Crazy & Co.

Equipment, Event Planning, Fun Story, General

New Equipment, Fuel Bunker

13 May 2023

When worked the funfair circuit we needed a generator for powering our equipment. Well, we used four of them in fact. When we moved totally into corporate entertainment we made it a condition of the contract that the client provided power.

This work well for a number of years, as usually we were powering perhaps a candy floss and a popcorn machine, so at most a couple of 13 amp sockets were fine.

During covid we suddenly found our clients asking us to provide larger catering services, such as serving four thousand burgers for Amazon in four hours, though that is another tale lol.

Generators

We suddenly found ourselves needing sixty and seventy amp supplies. So to translate this into a format that made sense to the client we would specify that we needed like four 13 amp supplies. What would happen is that we would arrive at the venue, be handed a four way socket and told here are your four supplies. Trouble is, the four sockets joined into a single 13amp plug. And ‘Oh’ they would say, ‘your sharing with the DJ, pizza truck and rodeo bull!’

Great, we were gonna be pulling 100 amp from a single 13amp plug. So no power problems expected then.

To circumvent this, we ended up adding some generators to our line up.

This gave us the flexibility to power ourselves and some spare capacity to boot.

Initially we would fill them up from a local garage that sold red diesel. But even though it was only about 4 miles away, it was still a hassle to couple up and run down there for fuel. Additionally at the time it was about £1.40 a litre from them. The local diesel supplier quoted £0.82 a litre, which was a massive saving, but would only deliver a 1000 litres a time.

So we added a fuel bunker to take advantage of this. Other people we know had similar but owning for lift trucks, would simply lift them in the air to allow gravity to dispense the fuel. Not owning a fork lift, we added a battery powered system and a metered pump.

We installed the system in the yard and had it filled. Then had a think about security. Some people feel entitled to help themselves to whatever without legal niceties such as ownership being considered relevant.

So we set about fortifying our diesel. A wifi camera provided not only monitoring of the set up, but would automatically light up the area, sound an alarm and alert me at my phone that someone was at the bunker. We also added locks to the on/off valve, filling hole. and pump switch.

My daughter pointed out that the battery just being sat there was screaming take me take me. So we fitted a secured steel lock box with the battery inside. A jokey conversation with a friend who looked at the system ended with him saying I am surprised you haven’t electrified it.

Ha, cant do that someone might touch it accidentally. Ha, they might, ha ha that could be fun. Yeah lets do it.

The end result is that the system is now fitted with a similar energiser to what farmers use to keep cows in their field. To be fair, it is remotely controlled, and not left live all the time. But I can turn it on from anywhere in the world using my phone. We also added a solar charger to keep the whole shebang topped up.

So our fuel bunker is ready for all comers.

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Fun Story, funfair events, General

There was a tree surgeon who ate a goldfish

20 April 2023

Have you heard the old wives rhyme, There was an old woman who swallowed a fly, I don’t know why she swallowed a fly, but no one knows where it came from or if its true… well a new one I heard this week was There was an old tree surgeon who swallowed a goldfish, I don’t know why he swallowed a goldfish.

The tree surgeon decided at a fun fair that he would swallow his girlfirends prize fish that she had just won and wash it down with half a pint. His girlfriend filmed the incident and then posted the video onto social media primarily her snapchat story with the caption “He ate my fish”.

Snapchat Video

The snapchat video was a 14 second clip that showed the tree surgeon holding the very real and live fish in his palm before he then put it in his mouth and swallowed the fish and then taking a large swig of his beer.

At the end of the video you can then see him opening his mouth to show the viewers that the fish has gone and he sticks his tongue out to prove that he has swallowed the innocent live animal whole.

The video was filmed in Bridgewater Carnival in Somerset in September. Once the video had been shared it spread very fast and was then reported to the RSPCA by all the concerned viewers.

The Tree Surgeon was named as Josh Coles from Devon. He was ordered to appear at Exeter Magistrates court where he then admitted to a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a project animal, he initially denied the charge, but changed his plea to guilty to avoid the trial. The magistrate stated that the goldfish would have experienced stress and unnecessary suffering as it was eaten alive with no other outcome than dead.

He was fined £300 with an £85 victim surcharge. Considering the victim is now a deceased goldfish, it does beggar the question of who does the surcharge go to?

