLONE/_
/__RACER_/
THE WORLD'S GREATEST RIDE
This answers my question. Apparently the current Trabants are the same,
speed wise, as the Casinos then. Like I said the last time I rode one was 20
some years ago. The manager of the carnival company I spoke to did tell me
that the first generation of Trabants were slower and speed was more
constant throughout the ride. He also told me that he has been told that the
Casino gives better rides than the Wipeout, but that's hard to believe. The
Wipeout is definitely smoother in ride action. There are some valid
comparisons though. I wonder how the Mack Schwabinchen compares?
I do have extensive videos of both the Wipeout and Casino in case anyone
would like to compare ride action.
Now that Mack Schwabinchen is a ride that I need to check out. I wonder if
this is the same one that is shown in the James Bond movie "The Living
Daylights?" About half way through they are at an amusement park somewhere
in another country and you can clearly see this ride in the background, and
it is moving quite fast. They also show good closeups of a Monster ride.
Too bad Cedar Point isn't open in April when I am going to that Indoor
Amusement Park in Cleveland. That would have been a good time to check that
out while I am back there. Oh well.....another trip I guess....
--
Patrick McGuire
Stockton, CA
Pmcgu...@worldnet.att.net
Dave Althoff Jr <dal...@gcfn.org> wrote in message
news:899vnm$fqk$1...@acme.gcfn.org...
I don't think Arnolds Park still has a trabant, but I know that
Adventureland does, as does Valleyfair. WOF has a Chance Wipeout indoors
as Cyclone Sam's.
Greg
Patrick McGuire <pmcgu...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in article
<NN2u4.20539$tk7.1...@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>...
> --
> Patrick McGuire
> Stockton, CA
> Pmcgu...@worldnet.att.net
>Greg,
>
>According to Arnold's Park web page the Trabant is still there. Someone told
>me they rode on it last year and they had to walk up stairs to get on it, so
>that would indicate it is probably a portable model.
That would be me! I rode it in August and wrote about in my trip
report. No picture of it, though. Great ride!
Mark-
who bought an Arnolds Park season pass for this year
Did you read my detailed comparison of the ride action on the
Trabant/Casino/Wipeout? Since you rode on a Trabant which of the 3
descriptions best matches your experience on the one at Arnold's Park do you
recall?
Thanks
--
Patrick McGuire
Stockton, CA
Pmcgu...@worldnet.att.net
Runaway Mine Train <Runa...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:nesibs44jg5jslm2j...@4ax.com...
> PARAMOUNT:
> If Kings Island did indeed remove their Monster for a while and then
> return it to service, then it may explain something I've wondered about
> for a while. You see, Coney Island had a Monster, which was presumably
> moved to Kings Island. But I have been informed that Kings Island's
> Monster was built in (I believe it was) 1974, and was the last Monster
> ever built. But that doesn't explain where Canada's Wonderland, which
> opened ten years later, managed to come up with their Monster, which is
> also clearly an Eyerly ride.
*** Wonderland opened in 1981. It may have secured a ride from Conklin
or one of the Taft parks.
> SPIDERS, MONSTERS, and OCTOPI THAT I HAVE KNOWN:
> (this is NOT a complete list!)
(Snip)
> --Dave Althoff, Jr.
*** You may add Campbell Amusements of Brantford, Ontario. They have a
"Spider" in excellent condition.
Richard Bonner
Managing Director:
The Coaster Enthusiasts of Canada
www.chebucto.ns.ca/~ak621/CEC/CEC.html
I actually had the pleasure of running (or ruining, if you were a maintenance
man) a Trabant for short time one summer way back when:
>The turret and rim speeds may vary throughout the ride, but the turret and
>rim will NEVER rotate in the same direction. I do not know if any of the
>Trabants have programmed controls or not; all the ones I have seen have
>full-manual controls, with single-speed pushbuttons for CW and CCW rim and
>turret rotations.
Since about 1970 or so, this is true... BUT the older models had individual
forward or reverse dual-position switches that allowed the "bobbing" action to
happen. For both rider safety and maintenance reasons (it really killed the
hydraulics on the platter), Chance modified all new Trabant/Casino rides around
1970 and offered the upgrade to all owners. If you take a look at Chance's
spec sheets and updates for this ride, it mentions this as an upgrade that
should be performed. But, as any of us who visit smaller travelling carnival
midways can attest, not everyone follows the rules! Especially if the ride has
changed hands several times since the original owner registered the ride. And
in the days of smaller parks, not many owners were eager to pay Chance or other
manufacturers for more upgrades ... for many reasons, cash being the first and
foremost.
