Swiss supplier announces new installations
ABC Rides from Switzerland has revealed that it will make four new installations for Easter 2008. Park World takes a look.
Märchenpark
Based on ABC’s earlier Maypole ride (as seen at Tripsdrill), Roman Tower is an interactive attraction for the whole family and it’s coming soon to Märchenpark, Neusiedlersee, Austria.
The ride is designed for 16 passengers, two per gondola, sat facing outwards. After the lap bars are secured, the gondolas are elevated to a level of 1.5-metres, at which point the tower starts to rotate. After reaching a height of 7metres the tower rotates at a speed of 4m/sec, until it reaches the top height of 16.5m. The passengers can now raise and lower their gondola by about 5m using their onboard joystick.
For the second part of the ride, the gondolas are lowered to a height of 4.5m, but the tower starts to rotate faster and so the gondolas swing out to an angle of approximately 30°. The ride’s programme cycle constantly changes the direction of the gondola.
This eye-catching attraction is also very economical and requires minimal installation time. The 17-metre tower is set on a prepared foundation, which also includes space for the drive system.
Connyland
For Connyland in Switzerland, ABC is to supply another kind of interactive boat ride. Wet ‘n’ Splash (pictured) reinvents the round boat ride by adding a chute at the end and, of course, equipping riders and onlookers with water cannons.
For this ride, ABC has devised a new station area concept with separate loading and unloading sections, each with conveyors, and a storage section in between. This prevents the operator from having to dispatch empty boats into the ride as with standard water ride stations. In each section the four-seater boats are automatically turned so that the entrance/exit of the ride vehicle faces the loading platform.
The six boats are propelled along a 200-metre channel by the flow of the water. Passengers can also activate various effects by hitting targets with their water cannons. The ride lasts approximately 3 minutes and 20 seconds.
Oltremare
Being constructed for Oltremare in Italy, this interactive boat ride allows the “captain” to steer the boat in their chosen direction while the passengers operate water sprays and other devices.
The battery-powered boats are designed for four passengers, two each front and back. While in the station, they are held in a steady position to help the passengers embark or disembark. The battery chargers are also situated in the station, one charge lasting for approximately two days of operation.
The Oltremare installation will feature 160 metres of channel and eight boats, giving a ride time of nearly 3 minutes and a theoretical hourly capacity of 480-600 passengers.
Hamburg Dungeon
ABC Rides is to install a second Free Fall Tower inside a Dungeon attraction for Merlin Entertainments following the success of a ride already operating at the London Dungeon.
The new ride, at the Hamburg Dungeon, will be aimed at children and families, with two rows of 10 seats back to back. The ride’s height will be just 8-metres tall, with an operating height of approximately 5.5-metres. ABC’s Alberto Brandestini says, however, “you don’t need a 40-metre drop to make an impact” – and the on the riders’ faces in this shot from London Dungeon prove him right.
Pictures of all these rides appear in the December 2007/January 2008 “Winter Issue” or Park World.