There was an old tree surgeon who swallowed a goldfish and then entered denial

Coles tried to deny that any animal had been harmed and stated that it was just a stunt for social media and he hadn’t swallowed it. He then claimed that the fish which had been won at the fair was already half dead.

Fish are a traditional prize that can be won at the fair on many of the different game stalls. The fish usually come with a small plastic fish tank, stones and fish food. All fish that are won at the fairground have been properly looked after in the weeks leading up to the fair coming to town. The favoured prize by many of the kids who visit the fair love winning a pet. It is a horror that a grown adult would then find fun in this by swallowing it.

The outcome is that goldfish are now banned from being given out as prizes at Bridgewater fair. As just handing them out in plastic bags without any checks isn’t an acceptable way to do things. Strangely, having bought fish a number of times for our office aquarium, they have always been handed over in plastic bags without any checks in whether I have a suitable tank or know how to care for them.

Different rules for different people I suppose.

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Event Planning, funfair events, General

Are Fairgrounds Safe?

23 February 2023

I think its perfectly reasonable for anyone to ask ‘Are Fairgrounds Safe’. Modern rides are higher, faster and far more thrilling than the staid ferris wheel and dodgems of yesteryear. But does this make them unsafe?

Add to this a far more comprehensive annual testing regime, and stricter health and safety enforcement and you have a vast improvement in place.

Modern rides not only have the benefit of far better material quality, they also have computerised safety systems to monitor everything, and we have a far better understanding of things like metal fatigue etc.

The Human Factor

There is one final piece of the puzzle though that is much harder to crack. That is the human factor. The vast majority of operators are perfectly professional, with H&S at the front of their minds everytime they operate. Sadly, like any other industry in the UK, if not the world, there are occasional cowboys.

Miss an inspection here, or disable a wind meter so you can keep going when its blowing a bit. 999 times out of a 1000 nothing happens. Its that rare combination of factors that coincide to create an accident that catches them out.

I fly light aircraft for fun. When I started I studied every accident report I could get my hands on, my theory being I would rather learn from someone else’s mistake than my own.

Experts who have made a career investigating accidents in aviation, state that on average there are seven steps that line up before an aircraft has an accident. The pilot may be an unsafe one, but has got away with it in the past because all seven steps haven’t happened together. Its a bit like swiss cheese, all the holes have to line up before things go wrong.

The other major human factor are the customers. No amount of warning signs, safety belts etc are enough to stop some people. They seem infected with the lemming gene, and are determined to remove themselves from the gene pool. Are fairgrounds safe, perhaps should read are people safe to be allowed on a fairground.

When It All Goes Wrong

A long time ago, when I was still a kid, I remember a fatal accident on a fairground we were at. The ride was what we refer to as swinging gyms. Basically they are a large cage that 4 people enter. By rocking the cage backwards and forwards, they build enough momentum up to go over the top as it were.

Now this particular day, a guy decided that he was going to assist his friends from the outside. He climbed the 6ft safety fence around the perimeter of the ride. And ran to push the cage. Sadly, he tripped and fell face down on the platform as the cage was in the air. As it descended it landed on him and crushed him. His family won’t feel that fairgrounds are safe. But was that the fairgrounds fault.

Is that a genuine accident. The ride had been tested and find to be perfectly safe within H&S guidelines. Indeed it was retested immediately after the accident and passed again. It was surrounded by a 6ft tall fence, not something you could just hop over, it took effort to get over it. There were plenty of warning signs about. Yet a young man still managed to put himself in that awful situation. So what more could have been done to stop him?

I regularly see parent with young children on a fairground, who get talking to their friends then allow their kids to wander about unsupervised. You wouldn’t do this in a factory with machinery, or on the edge of a busy road, so please don’t do it on a funfair. Similarly height restrictions on rides are there for a reason, the amount of arguments we have had with parents, because there child is a couple of inches shorter than the safety height and they want them to be allowed on is frightening. Why would you intentionally want to put your child at risk.

How Can You Check

From the point of view of finding out if a ride is safe. All professional rides currently fall under the ADIPS scheme. This is the Amusement Device Inspection Procedure Scheme. Basically it is like an annual MOT for a ride. It covers electrical and mechanical safety. It includes non destructive testing for cracks in the metalwork. Electrical safety checks, checks that barriers and safety devices are fit for purpose.

