The Troika is an amusement park ride designed and manufactured by HUSS Park Attractions in the mid-1970s. The name Troika means "group of three" in Russian, a reference to its three armed design. There are several variations on the design.
The Troika is an amusement park ride designed and manufactured by HUSS Park Attractions in the mid-1970s. The name Troika means "group of three" in Russian, a reference to its three armed design. There are several variations on the design.
HUSS Park Attractions designed and manufactured the first Troika ride in the mid-1970s.[ citation needed ] It is named after the Russian word meaning "group of three", a reference to its three armed design.
A Troika consists of three arms radiating from a central column. At the end of each arm is a wheel-like assembly (star) holding seven gondolas, each of which seats 2 people side by side.
When the ride is activated, the central column rotates clockwise, while the Star at the end of each arm rotates counterclockwise. Hydraulic cylinders then raise the arms to an angle of 40°. The gondolas do have some capacity to rock from side to side, but this is minimal. At the end of the ride cycle, the arms are lowered, and the rotation stopped. Because it is a relatively mild thrill ride, it is a good ride for younger children or beginning riders who aren't up to riding more extreme attractions, like Huss's own Enterprise or Top Spin.[ citation needed ]
The main safety restraint is a buzz bar system, which locks into one of five positions. Huss recommends that riders be at least 42 inches tall with an adult or over 50 inches tall to ride alone.[ citation needed ]
The ride is available in both transportable and permanent forms, although due to the total weight and size of the ride (35 tons, plus an additional 27 tons for the temporary base and platform), transportable Troikas are unpopular and uncommon.[ citation needed ]
Portable versions of the Troika can be disassembled, but due to the size and weight of the machinery and platform, rack onto no fewer than three trailers.[ citation needed ]
Huss now makes a modern version of the Troika, called the AirBoat. It is smaller and can only carry 24 people (with 3 pods and 4 cars per pod). It runs at about the same speed. One example that is no longer running was the Gator Bait ride at Six Flags New Orleans; this ride closed due to damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.[ citation needed ]
The Tivoli Scorpion is based on the same pattern as the Troika, but a much smaller gondola wheel diameter results in greater speed and centripetal force experienced by the riders (claimed to be over 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph)). The Scorpion is significantly lighter than a Troika, making it more popular for operation at carnivals and fairs.[ citation needed ]
| Name | Park | Country | Manufacturer | Opened | Closed | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scorpion | Adventure Island |  United Kingdom | Tivoli | 2001 | 2018 | Now operates as a travelling fair ride. |
| Troika | Adventureland |  United States | HUSS | 1976 | 1983 | Leased to park by German immigrant Willy Miller. [1] |
| Troika | Al-Rawdah Sharaco Amusement Park |  Saudi Arabia | HUSS | 1988 | Closed | Park and ride presumed closed. [2] [3] |
| Тройка (Troika) | All-Russia Exhibition Center |  Russia | HUSS | 1976 | 2016 | |
| Тройка (Troika) | Anapa | Russia | HUSS | 2018 | Open | [4] Originally manufactured 1974. |
| Turbo Star | Alton Towers | United Kingdom | HUSS [5] | 1984 | 1989 | |
| Tomahawk | Attractiepark Slagharen |  Netherlands | HUSS | Open | ||
| Unknown | Barry Island Pleasure Park | HUSS | Closed | Now operates at Carowinds | ||
| Adrenaline Test Zone | Calaway Park |  Canada | HUSS | Open | [6] | |
| Triple Play | California's Great America | United States | HUSS | 1976 | 2004 | |
| Do-Si-Do | Carowinds | United States | HUSS | 2017 | Open | Previously traveled with German showman Schafer between 1974 and 1976 before operating at several European parks between 2004 and 2010. Sold to Cedar Fair among other European flat rides. [7] |
| Troika | Cedar Point | United States | HUSS | 1976 | Open | [8] |
| Unknown | Coney Beach Pleasure Park |  Wales | HUSS | Closed | Now operates at Carowinds | |
| Kaleidoscope | Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom | United States | HUSS | 2017 | Open | [9] |
| Troika | Dreamland Margate | 1983 | 1997 | |||
| Troika | Elitch Gardens Theme Park | United States | HUSS | 1995 | Open | Originally manufactured 1976. [10] |
