Note: At this time, this report is of little more than academic interest, as the show closed on April 20. But the Bates Bros. show continues to tour the region, so be on the lookout for this show at other dates.
Arrive: 5:48pm
Parking: $5
Admission: $14 POP
The I-X Indoor Amusement Park is an annual month-long event designed to be mutually beneficial to everyone...I-X isn't needed for a big show in April, and the Bates carnival can't count on good dates on account of the weather. So Bates brings both units indoors to the IX Center, sets up most of the rides and joints, perhaps books in a few others, and puts on a big show. IX augments the carnival with a couple of performances, an interactive sports area (batting cage, inline skating, wall climbing, etc.) and a children's play area well stocked with plastic ride-on children's toys provided by a well-known local manufacturer. Oh, and the IX Center has a Chance gondola wheel right in the middle, sticking up through the roof. Hmmm...When the AIMS [Footnote 1] Expo is held at the IX, I wonder if the Chance booth is adjacent to that wheel...
There are a couple of problems with holding a show such as the IX Indoor Amusement Park, beginning with the difficulty of loud rides in an enclosed space. There are also Kings Island-like crowd control problems when the show is busy, as long ride lines intertwine and intersect. Speaking of rides...
Ride complement:
(K) means kiddie ride; ($) means $1 extra-pay.
28'? Allan Herschell Merry-Go-Round
Granny Bug (K)
Wisdom Heart Flip (like King Frolic)
Chance 18' MGR
Chance Yo-Yo
Wisdom Dragon Wagon (K) - 4-motor friction drive
Eli Mini Scrambler (K)
Swing (K)
Mardi Gras fun house ($)
Eli 16-seat rim-drive wheel
Allan Herschell Helicopter (K)
Chance Thunder Bolt
Chance Pharaoh's Fury
Reverchon White Water Flume (1995)
Chance Zipper
Dartron Hurricane (looks new)
Larson Ring of Fire
Sellner Barrel of Fun
Allan Herschell Merry-Go-Round
Mini Himalaya-type (K) x2
Super Slide
Hampton Dune Buggy (K)
Quadzilla (K)
Raiders (K,$)
Red Garter fun-house ($)
Majestic Musik Express (running backwards)
A.R.M Ali-Baba
A.R.M. High Flyer (like Kamikaze, but w/only one tub)
Majestic Scooter
ORI Rock-O-Plane
Alpine Village fun house ($)
Dartron Super Trooper (running backwards)
Larson Super Loops
Mystery Manor dark ride ($)
A.R.M. Quasar
Wisdom Sizzler (running backwards)
Eyerly Spider
Chance Yo-Yo
Hrubetz Hurricane
Hrubetz Tip-Top
Pinfari Zyklon-37m " "
Dartron Super Trooper (running backwards)
Sellner Electric-7 Tilt
Round-Up
Eli T/M Scrambler
kid swing (K)
Allan Herschell Skyfighter (K)
Super Slide
Hamton Jump Cycle
Wisdom Tornado
Eli 16 Double Eagle wheel
Allan Herschell Helicopter w/kangaroo tubs (K)
Allan Herschell Helicopter (K)
Hampton car/cycle (K)
Zamperla Rio Grande train (K)
Odyssey 2000 (Wisdom Astro-Liner)($)
Sellner Bear Affair
Das Fun Haus ($)
Wisdom Dragon Wagon (electric drive)
Although it may not look like it, each ride on the show is listed exactly once. Repeats are due mostly to the presence of duplicate pieces on the show.
There were no spectacular new pieces this year (as Chaos and Looping Star last year), but the flume ride was an interesting newcomer. The Wild River flume has been present in prior years, but this year's Reverchon flume is a bit more elaborate, even featuring a double-dip after the first lift. This thing appeared to be taller than the Zyklon.
Speaking of the Zyklon, this one was running at an abysmal 320 pph (est.) and it took me about 40 minutes to get aboard. This coaster felt like it was overdue for new wheels, but apart from that is fairly good. Well, hey, it's a Zyklon.
I did ride a few other rides. The Force-10 was absent this year, but they did bring along an A.R.M. "Quasar". Like the Force-10, this is an extremely high-force ride from the UK. The ride consists of a large wheel, mounted very slightly off-center on a subframe assembly. Suspended from the wheel are two-passenger tubs equipped with lap bars and mounted in such a way that they can swing laterally, like the tubs on a Huss Troika or a Chance Thunder Bolt. During the ride, the subframe stretches out a little, causing the main wheel to rise almost straight up a few feet, while also moving the axis of rotation slightly off-center, which causes the tubs to oscillate. According to the data plate, the Quasar is designed to have the subframe rotate counter-clockwise at 18 RPM, as the main arms rotate clockwise at 36 RPM. I presume that this 36 RPM figure is the shaft speed, which would result in a rotation relative to ground of 18 RPM clockwise. In any case, I clocked the subframe at "only" 12 RPM, and the main arms at 20 RPM relative to ground, which would put that axle speed at a mere 32 RPM. In any case, it was plenty fast! Are there any ARM experts here who can verify my assessment of the main arm rotation speed?
This show was also my first in-person look at an Eli Bridge "Double Eagle" wheel. It is essentially a standard Eli 16-seat wheel, but differs from the standard wheel in that every other seat is mounted backwards. The whole ride assembly is trailer mounted and hydraulically driven with a wheel speed up to 5.0 RPM. Under the center of the wheel is a platform on a hydraulic lift which rises under the wheel to assist in loading. This is where the reversed seats come into play: because adjacent seats face each other, it is possible to load two seats at a time instead of just one. The idea is so simple, I had to wonder why it took so many years before the Sullivans built one (the Double Eagle was introduced within the past ten years).
Another piece I had never seen before was the Wisdom Tornado. Not to be confused with the Huss Tornado, this might be described as "King Frolic meets Tivoli Orbiter." The ride consists of a six overhead sweeps attached to central frame. At the end of each sweep, a shaft hangs down. Pivotally attached to the shaft is a tub with four seats, all seats facing the center shaft. Rigidly attached to the shaft is a large wheel. By grasping the wheel and applying Newton's Third Law of Motion [Footnote 2], riders can spin the ride tub about the shaft. The shafts are pivotally attached to the sweeps so that they may swing outward as the ride picks up speed. The main armature, holding the sweeps, rotates, then the center column rises at an angle, creating a tilted plane of rotation. Unfortunately, I was unable to experience the full effect of the ride...the young man seated to my right looked rather uncomfortable, and I exerted my influence as the largest and strongest person in the tub to severely limit the tub rotation. This proved to be a wise move on my part, as the gentleman I referred to expressed his discomfort in unmistakably graphic terms seconds after the ride frame landed. 8-{
Footnote 1: Amusement Industry Manufacturers and Suppliers, http://www.aimsintl.org. [back to text]
Footnote 2: "For every action, there is a reaction equal in magnitude but opposite in direction." [back to text]
There you have it. If you are in Cleveland during April, the I-X Center is worth a visit, though probably not worth a special trip unless you are nuts like I am. Watch for some of these neat flat rides at a carnival near you!
Next trip: Paramount's Kings Island (#1)
--Dave Althoff, Jr.