If you are hiring a ride, ask for the ADIPS paperwork. This should contain an image of the ride in the top right hand corner. Along with a registration number.

You can contact ADIPS via their website to check that a rides test number is valid, and if there are any previous safety related issues.

Similarly any respectable ride operator will have £10 million public liability insurance. If you ask them are fairgrounds safe, they should not take offence and be quite happy to tell you of the steps they take to ensure this.

Perhaps we should look at the Health and Safety Executives own opinion when asked are fairground safe. They have stated in the past that you are far more likely to be injured on the way to the fair, than you are once you get there.

If you want to hire dodgems or other rides safely, just contact us.

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Fun Story, funfair events, General

George The Goldfish – dies at 44

18 February 2023

People always say that fairground fish don’t have a long life span. That couldn’t be further from the truth, for a couple called Keith and Mary in Worcester and George the goldfish .

When Keith Allies now 75, won two fish for his then 18 year old girlfriend as a romantic gesture at the local fair naming them George and Fred. Neither knew that this fish they named George would then become Britain’s oldest fish dying just before it turned a ripe 45 (yes that’s right George the goldfish made it to a strong 44 years of age!)

The couple married 5 years later and kept the fish as pets in their family home. George surviving for over four decades outlived two family dogs.

The passing of George the fish

George the goldfish passed away after a month of being ill and struggling to swim around his fish tank. He is set to be buried in the family’s back garden next to their other family fish Fred who had passed away a few years ago aged 42. Mary said that she had rang her daughter Emma in tears to tell her that their family fish had passed away as after all these years he had become part of the family and was adored by everyone.

Mary also added that they didn’t expect the fish to last a week. Never mind 40 years, and after out living the two family dogs they began to think that the fish may live on to outlive some family members.

George the goldfish – oldest in Great Britain

George the goldfish is said to be the oldest in Great Britain and possibly the world. Which means when he passed away he has left a legacy behind. George and Fred have had numerous goldfish tanks in their life span. The largest being three feet wide in order to give them more room for swimming around. They was fed regularly and always made a fuss off by the family.

I reckon the key to a long healthy goldfish life is plenty of exercise swimming around the bowl. A healthy meal of fish food flakes and clean water

It turns out that its quite common for goldfish to have a similar lifespan. An article at Tankarium discusses this further.

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Catering, Event Planning, General, Photo Booths

Tips For Planning A Wedding

11 February 2023

Planning a wedding is one of the hardest tasks you’ll undertake. With so much to think about such as the venue, budget, food, the guest list. How to make it special, flowers, color schemes, bridesmaid’s? This can seem an impossible task however I hope these 10 tips for planning a wedding will help all the brides to be.

Start Planning Early

If you have set the day of the wedding and saved your date it is then time to begin planning. Even if your wedding is three years away in 2022 it is never too early to get on top of the planning and contact suppliers for what you want. Starting early can insure that you get everything you want and remain relatively stress free. The sooner the better. We have brides and grooms contacting us and placing bookings for one of our services such as the catering or the photography years in advance to ensure that were not already booked out that day. Our candyfloss and ice cream carts are always a lovely addition to a summer wedding. Something unique for the guests to make your wedding more memorable. Or maybe some mulled wine or luxury hot chocolate for a winter wedding? Book soon to avoid disappointment.

Setting A Budget.

Budgets are very important for weddings especially with hidden costs that can just creep upon you. You and your partner need to sit down and crunch some numbers to get a set budget that you can set aside for your wedding. Don’t forget hidden expenses such as dress alterations, beauty expenses and gifts for bridesmaids, flowers, the venue, music, invites and all the other costly things for a wedding.

Book The Best Photographer You Can

Your wedding album and other photos will be the main way that you will remember your big day for the rest of your life, so you’ll want to make sure that you find the best one in the industry. Make sure to see some of their previous work to see if it fits the standard and style that you dreamed of for your future wedding album, you could also ask friends and family who they may have used so you can get real reviews from people or ask the venue who they may work with to find a good deal.

There are many ways in the wedding to capture the special moments. Your photographer and videographer will capture the main bulk and every second of the day. As it is now the 21^st century and guests will have mobile phones these will also capture the day I’m sure they’ll be many snaps and Instagram posts of your guests enjoying themselves and of course the bride and groom. Many weddings also enjoy a photo booth. We provide a number of different photo booths for weddings, from your standard photo booth in a box to the more unique ones like a taxi cab photo booth or an only fools and horses three wheel van.

