Chance Tumbler - the one and only

Did anybody here get to ride the Tumbler at SFoG, Coney or Rye? I was lucky enough (if you call it that) to ride it in 1970 at SFoG where it went by the name "Wheel Burrow". I came across a few photos I had not seen. The color photo is at SFoG but the 2 B&W photos are at the Chance factory. From what I have gathered, Chance only made 1 of these. It lasted about 10 years between 3 parks. I have a small clip of this when it was at Rye Playland. The darn wheels spun pretty fast and the entire thing rotated rather quickly to from what I remember.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2for2true/

^Wow! Thanks for posting those pics swampfoxer! I never rode one, but it does look crazy. I haven't ridden a sky diver in years...

Looks like it could load a whole wheel in the horizontal position.

ps - hurriedly went to see if that video was posted to your you tube page ;)

Thanks for posting Swampfoxer, that looks wild. I love hearing about these rare Chance rides. I was trying to track down a Turbo ride years ago but it's a bit of a lost cause at this point. It's even getting hard to find a Sky Diver in operation these days.

Well there's a Turbo for sale in California:
http://www.usedrides.com/ViewAd.aspx?Ad=11523&view=i

(And I believe that there is still an operational Turbo unit in Australia and China).

Here are few other pictures of the Tumbler:
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/558404991zeSVSH

The Tumbler met its demise at Coney Island. After leaving SFOG it did the state fair circuit for a couple of year and then went to Rye Playland for one season in either 1974 or 1975. The McCullough's bought in in 1976 and attempted to operate it on W. 12th Street. The ride was evidently plagued with technical issues and rarely operated. It sat in pieces next to the Thunderbolt turnaround until the mid-1980's when it was finally sold for scrap.

Wow...

Kinda looks like the excalaber ride at six flags st louis.

The Skydiver at Camden Park is all packed up and ready for something. What it's ready for, I don't know. Has anyone seen a Skydiver for sale anywhere online?

http://cgi.ebay.com/SKY-DIVER-Amusement-Park-CARNIVAL-Ride-Trailer-...689wt_1137

From Blue Diamond Park in Delaware

I want to believe that that's the Camden ride, but the photo isn't from Camden.

That ride is from "New Castle, Deleware, United States".

Thanks anyways. :)

Having just been at Camden, I can tell you that maintenance doesn't think it will be put back in service. In addition, this is the last year for the ferris wheel. Next year the Spider will be moved to the ferris wheel's location and a new ride will be located where the spider is now.

I have been on one of those rides. It was just crazy. not sure why more were not built. Here is the one I was on....

http://coasterbuzz.com/Forums/Thread/57697.aspx?id=814493

Really? I can't imagine the Spider in any other location. It's always been the first thing that you see once inside the gates for as long as I remember.

Camden Park's Ferris Wheel is really scary, by the way. It always seems like it's going to fall over.

I could come up with a hundred improvements for the park.

I haven't been to Lakemont in a while. Do they still have/operate their Skydiver?

I hate that ride, by the way. :)

EDIT - Crazy Horse, I don't think that is the same kind of ride. The Chance Tumbler appears to me to be two Skydivers attached together, that spin around each other. That ride in your link was moved from SFGAdv, I believe, and was very different.

...I think so anyway.

Lakemont's is still there and operating. I rode it last year with my aunt (must have two people in the car) and she was ready to kill me after making her ride that crazy thing.

crazy horse linked to The Nauta-Bussink Evolution from SFGAdv/SFStL. It's not a Chance Rides ride at all.

Weird in that if you added another "wheel" to the other end of Evolution instead of having the huge counterweight, it really would look quite similar. No idea how the seats were positioned (or rotated) on the Tumbler.

Wondering now that Silverwood and Camden are no longer operating Skydivers.....is Lakemont the last US park to have one running?

Has Conneaut stopped running theirs? I don't remember if it was in operation when I was there last year, though I didn't care to give it a try even if it was. I don't think I could handle one of those these days.

rollergator said: No idea how the seats were positioned (or rotated) on the Tumbler.

The cars on the Tumbler were identical to those on the skydiver, including the steering wheel. And, in case no one figured it out yet...remove the steering wheel and put coaster wheels on the bottom and what do you have? Yup...Toboggan cars.

Interchangeable parts? No way.

Raven-Phile said:
Has Conneaut stopped running theirs? I don't remember if it was in operation when I was there last year, though I didn't care to give it a try even if it was. I don't think I could handle one of those these days.

The day I visited it was not operating.

I remember having a science text book when I was very young, like 3rd grade. There was a picture of the Tumbler on the back cover and I was always fascinated by. Also remember a classmate insisting it was a Sky Diver that had fallen over... :)