Although fun to watch in action, as the cars pretty much stayed in the same
spot horizontally and "bobbed" up and down, this motion gave the rider some
uncomfortable airtime against the metal restraints. The ride ops at nearby
Lincoln Park in N. Dartmouth, MA used to pull this stunt to make the riders
scream, as well as "pump" the platter to make the fiberglass skirt panels
betweeb the sweeps bang around in their framing, causing everyone to think the
thing was going outta control! When this ride was new, it was the star
attraction at most installations. In fact, during the 1960's and 1970's, every
Trabant I ever rode had a blaring sound system installed, and was the teen
thrill ride of the day. At Lincoln Park, this seemed to me a substitute for
the rider participation of the Himalaya rides, which came to LP much later....
Just my $.02 to the discussion!
John
Thanks, John
Chuck
Chuck. Member of Ace since 2/03/00
http://members.aol.com/coasterfanatic/CoasterFaNaTiCsFoRuMindex.html
Then I count myself lucky to have recently ridden on an older model. It did
indeed have the "bobbing" action as part of the ride, just before it went in
reverse. The speed of the platter and the hydrolic arm was variable too
throughout the ride. At the fastest part of the ride in both directions, the
platter was spinning extremely fast (just like the Wipeout ride, almost
identical speed wise) and the hydrolic arm was at a stand still. It seemed
like the guys put this ride through every possible movement that it was
capable of and they were consistent with every ride.
This was the Casino version of the ride and the manager of the carnival
company (American Traveling Shows) said it was from about 1977. It had a
Trabant plack on the hydrolic arm.
Did the older Trabants go this fast as well? This ride has always fascinated
me, and still does.
--
Patrick McGuire
Stockton, CA
Pmcgu...@worldnet.att.net
John <john...@aol.comJohnMal1> wrote in message
news:20000228205006...@ng-xe1.aol.com...
: I actually had the pleasure of running (or ruining, if you were a maintenance
: man) a Trabant for short time one summer way back when:
: >The turret and rim speeds may vary throughout the ride, but the turret and
: >rim will NEVER rotate in the same direction. I do not know if any of the
: >Trabants have programmed controls or not; all the ones I have seen have
: >full-manual controls, with single-speed pushbuttons for CW and CCW rim and
: >turret rotations.
: Since about 1970 or so, this is true... BUT the older models had individual
: forward or reverse dual-position switches that allowed the "bobbing" action to
: happen. For both rider safety and maintenance reasons (it really killed the
: hydraulics on the platter), Chance modified all new Trabant/Casino rides around
: 1970 and offered the upgrade to all owners. If you take a look at Chance's
Wait a minute...This bobbing motion happens when the rim and turret are
moving in *opposite* directions but at the same speed...I think it usually
happens when the rim is going backwards and the turret is going the
opposite direction, which is why the seats remain virtually motionless
except for the up and down motion. This is in accordance with the "never
both same direction" rule.
: spec sheets and updates for this ride, it mentions this as an upgrade that
: should be performed. But, as any of us who visit smaller travelling carnival
: midways can attest, not everyone follows the rules! Especially if the ride has
: changed hands several times since the original owner registered the ride. And
: in the days of smaller parks, not many owners were eager to pay Chance or other
: manufacturers for more upgrades ... for many reasons, cash being the first and
: foremost.
"Chance Ride" = "Lots of bulletins". 8-)
: Although fun to watch in action, as the cars pretty much stayed in the same
: spot horizontally and "bobbed" up and down, this motion gave the rider some
: uncomfortable airtime against the metal restraints. The ride ops at nearby
: Lincoln Park in N. Dartmouth, MA used to pull this stunt to make the riders
: scream, as well as "pump" the platter to make the fiberglass skirt panels
: betweeb the sweeps bang around in their framing, causing everyone to think the
: thing was going outta control! When this ride was new, it was the star
: attraction at most installations. In fact, during the 1960's and 1970's, every
: Trabant I ever rode had a blaring sound system installed, and was the teen
: thrill ride of the day. At Lincoln Park, this seemed to me a substitute for
: the rider participation of the Himalaya rides, which came to LP much later....