Select A Theme

The theme doesn’t have to be an actual theme it could just be a colour scheme, but once decided on it will be easier to design your wedding around this for example table decorations and flowers you can match up with the colour scheme. Alternatively themes you could use for your wedding is chic, boho, festivals, vintage, wild west themed, whimsical, southern inspired, modern or traditional.

Create The Guest List

This is usually a very stressful task so maybe better to get it over and done with quickly. You will need to sit with your partner and family to create the list of who you would like to be at your special day. This will need to referenced with how many people your venue can hold. Some people start with the guest list first and then try to find a venue that will hold the same as the number of guests they have planned to invite. The list may also need to cut down, decide who can have plus ones or if you’re going to invite kids to your wedding.

Give Your Groom Some Responsibility

Your hubby to be may not have been planning this day since he could walk and talk buuuut he will definitely have opinions and preferences and some of his own ideas. Remember its not just your day and that its also about him too so let him have some say maybe he wants to choose what’s on the menu or helping to organise the budgets or even the music and venue. We have had weddings where the bride has secretly booked the Only Fools and Horses photo booth for their Del boy fanatic husbands.

Accept You Can’t Please Everyone

This is yours and your partners wedding, no matter what you do make sure that you and your husband to be are happy with the arrangements. Sometimes other members of the family get involved and sometimes it can lead to disputes trying to please everyone. This is your time to be selfish. Make sure that the plans are your own and what you and your husband to be are happy with.

Be Prepared

In the famous words of the girl scout motto be prepared! Write down a list of things that could possibly go wrong at the wedding. Make a plan to get round this. This way if anything was to happen you’d be prepared to handle this like a boss. It wouldn’t ruin your day or stress you out. For example make a box of necessities such as a needle and thread of every colour available for any misshaps with dresses or suits, bobby pins, deodorant, pens, flip flops, plasters, extra cash, pens and paper and safety pins.

Food Food Food

Choose the menu when planning a wedding that both you and your groom will enjoy, don’t worry too much about everyone else’s opinions and dietary requirements because trying to please everyone will be too hard. Make sure there is food at all times of the day for example the wait from the church to going into the meal can be a long time without food, or after the meal when the party starts it can be a hungry time later in the night maybe have snacks or a late night barbecue on offer for them. We offer a number off different fun finger foods to keep hunger at bay such as crepes, hire hot dog carts, popcorn, donuts and ice cream.

Finally Remind Yourself What’s Truly Important

Try not to do anything wedding related two weeks prior to the wedding. This will help you to clear your mind and make sure that you can enjoy every part of the big day that you have planned. When the planning is getting on top of you do one thing at a time, maybe create a checklist and try and check one thing of each week or month to make planning easier. Make sure you keep the big picture in mind, their will undoubtedly be argument’s, stressful times and difficult times throughout the whole planning of the wedding but remember that at the end of it you will be married and be spouses and live happily ever after…

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Fun Story, Funfair Rides, General

Funfair Rides From Drawing Board To Finished Article

29 January 2023

Someone asked me recently who builds funfair rides. Well, there are a number of long established companies going back in some cases a considerable number of years. Like much of industry, the major manufacturers are European. There were a number of UK based builders making large adult rides, but these are by and large defunct.

The smaller children’s rides market is much healthier. A number of excellent rides are turned out for the home market and occasionally for export. Many of the started as travelling showmen, who perhaps built a ride for themselves, and were then asked to build another for someone else. Most end up building an occasional ride as a sideline, but some turn it into their full time occupation.

Fairtech Fabrications Ltd

One such company is in the hands of a friend of mine, his wife is my wife’s first cousin so there is once again a family connection. Along with his two sons, he has always worked on his own equipment to a high standard, and when recently the number of fairs he attended was cut drastically he looked at leveraging his building prowess into a full time gig.

This post is going to follow the design and build of one of his rides.

Cups And Saucers

The cups and saucers, or teacups as they are sometimes known, isn’t a new ride. Its been one of the staples of the funfair industry over here since I was a teenager, some 35 years or so. So was a good bet for a saleable product.

Like most things now, the ride started on a computer. Initial drawings were made to produce the layout of the steel work and electrics/hydraulics. Once these were satisfactory, more detailed drawings with correct dimensions and material tolerances were produced, enabling construction to begin.

