Rainbow (ride)
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Rainbow is the name of the amusement park ride created by HUSS Maschinenfabrik of Bremen, Germany which is now HUSS Park Attractions of Budapest, Hungary. The Rainbow was manufactured from 1983-2000 and is often confused with its cousins Ali Baba (ride) and 1001 Nachts but there are major differences between the ride designs.[1] The HUSS Rainbow has developed a vast fan base due to its large stature, smooth ride and bright lights.
There were only 42 units produced which were found in many counties from Canada, USA, Australia, India, Africa, the middle east, Asia and Europe.
Still today there are several Rainbows still in operation mainly in the United States and Europe. The most recent refurbishing was unveiled at the January 2014 South Florida Fair owned by Wade Shows.
The popularity of the classic ride has sparked its own (independently managed) Facebook page[2] and several websites and forums dedicated to preserving the memories of what was once the latest and greatest in amusement ride technology - The King Of The Midway, the Huss Rainbow. Check the External Links section of this page for the most popular Groups and Forums.
Design
The Rainbow was developed in the early 1980s from the design of the Ranger (ride) also built by HUSS. Its gondola holds 32 passengers in 3 rows with 2 persons per seat. An electronic controlled lap-bar (similar to the ones installed on HUSS Pirate rides - but shaped very differently) holds passengers in. Later some models were required to upgrade with seatbelts for added safety.
The Rainbow came packaged on 3 (possibly 4) oversized trailers or installed as park models. It took a crew of 4, about 6 hours to set up and 4 hours to tear down. A crane is used to erect the main shaft.
4 hydraulic motors drove this large beast.
After set up, the Rainbow stands a stunning 20 Meters (66 Feet) tall with an incredible on-ride rainbow in lights, and a large bright sun face in the middle of its long white main arm.
The overall theme varied slightly from unit to unit, Some seats were Orange, Some blue or white and the main arm displayed a V shaped stripe of varying colours. Of course, once it was sold its new owner could change it to fit their internal theme. The gondola sported illuminated clouds underneath which was one of the many trademarks of the rides style.
Operation
The ride is run manually with a joy stick, apparently some models were programmed and ran from push-buttons.
It can move in either clock-wise or counter clock-wise direction with the ability of stopping or reversing at any point in its orbit. It was very customary to stop the ride in its up-most position and wait a while, then reverse directions....or not.
Safety features
It was equipped with lap bars that raise and lower electronically from the main control booth. Most models have a foot pedal to ensure the operator is present.
In about 2000, Huss required that all Rainbows were to be fitted with seatbelts, which caused many parks to sell their old Rainbows for Ali Baba type models.
Some owners equipped their rides with cameras so the operator could see what the riders were doing while in motion, as a deterrent for the few that thought it was a good idea to wiggle under the bars and sit in the aisle.
History
On July 15, 2008, 30 people were injured when a Rainbow collapsed at Liseberg theme park in Sweden.[3]
The ride was dismantled on July 17, 2008. Investigators then confirmed on July 19, 2008 that they had discovered a faulty drive shaft during their inspection. They believed that one of the axles that is designed to hold the passenger carriage horizontal failed. HUSS ordered the temporary closure of 40 Rainbows.[4] The drive shaft was upgraded by HUSS in 2003, but by then many units had been scrapped or sold for parts.
Appearances
The following is a record of Huss Rainbow rides, their owners, locations and current status. The information gathered was known to be accurate at the time it was entered but as rides change hands often, can not always be verified as the current ride's status. New information is more than welcomed and citations are required throughout the page to ensure content quality. Any information that is not 'cited' may be removed.
Operating
| Name | Season opened | Owners (in order) | Description | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow | 1983 | Strates Shows USA
(?-now) Bernie Young Snr. (Australia) |
Travelling model. Orange seats, White arm with red stripe. | |
| Rainbow | 1983 | (1984) [New Orleans] (?-1993) Greg Link |
Park Model converted to Travelling model. White Arm, Orange Seats, Square Rainbow Sign (Handmade by Wade Shows). The backdrop mainly used originated on a Huss Ranger. In 2008 the Rainbow was taken out of service and stored in their Winter Headquarters until 2013 where it was refurbished with LED lighting, a new backdrop, paintjob and an upper arm mural. The square Rainbow sign still remains. The refurbished ride was unveiled in January 2014 at the South Florida Fair in the USA and is currently touring. | [5] |
| Rainbow | 1983 | (1989) Royal American Shows (USA) (2004-2006) Wall Amusements |
Named "Over The Rainbow" with a white arm and orange seats and a very bright and colourful backdrop. | [6] |
| La Carreta Desbocada | 1997 | Parque de la Costa[7] | Named La Carreta Desbocada (The Runaway Cart). Covered Wagon Theme | |
