LaurenceUK Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 There is a local museum near to where I live in South England called Hollycome. It is based around steam engines. They have there a collection of rides from the early 1900's, all steam powered and all still operating today! Here are some pictures, I hope you enjoy looking at how rides were over 100 years ago: And finally, Disney Lawsuit: The Ride. Or, the kids Carousel. Hope you enjoyed looking at Ye Olde English Steam rides. Dirty upskirt shot. The op box. Lever goes up, lever goes down. The ride then tilts to an angle of about 20 degrees, further adding to the discomfort of the large person. Unfortunately, pictures really can't do justice to the chaos of the Razzle Dazzle. The ride then starts spinning quite fast and you suddenly realise why the large person sits on the outside...as they get crused by four other people! A look at the interior of the ride. Seating. They strongly recommended that the largest person goes on the outside and the smallest on the inside. Hmm, wonder why? Just looks like an elevated Carousel, right? Oh, how wrong. It is marketed as the world's first white knuckle ride. I've saved the best for last. I give you, the Razzle Dazzle. It opened in 1908 and is the last of it's kind in the world. The engine again. Not much you can say about a Carousel TBH! The engine. Next up is a steam driven Carousel from 1912. A look at the op console. Lever goes up, lever goes down. Ride goes up, ride goes down... The ride op doing his thing. Basically, lift lever up, rides swings one way. Push lever down, ride swings other way. After a bit of time building up the momentum, you get some pretty major airtime. A look at the ride mechanism. It is basically a steam powered Pirate Ship. This ride was built in 1911. Next up, the Steam Yacht. The operator hard at work. A whole world of steam powered bluriness awaits. Once the steam kicks in, you start spinning! According to the park, this ride actually used to be a Carousel but after it was damaged by bombing during WW2, it was converted into Chair-o-Planes. Onto the Chair-o-Planes...steam powered! Some of the other rides, more on some of those a bit later. As well as views of the other rides. Once on it, you get spectacular views of the English countryside... This is the operation console. 1 lever which stops the wheel rotating. A closer look at the steam engine. This connects to the drive belt which you can see within the caged area which moves the wheel round. A side view. See what steam engine bottom right? That is what powers the ride. First up, there is the Big Wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianojohn Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 WOW! THose rides are amazing for the time they were built. Thanks for the pics! Wish we had a video of that last ride to get the full effect! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netdvn Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 That Razzle Dazzle ride looks insane. The entire park seems to have an awesome old-school feel to it. Thanks for posting these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teacups Make Me Sick Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 What a gem of a place... The kiddie swing seems insanely fast...can small adults go on it as well? Are there any weight/height restrictions on any of the rides? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaurenceUK Posted April 14, 2009 Author Share Posted April 14, 2009 With most of the rides, there is a kiddie version and an adult version. The Chair-o-Plane pictures I posted are of the adult version and yes, it did spin very fast. I'll probably be going back to the park later in the year so will try to get a Razzle Dazzle video then and post it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Very cool--thanks for sharing the pictures. Did the carousel have a steam-powered calliope, as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPDave Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Nice pictures There's a traveling steam fair that comes to my town every year, i'll have to do a TR when it's next in the area, we can compare old fashion rides and stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astroworldfan1 Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I would so ride those rides! All they need is a steam powered coaster! -Tatum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DenDen Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Fascinating! Amazing how far back rides actually go! This is the coolest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam06pr Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Wow...thats a good flash to the past! Awesome I love the pictures. Most visit that place Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skramp Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Wait, we are almost through one page of replies and no one has said "Bench:The Ride?" What's wrong with this site? Haha, but that's was my first thought when I saw Razzle Dazzle. Anyway, it's really cool to see all those old rides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kumba830 Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 ^ That's what I though when I saw that ride too! Wow! I didn't even know that steam powered flat rides existed! Razzle Dazzle looks absolutely stunning! [i'm so jealous that they don't have rides like these anywhere near me] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRapidsNerd Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Steampowered rides are awesome! Thank you for posting this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WFChris Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Haha yeah! I couldn't believe I had to wait until page two to see a Bench: The Ride reference! Those rides look really neat. Its great to see history you can still ride. Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennyweird Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 I'm surprised that any of these rides are left. Great find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisco Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 That is pretty cool. It is awesome that someone has taken the time to preserve these old rides. I would love to stop there the next time I'm in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddie200330 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 With the Razzle Dazzle I didn't notice any kind of restraint to the outside of the bench. What keeps the people from just flying off the bench when it picks up speed, especially on the down slope? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michielh3 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Those are some amazingly old steampowered rides ! very neat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaurenceUK Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 With the Razzle Dazzle I didn't notice any kind of restraint to the outside of the bench. What keeps the people from just flying off the bench when it picks up speed, especially on the down slope?Centrifugal force. As the ride spins quite fast, everyone on the bench slides towards the outside of the ride, hence crushing the large person sitting there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddie200330 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 With the Razzle Dazzle I didn't notice any kind of restraint to the outside of the bench. What keeps the people from just flying off the bench when it picks up speed, especially on the down slope?Centrifugal force. As the ride spins quite fast, everyone on the bench slides towards the outside of the ride, hence crushing the large person sitting there! I figured as much like a Himalaya, but I am referring to the fact that all parties on the bench would just fly right off the seat into the outside wall of the ride.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
printersdevil78 Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Wow, that was awesome! Being the amateur amusement park historian I am, I'd love to get to that park sometime. I had no clue there was a working top (Razzle Dazzle) left in the world! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Great TR about something I never knew existed, until now. And Razzle Dazzle definitely qualifies to become Bench: The Ride as far as I can see it, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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