Initial Steel Work

The bulk of the funfair ride construction is box section mild steel. This is fabricated into a number of section for the ride bearing chassis, the moving part of the ride, and the support items such as the light posts and speaker brackets. Parts such as hydraulic valves and rams, electric motors etc are attached to the basic frame.

The basic frame is built up and disassembled a number of times. Things like the decorative centerpiece need to be attached to ensure the mounting holes and suchlike are in the correct places. The aluminium tread plate needs cutting to size and fitting to ensure it all matches. Slew rings to allow the cups to spin have to be in position to ensure they are level and running free and to tolerance.

**Initial Build To Check Fit And Finish**

Hot Dip Galvanising

The ride is pretty much built to a finished standard, except for the decorative sections. It is then stripped down completely and sent to have the full metalwork hot dip galvanised. This is a method of submerging the steel in a molten zinc bath, to apply a protective coating. This can extend the life of the rides structural components to in excess of 50 years. Untreated steel without regular maintenance can start to degrade in less than 5 years. In a marine environment it can be as little as 1 year before rust starts to attack the structure.

Assembling The Finished Ride

Once the galvanising is complete the funfair ride is assembled again. Sometimes it is possible for the heat of the galvanizing process to warp the steel sections, so any that are out of specification. may need to be rebuilt or replaced.

Once the structure is to the builders satisfaction, final assembly can begin. The chassis is assembled, and then the circular frames carrying the cars built up and attached to the chassis. At this point the electric cabling, braking systems and hydraulic systems will be attached.

Cups centre drive system — Cups Flooring support

Over the last few years the Health and Safety Executive have started tightening up on the use of barriers around children’s rides, to meet both this requirement, and with an eye on the European market, Fairtech made the decision to go for the more stringent TUV approval, which is regarded as a must have in many export destinations. This involved additions to the rides such as a barrier to prevent a child being able to walk up and touch a moving part of the ride.

Additionally on the older designs, the cups were not locked in place, smaller children exiting the cup could slip and fall as the cup spun. Fairtech have added an automatic locking system, so once the rides stops, the cups lock in place. They also added some nice touches to the the chequer plate flooring. The ride is finished off with LED lighting to help meet current environmental regulations, and a Bose music system.

Lower floor folded — **Finishing Touches**

Final Funfair Ride Assembled

The final ride with full decoration, music, lighting and automatic gates to allow the riders to access and exit the ride.

Final Ride Assembly — **Final Assembled Ride**

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Equipment, Event Planning, funfair events, General

Berts Barrow – One Of Our Favourite Venues

3 January 2023

Another of our favourite venues Berts Barrow.

Operating nationwide over the years we have provided attractions and services at a multitude of different events and venues. Some we visit once then never see again. Others we seem to turn up at regularly. Some we find to be awkward venues that we would rather not be at. Others like Bert’s Barrow quickly become favourites. Usually it’s down to the people in charge. They can make a venue welcoming, easy for us to operate at and make us want to return.

Bert’s is a family run farm, that has been turned into an events venue. Usable for smaller events such as weddings. Or equally lending itself to larger corporate events, with full funfair rides etc.

We have provided attractions for family fun days at a few events there and found Charlotte, Jason and the team to be accomodating and made the events just so easy for us. Definitely worth a look if you want to run a corporate function in the West Yorkshire area.

Pumpkin Time

They also offer a great time around Halloween when you can go picking your own pumpkins. Pet dogs? No probs, take them with you. With funfair rides and other attractions it makes a great day out for the family.

For more details check their website out Bert’s Barrow

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Catering, Event Planning, Fun Story, General

Crazy Catering Units From Around The World

25 June 2021

At one time, catering units, be they on the fairgrounds or at private events, tended to be basically a box. Nowadays however there are some really crazy catering units available, so that not only are you getting great food, you also get a centrepiece for your event.

We are going to take a look at some of the craziness out there, ranging from pizza’s being dispensed by fire engines, to something that looks like its driven straight off the set of Mad Max.