I thought sure that Trabants could still produce this violent action when
running backwards. I think the reverse speeds are different from the
forward speeds. The problem is that if the rim and turret run in the same
direction, the speeds add, and you get double the effective rotation rate,
and this will produce stronger lateral forces than the Wipeout, and you
run the risk of tossing riders across the midway. Of course, if you do
that, then I guess you can collect extra tickets for that ride.......8-)
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
>I thought sure that Trabants could still produce this violent action when
>running backwards. I think the reverse speeds are different from the
>forward speeds. The problem is that if the rim and turret run in the same
>direction, the speeds add, and you get double the effective rotation rate,
>and this will produce stronger lateral forces than the Wipeout, and you
>run the risk of tossing riders across the midway. Of course, if you do
>that, then I guess you can collect extra tickets for that ride.......8-)
It seems my typing and mind were also travelling in different directions, and
upon reading replies, I need to offer my own upgrade and to the Trabant text!
Back to the basics: When operated according to manufacturers rules, or
programmed mode:
Phase 1 = rim drive travelling clockwise, turret (platter) travels counter
clockwise. Normally, the platter travels at a greater RPM than the rim drive,
hence you "land" at different spots on the platform floor. (I am not at home,
so I can't tell ya the exact RPM's). Phase 2, or backwards, is just the
opposite.
Now, if you override the controls, or have the older version with no updates or
kill switch to prevent the "fun", here is what you can do:
"Bobbing" - Hydaulic fully extended - riders at 45 degree angle and complaining
- the platter does not rotate, but the rim drive "skates" the rim and you get a
little lift in your seat on the up and pain worse than an B&B Himalaya when you
are at the bottom.
You also mentioned the effect created when both drives operating in same
direction ... and you are right - you would probably lose the riders! In the
first versions of the Trabant ride, those dual position switches would allow
that to happen if you wanted to "play" with the ride. For instance, from
"forward" to "backward" phases, the ride op would move one switch (rim drive)
to reverse, stop the turret (not FWD or REV, just OFF) and it would slowly
decrease speed on it's own (remember - the days before safety brakes on those
little rubber wheels). So, you now have the rim drive wheels SLOWLY following
the forward moving platter. The squealing would start from the riders, because
you are correct in stating that the forces are now double (think - the best
part of a Tilt or Twister spin), but the entire ride weight would quickly
compensate and hopefully the ride op would now throw the platter switch into
the REV position to allow the proper sequence of events.
"Violent Action" - as in the Wipeout, all ya gotta do is slow or stop the rim
drive, leave the turret speed on HIGH, and bring the hydraulic down - spinning
Himalaya style. Sorry, the FWD and REV rpms are exactly the same, it just
hurts more when you are forced forward into the lap bar. And you feel the
spinning/nausea more when you are level with the ground. I used to love when
the Paratrooper would spin for a while before lift-off or after touch-down -
great centrifugal forces and such. Now, they shut the rim-drive or center
motor OFF before it hits the ground. It means they don't have to get the hose
out as often!
Sorry for the off-topic rambling discourse, but I have always been amazed at
the physics and motion of this and most other "older" Chance rides ( Zipper &
Turbo are up there, too).
Thanks for the info, David - and if you are in the area, I know Lake Quassy has
a first rev of the Trabant, and it doesn't look like they open their mail from
Witchita, either ... ;-)
Thanks, John
Actually on the Casino that did this there was no pain in the up or down
position. It seemed very smooth as we bobbed up and down in the same
position for about 15-20 seconds. A little air time at the top but nothing
too harsh.
> You also mentioned the effect created when both drives operating in same
> direction ... and you are right - you would probably lose the riders! In
the
> first versions of the Trabant ride, those dual position switches would
allow
> that to happen if you wanted to "play" with the ride. For instance, from
> "forward" to "backward" phases, the ride op would move one switch (rim
drive)
> to reverse, stop the turret (not FWD or REV, just OFF) and it would slowly
> decrease speed on it's own (remember - the days before safety brakes on
those
> little rubber wheels). So, you now have the rim drive wheels SLOWLY
following
I don't remember ever seeing a Trabant without the rubber wheels that
powered the turret. If they didn't use wheels to do this on the first
versions what did they use??
> the forward moving platter. The squealing would start from the riders,
because
> you are correct in stating that the forces are now double (think - the
best
> part of a Tilt or Twister spin), but the entire ride weight would quickly
> compensate and hopefully the ride op would now throw the platter switch
into
> the REV position to allow the proper sequence of events.