| Goldcurse | Familiepark Drievliet | Netherlands | HUSS | Open | Includes extensive theming package. [11] Previously operated as Turbo Star. Serial number 26360. [12] | |
| Troika | Fuji-Q Highland |  Japan | HUSS | Closed | [13] | |
| Troika | Fun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo | United States | HUSS | 2008 | Standing but not operating after park closed. Removed sometime between 2011 and 2015 and relocated to Santa's Village AZoosment Park. | |
| Wellenreiter (Wave Rider) | Hansa-Park |  Germany | HUSS | 1978 | Open | [14] |
| Scorpion | Horn Luna Park |  Serbia | Tivoli Enterprises | 1997 | Open | Traveling version. |
| Bad Apple | Kings Dominion | United States | HUSS | 2002 | Open | [15] |
| Shake, Rattle & Roll | Kings Island | United States | HUSS | 1975 | Open | [16] Serial number 26731. |
| Humla | Kongeparken |  Norway | 1997 | Open | [17] | |
| Diablo | La Ronde | Canada | 1978 | 2003 | ||
| Troika | Linnanmäki |  Finland | HUSS | 1974 | 1974 | Relocated to Särkänniemi. Ride originally bought for Särkänniemi, but Särkänniemi did not open until 1975 and so the ride was rented to Linnanmäki for 1974 season. |
| Unknown | Loudoun Castle | United Kingdom | HUSS | Closed | Now operates at Carowinds | |
| Tumble Bug | Luna Park Sydney |  Australia | HUSS | 1995 | 2020 | [18] |
| L'aigle Noir (The Black Eagle) | OK Corral Theme Park |  France | HUSS | 1970 | Open | |
| Super Star | Palace Playland | United States | 1980s | Open | [19] | |
| Tri-Star | Pleasureland Southport | United Kingdom | 1974 | 1983 | Built under license by English firm Bennett. Relocated to Spanish City. | |
| Tri-Star | Pleasureland Southport | United Kingdom | Fairmatt | 2013 | Open | |
| Unknown | Pleasurewood Hills | United Kingdom | HUSS | Closed | Now operates at Carowinds | |
| Tri-Nado | Santa's Village AZoosment Park | United States | HUSS | 2015 | Open | Relocated from Fun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo. [20] |
| Troika | Särkänniemi | Finland | 1975 | Open | ||
| Riptide Rescue | Sea World San Antonio | United States | Huss | Open | Airboat | |
| Riptide Rescue | Seaworld San Diego | United States | Huss | Open | Airboat | |
| Spider | Selva Magica |  Mexico | Open | |||
| Warp 2000 | Six Flags AstroWorld | United States | HUSS | 1981 | 2005 | Most parts moved to Six Flags Over Texas for usage on its Troika. |
| Thrillbilly | Six Flags Darien Lake | United States | HUSS | 1979 | 1983 | Ride removed with changes in park ownership. |
| Triple Play | Six Flags Great America | United States | HUSS | 1976 | Open | [21] |
| Wild Flower | Six Flags Great Adventure | United States | HUSS | 1975 | 1977 | Previously Wild Rider. |
| Gator Bait | Six Flags New Orleans | United States | HUSS | 2005 | AirBoat version. No longer in operation after Hurricane Katrina but still standing. | |
| Harley Quinn Spinsanity | Six Flags Over Texas | United States | HUSS | 2006 | 2017 | Previously Crazy Legs. Relocated from Six Flags AstroWorld. |
| Tri-Star | Spanish City | 1984 | 1984 | Relocated from Pleasureland Southport. | ||
| Scorpion | Talley Amusements, Inc. (Showman) | United States | Tivoli | Open | [22] | |
| Calgary Stampede | Thorpe Park | United Kingdom | 1993 | 2003 | ||
| Troika | Toshimaen | Japan | HUSS | 2020 | ||
| Mustang Runner | Worlds of Fun | United States | HUSS | 2017 | Open | [23] |
| Dancing Queen | Unknown - German Showman | Germany | Open | Traveling version in Germany. |
| Current ride models |
| ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notable rides | |||||||||||
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Rainbow is an amusement park ride created by HUSS Maschinenfabrik of Bremen, Germany. The Rainbow was manufactured from 1982 to 2000 and is often confused with its cousins Ali Baba and 1001 Nachts plus other similar models. The HUSS Rainbow has developed a vast fan base due to its large stature, smooth ride, bright lights, and iconic motor noise.
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Eyerly Aircraft Company was an amusement ride manufacturing company in Salem, Oregon, founded by Lee Eyerly in 1930. The company originally intended to design flight simulators for the aircraft industry but shifted to amusement rides after an early simulator, called Orientator, became a popular pay-per-ride attraction with the public. The company manufactured rides until 1985 and went bankrupt in 1990, following a fatal accident in 1988 on a ride built by the company.