MAXImus MiniMUS

This is definitely one of our favourites. Resembling some post apocalyptic street food vendor that wouldn’t look out of placing serving a burger to Mad Max himself. Build to resemble a pig, with a snout and ears, it was built in 2009 for Kurt Beecher Dammeier, it took its name from the two ranges of food it served, one with a heavy sauce (MAXImus) and a lighter range (MiniMUS). Sadly from what we can see it appears to have closed down in 2017

Baby’s Badass Burgers

We love this concept, though with the way things seem to be going we are surprised it hasn’t been protested. Set up by an ex restaurateur and an event planner, this has a definite attractive lady vibe. With burger names such as Cover Girl, The Other Woman, She’s Smoking and The Good Wife, and Burger ‘Babes’ (attractive female serving staff), to spread the burger goodness. The company now has a number of franchised operations outside of it’s home of Los Angeles, so obviously it works well.

Snog Yoghurt

A natural frozen yoghurt dessert, sweetened with agave nectar and under 140 calories. What’s not to like. So when you need your first mobile store what immediately springs to mind. It’s obvious isn’t it, an ex London A.E.C. Routemaster bus. Built by a company specialising in luxury bus conversions, the original Snog bus opened in London’s Southbank in 2014.

Military Pizza Truck

Built into a 6 wheel drive, ex military truck, this is another candidate for catering in the Mad Max era. This one is kitted out as a pizza truck, but maintains it’s military colour scheme and feel. It’s also available for pretzels, popcorn and various other dessert options.

Space Shuttle Cafe

This one is an extreme conversion. TBH, I can’t see you getting this past the DVLA in this country. It is built to resemble the space shuttle, but it’s not a converted commercial vehicle as you would expect, no sir, this one is an actual Douglas DC-3 airplane fuselage, that has been fitted with running gear and an engine. It has a commercial kitchen and rest room built in.

Pizza Fire Engine

This is one of our favourites, so much so that we are actually carrying out a feasibility study to see if it’s something we can emulate for our own range of catering options. There are a number of versions plying their catering trade, including a couple of examples in good old Blighty. We particularly like the Company 77 effort, with a working water cannon (good for keeping the queue in order) and a photo booth built into the jump seat.

Airstream Catering Units

Originally built as caravans designed in America in the 1930’s. The sleek shape and highly polished aluminium finish is unmistakable. A number of companies make similar models, but Airstream is the oldest. For decades NASA used a modified Airstream trailer to transport astronauts to the launch pad. They have become increasingly popular for use as catering units both in the States and Europe.

Westport Flea Market Burger Van

Not strictly a burger van, this is more of a promotional item to advertise the Flea market Bar and Grill. But we included it just because of the sheer quirkiness, and the work that has gone into it.

Snowcat Burritos

If you happen to be skiing in the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, in Sierra Navada, and you are hungry. Then you are in luck, as they have a burrita stall built into an actual snowcat. Well, they actually have two, one serving burritos and the other Calzones. They are also planning to add churros with strawberries and cream.

Keep checking back as we will add more examples as we come across them.

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General

Maserati Quattroporte, Sometimes You Need To Treat Yourself

21 June 2021

Over the years I have owned some crap cars. I remember a little Nissan Cherry, it wasn’t actually mine, my dad bought it as a second car, but it was that clapped out that my mam wouldn’t travel in it, so I sort of got left to use it at will. It ended up being in a 6 car pile up near the Metro Centre in the North East, so that was that.

Gradually over time, as business got better I ended up with a Jaguar X-type estate. I loved that car, but Ian, one of our event managers blew the engine up when I lent him it to go to London to see his girlfriend. Funnily enough he also blew the engine up in our mini camper van, and one of the London taxi cabs.

Dream Car

Over the years I always had a hankering for a Maserati Quattroporte. I think it is one of the most beautiful saloon cars ever made. The fact that it is a true four door 5 seater makes it an ideal family car, and the 440HP engine, limited slip diff and active suspension means it can hold its head up with many a performance car.

Eventually my wife got sick of me nagging about wanting one, and I convinced her we could also hire it out as a wedding car, so eventually she gave in and we acquired a gun metal grey version with black and cream leather interior. It was the executive version, with massaging, heated, cooled rear seats that also reclined. A nice touch, but to be honest one I never took advantage of as I always drove.

I owned that car for three years and loved it as much at the end of them as I did at the beginning.

