Former Chicago Kiddieland carousel going up for auction
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The carousel from Kiddieland, the PTC 72, was manufactured by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, which was the largest producer of carousels and roller coasters in the world. It was the last carousel that the company would make. The Kiddieland carousel with 48 hand carved horses, is the only carousel in the world with 16 “signature” animals, all of which have the company’s logo carved into the animal structures.
Read more from The Sun-Times.
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While it is unique for the signature horses, it is not the last carousel the company made. This one was built in the mid-1920s. Several more were made after it. Idlewild and SoakZone has the last PTC carousel, being built in 1931.
I wondered about that myself. This is a beautiful ride, but the rounding boards and shields aren't what I think of as typical PTC. I like the jester face better, (in fact if I ever get the nerve for a tattoo he's gonna be it), and I'll have to delve into carousel history to see when they most often appeared.
It seems from the photo that somewhere along the line fluorescent lights were placed above the horses. It would be an easy fix to revert back to the more traditional style of lighting there.
I looked through the catalogue but gave up before I got to the details of the carousel sale. Maybe I wasn't looking in the right place. Anyway, I wonder if the machine will be sold piecemeal or as a whole? Whole is better, but not always for the seller.
The sixteen signature horses, which I assume are the entire collection of outside row standers, are totally awesome. I hope somebody is able to pick this up. I wonder what parks out there could use a really great ride?
The machine is being sold as a single unit. There hasn't been a carousel auctioned by the piece in almost a decade (I believe that it was this particular machine). For the most part it looks like a typical PTC catalog ride. If you want a Jester Shield, you'd have to buy a Wm. H. Dentzel machine built after 1922. There is at least one of these available at this time.
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