| Name | Season opened | Owners (in order) | Description | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow | Unknown | (?-now) Essel World | Park model. Yellow arm with a white sun | [8] |
| Rainbow | Unknown | (?-1999)Reithoffer Shows
(1999-now) Wonderland Park (Texas)[9] |
White Arm with gold and blue V-Stripes, Blue Seats | |
| Rainbow | Unknown | Stammler Family
Antibes land (France) |
Traveling Model. Orange seats, white textured arm and a wicked light show! | |
Former Rainbows
| Name | Season opened | Season closed | Owners (in order) | Description | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow | 1983 | 2008 | (1983-2008) Liseberg Theme Park
(2009) Scrapped |
Park model. The one that crashed. It had a blue arm with light blue seats. with no statues on the gondola. It was scrapped in 2009. | |
| Rainbow | 1987 | 2007 | Great Escape | White arm with flower pattern on upper and lower arm. Yellow seats. Park Model. Rainbow was originally a Huss Ranger which opened in 1982. The Ranger, known as the "Screamer" was converted to Rainbow in 1987. The ride was closed after the end of the 2007 season and was put into storage behind Desperado Plunge and later scrapped in 2012. Replaced by Sasquatch in 2009. | |
| Nuvola | 1988 | 2000 | Gardaland, 1988-2000 | Travel model. | |
| Rainbow (1984-2003) Sateenkaari (2004-2009) |
1984 | 2009 | (1984-2009) Linnanmäki | White arm with gold and blue stripe on supports. The ride was closed in 2008 after Liseberg accident and was fully inspected during off-season 2008/2009. The ride operated normally for the 2009 season, after which it was dismantled. The ride was in storage for some time, probably waiting to be refurbished or sold, but was ultimately scrapped. The sun face was saved and is on display at the park. | [10] |
| Crazy Wagon | 1999 | 2011 | Hopi Hari
(2015) Removed |
Named Crazy Wagon. Looks like Conestoga. | |
| Rainbow | 1992 | 2008 | (1992-2008) Heide Park
(2010) Removed. |
White arm with attached flowers on upper arm. Blue and gold stripe. | |
| Rainbow | 1985 | 2008 | (1985-2014) Elitch Gardens Theme Park | Solid White upper and lower arm with orange seats. This unit ran until it closed in 2008. It was then slowly removed and officially scrapped in 2014 | [11] |
SBNO, unknown status Rainbows
| Name | Season opened | Season closed | Status | Owners (in order) | Description | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow | 1982 | Unknown | Unknown | (1982-2011) Serengeti Park (2011-2013) Sommerland Syd (Denmark) |
Park model. The first unit built. It has blue seats, a bone on the top and a tribal mask in the middle. Moved to Sommerland Syd park Denmark in 2011 which is now closed for bankruptcy. The location of the ride is not known yet. | |
| Rainbow | 1982 | Unknown | Unknown | (?-1984) Maple Leaf Village (1984-2000) Playland (Vancouver) |
Traveling model. Orange Seats, white arm with flowers on it. 2 mermaids on the gondola. Gold and Blue strip on the supports. | |
| Rainbow | 1983 | N/A | In Storage | (1983-1986)(unknown) (1986-1988) Coney Beach Pleasure Park |
Park Model, Original Huss factory paint job with gold seating, only model in the world to feature Angels on the gondola instead of Hawaiian girls. Had a dark blue Backdrop Wall featuring Clouds, Stars and Cherubs, with flowers on its upper arm arms. Possibly Push button controlled. main booms painted two-tone shades of blue in 2006 by OCS Fun. | |
| Conestoga | 1984 | N/A | In Storage | (1984-2002) Hersheypark (2002-2008) Hersheypark (Storage) |
Named Conestoga. Wild-West Themed | [12][13] |
| Serial#: 48368 | 1984 | N/A | Sold/In Transit | (?-2012) Myrtle Beach Pavilion (2012-now) Unknown Travelling show (France/Europe) |
Park model converted to travel (2012). White arm, Orange seats with a standard sun face. | |
| Rainbow | 1985 | Unknown | Unknown | (1985-2000) Bobbejaanland Sold in 2000 to Nauta Bussink. |
White arm and white seats. Originally, it had a statue of a woman in a large red dress and a pole with flowers at both sides of the cage. These were later removed for unknown reasons. | [14] |
| Name | Season opened | Season closed | Status | Owners (in order) | Description | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow | 1995 | 2008 | closed | Kentucky Kingdom | Rainbow Arm, Beige seats. Removed following a serious malfunction of the Rainbow at Liseberg in Gothenburg, Sweden.. | |
| Rainbow | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Conklin Shows
Moser Rides (appears to be sold) |
Travelling model. Orange seats, white arm with flowers. Looks like the Maple Leaf Village model but it's a different unit. | |
| Rainbow | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Fleur (France) | Travel model. White arm with green outline and Blue seats(?). |
External links
References
- ↑ "Ride-Extravaganza's Huss Rainbow Page".
- ↑ "HUSS Rainbow Facebook Page". http://www.facebook.com/HussRainbow. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Rideaccidents.com July 15, 2008".
- ↑ "Rideaccidents.com July 21, 2008".
- ↑ "Wade Shows Inc - Huss Rainbow".
- ↑ "Dixie Landin' - Over the Rainbow".
- ↑ "Parquede La Costa - Runaway CARRETA".
- ↑ "Essel World India - Huss Rainbow".
- ↑ "Wonderland Park Texas USA - Huss Rainbow".
- ↑ "Linnanmäki official Facebook page (in Finnish)".
- ↑ "Elitch Happeings".
- ↑ Meister, Dave (May 16, 1984). "Rides at Hersheypark 'choc'-ful of real love-and-kisses adventures - but watch out for The Comet". Reading Eagle.
- ↑ "Lake Winnie - Conestoga".
- ↑
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