Now, my wife isn’t one to swap a car in that is running OK, so imagine my surprise when she announced one day, “I think you should go and look for a new Maserati”. I was worried she had suffered an unnoticed anurism or was having a breakdown but she seemed fine. Looking back I had just received my pilots licence, so I think now, it was me mentioning I fancied a share in a small Cessna aeroplane, that got her thinking once I swapped my car in, it was an excuse to put me off an aeroplane for a few years.

Quattroporte 2

I ended up speccing the new model Quattroporte in Nero black with full black leather interior. It seemed a good idea at the time. The colour is absolutely fabulous, deep black, with large flecks of colour. When the sun hits it, it looks sublime. Unfortunately you would need to be cleaning it 24/7 to keep it looking that way. I have spent hours washing and polishing it to a gleam. Withing 30 seconds of hitting the road it looks like its been neglected for months.

For anyone thinking of buying their dream car all I can say is do it. Mine is totally impractical. I have had it as low as 3 m.p.g. on twisty roads with my foot down. Heck it will pass anything on the road except a fuel station. Things like tyres and consumables are an arm and a leg. And last about half as long as any other car I have owned. It is so big it doesn’t fit in parking bays. My wife hates it. But I don’t care, once I get in, fire it up and push the sports mode button, the engine roars. Sounding like a symphony of angels, floor the accelerator and it pushes you back in your seat, and all is right with the world.

Maserati Quattroporte Wiki

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Event Planning, Fun Story, funfair events, Funfair Rides, General

Eli Bridge, A Manufacturer Profile

28 February 2021

Next up in our ongoing series of amusement ride manufacturer profiles, is the long established American company of Eli Bridge.

The founder W.E. Sullivan visited the original Ferris Wheel at the Columbian Exposition in 1893. He (like George Washington Gale Ferris) owned a bridge building company. After his ride he became fascinated by the ride and decided to build one of his own. In collaboration with the machinist James H Clements they began construction of their own wheel.

This debuted in Jacksonville’s Central Park and was called the Big Eli Wheel. The ride was a success and Sullivan set up a company to manufacture his wheels.

Their first wheels were powered by 6h.p. huber steam engines and came in two sizes, 45ft portable models and 50ft park based designs. There was also a 55ft ‘Aristocrat’ model.

Early Ferris Wheel

The company was originally located in Roodhouse, Illinois, next to a railway track, allowing for easy distribution around the country. In 1919 a new purpose built building was erected in Jacksonville, also next to the railroad. The company has been there ever since. It’s 76,000 sq ft facility contains a room tall enough to erect a big wheel in.

Rim Drive Wheel

Modern Eli Bridge Wheels

The company still produces wheels to this day. A modern Eli Bridge, is, truth told, little changed from the earlier models. Sure, there is no doubt the construction will use moderner materials and methods. But the look and feel of the ride definitely contains the same DNA. That isn’t meant as a criticism. The fact is the early formula worked well, and still works well, so why change it?

One major change is the drive system. For generations, the wheel used a wire rope, that passed through a pulley which was rotated by an electric motor. The system worked fine, and still does as hundreds of wheels around the world continue its use. It did however have a couple of disadvantages. The rope gradually stretched, and as it did the drive began to slip. Murphy’s law would dictate this happened just as you got busy. The other failure was when the rope snapped. A sensible operator would keep a spare, and could change it relatively quickly, but it is still inconvenient and would lose you revenue.

Ferris Wheel Wire Drive

Rim Drive

To counter the wire rope issues, the company has now switched to rim drive systems. This works by attaching a flat rim to one side of the ride. An electrically driven wheel would contact the rim and as it rotated, would rotate the ride. No slipping or snapping and a much more precise regulation of the speed available from a modern inverter driven control system.

Rim Drive

Scrambler A New Chapter

1955 brought a new chapter for the company, with the launch of its Scrambler ride, the first non wheel addition to its portfolio. Known over here as a ‘Twist’ the ride took the American amusement industry by storm, and is still prevalent at funfairs around the world today, albeit in many versions from many different manufacturers.

Eli Bridge Twist

Other Products

They also sell a couple of children’s rides, including the quirky Spider Mania, to which I can’t really find a comparable ride in the UK.

Spider Mania

A line of fire pits for camping expeditions and Boy Scout troops round off the companies product list.

. One quirky fact is that the word Bridge was deliberately left in the company name, so that they could still build bridges, their original business model. Though records indicate that since they started selling wheels, they have only actually built one bridge.

Check out our profile of Fabbri the Italian manufacturer.

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