>
> "Violent Action" - as in the Wipeout, all ya gotta do is slow or stop the
rim
> drive, leave the turret speed on HIGH, and bring the hydraulic down -
spinning
> Himalaya style. Sorry, the FWD and REV rpms are exactly the same, it just
They did this on the Casino that I rode on but they left it in its full
upright position (45 degrees) and it spun at equal speeds in both forwards
and in reverse while the rim drive was very slow to a complete stop. It spun
just as fast as the Wipeout I rode on and you could really feel the lateral
forces greatest when you came around the lower end.
> hurts more when you are forced forward into the lap bar. And you feel the
> spinning/nausea more when you are level with the ground. I used to love
when
> the Paratrooper would spin for a while before lift-off or after
touch-down -
> great centrifugal forces and such. Now, they shut the rim-drive or center
> motor OFF before it hits the ground. It means they don't have to get the
hose
> out as often!
>
> Sorry for the off-topic rambling discourse, but I have always been amazed
at
> the physics and motion of this and most other "older" Chance rides
Zipper &
> Turbo are up there, too).
>
> Thanks for the info, David - and if you are in the area, I know Lake
Quassy has
> a first rev of the Trabant, and it doesn't look like they open their mail
from
> Witchita, either ... ;-)
How does Quassy run their Trabant? I saw a picture of it once and it looks
really old.
Quassy runs this thing at less than 50%! The day I visited last season, it ran
forwards only, rather slow and not too high on the hydraulics. Then again,
there was no one over the age of 12 on the ride that day, either.... The
fluorescent spire was long gone, and the un-mirrored ball was plopped in the
center of the channel lighting and somehow fastened in there!
I do not know if Quassy has owned this Trabant since Day #1, but it is one of
the second version Trabants, as determined by ride center and perimeter
lighting:
Version#1 - center "fountain" spray of incandescents in place of fluorescent
spire/turret; no incandescents w/ aluminum channels running from center spire
to inner rim of seating, same 8' tubes on and under platter. Low fence
surrounds platform edge, no perimeter lighting yet, just a few bulbs around the
corrugated fiberglass panelled roof over entry.
Version#2 - the familiar center spire shows up, but with a metal "cap" at
first, not the mirrored ball; the aluminum channels also run to the edge of
seating. But, the perimeter fence is still low w/ no perimeter lighting.
Version #3 - the fence changes, the perimeter chase lighting rises from this
fence, and the "joiners" are metal stars w/ (1) 25 watt clear lamp in center,
echoing the stars on each seat.
Version #4 - the stars are gone, small one-inch mirrors are affixed to molded
fiberglass panels on the outer tubs, and the mirrored ball shows up. The
perimeter stars are replaced with Chance's familiar "banjo" lights, the roof is
opened and has more banjoes, and the vacuform letters are now illuminated with
smaller lamps. Later on, this same design was outfitted with Turbo Lites as
they became popular.
At one time, there was no "pit" model, and the park model looked just like the
portable - raised platform, entry/exit stairs. But if you looked underneath,
there was not trailer affixed to the ride center, just steel I-beams and the
other hardware, with the usual levelling jacks all over the place.
That's all I can think of for now - haven't seen enough Casino rides to collect
similar data. It seems there were lots of Trabants here in their day, but not
one Casino!
Thanks, John
Thanks for this detailed piece of history. Very informative. I wish I could
see a picture of the various versions you described. It would be really
interesting. I know that Hawkins rides out of upstate NY has a Trabant, and
I think it is the last version from your description. If you an confirm or
deny the Hawkins Trabant please let me know.
Thanks again.
--
Patrick McGuire
Stockton, CA
Pmcgu...@worldnet.att.net
John <john...@aol.comJohnMal1> wrote in message
news:20000306115049...@ng-xe1.aol.com...
Fiesta TX also has a new Chance Wipeout down here in the South.
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I saw this ride on my first visit to SFOG. While there, I heard people
call it the "Wheel Barrow", but on my souvenir map it is listed as the
"Wheel Burrow". It looked just as you described -- an insane double Sky
Diver. I was so disappointed that it was down that day. I never got to
ride it or see it in motion.
Steven
eze...@yahoo.com // steven AT ibm DOT net
Is that ride still running at Astroworld? If so, take a peek underneath the
ride while it is "up", and you would be able to see the identification plaque
that is affixed to the boom support.
Chance did make quite a few custom rides back in the 1960's and 1970's, and
they did sell to the Six Flags parks. Sorry to ramble off topic, but it
reminds me of one "lost" ride.
Thanks, John