Tumble Bug
A Tumble Bug is an amusement park ride with a circular track.[1]
The ride has a central axis and a circular track. The track has changes in elevation in it, and the cars, each attached by a rod to a central pivot attachment point and connected together, are propelled around the track via motors between the cars. Power is carried to the motors via slip ring brushes at the center and cables.
Only two full-sized Tumble Bugs remain operating today in the United States, both in Pennsylvania: one at Kennywood in West Mifflin, and one at Conneaut Lake Park in Conneaut Lake. All full-size instances were made by Traver Engineering, and its successor, R.E.Chambers.[1] The ride also exists in a miniature children's form. The size of the full-size Tumble Bug is 100 feet in diameter. The full-size has 5 or 6 cars, while the kiddie version has 3 to 4 cars. There are more kiddie versions operating today than there are full-sized.
Tumble Bug sites
Operating
- Conneaut Lake Park (1925–present) Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania, (known as the "Tumble Bug," 5 car model)
- Kennywood Park (1927–present) West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, (known as the "Turtle," 6 car model)
Defunct
- Cascade Park (1969–??), New Castle, Pennsylvania
- Cedar Point (1934-1963), Sandusky, Ohio
- Chippewa Lake Park (??-1978), Chippewa Lake, Ohio
- Crescent Park (1930's-1979), Riverside, Rhode Island
- Euclid Beach Park (??-1969), Cleveland, Ohio
- Geauga Lake (??-1977), Aurora, Ohio
- Hersheypark, (1933-1981), Hershey, Pennsylvania, (called "The Bug," replaced by Wave Swinger)[2](Ride tubs sold to Whalom Park)
- Idora Park (1941-1984), Youngstown, Ohio, (known as the "Turtle," 5 car model)
- Coney Island (1925-1971) / Kings Island (1972–1985), Mason, Ohio. Moved from Coney Island (Cincinnati) to Kings Island. Sold to Kennywood Park to use for parts on their Tumble Bug.
- San Souci Park, Hanover Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania[3]
- West View Park (1929-1977), West View, Pennsylvania
- Whalom Park (??-2000), Lunenburg, Massachusetts, (Moved to Edaville USA, Carver, Massachusetts in mid-late 2000s, never operated at Edaville. Sold for scrap metal in 2010)
References
- "Tumble Bug Rides". ridezone.com.
- Silver Anniversary Twenty-Fifth Annual Picnic Harrisburg Retail Grocers Hershey Park, Harrisburg Retail Grocers, 1932
- Renita Fennick (May 5, 1996). "For Generations, Sans Souci Park Was Valley's Wonderland Stomach-churning Rides on the Bear Cat and Dreamy Gatherings at the Dance Pavilion Live on Only in Memory".
