a fairground life

It's coming up for two weeks in the shed now. The two main floors are nearly finished, just needing the hand rails and some fixings fitted. All the flooring is down on them. That turned into a fiasco as I had to lay the last few sheets three time before they fitted. Using the old floor as a template was quicker but not accurate, you always end up a few millimetre out here and there as the steel does not lay completely flat. I would have been quicker in the long run sticking to the measuring tape I think. Any way its the last round up as we started on the final front floor today. I originally guestimated two weeks for the floors so I will push on and try to get it finished for Wednesday. Then onto making new handrails, new bushes, NDT testing, repair the lighting and finally paint paint paint. The hard part is deciding where to stop. I think it will be at the four week period so that I can spend time on the DZ, miami and show.
Everyone else is working away hard at it too. The other rides in the shed have teams working around 10 hrs a day on them. There must be about 20 of us in total. It is amazing how much dust is created by the cutting,welding,grinding and rubbing down.
6 weeks and counting. The picture shows one section of the right hand floor hanging from the crane (12m x 3m) so we could cut up the old floor from under it.Then we laid it onto the outriggers to weld it to the other half.

a fairground life

About 25 years ago I went to a small village on the Scottish Borders. It was a very small fair on a very narrow bit of tober (land) in between the village bowling club and the river. I was there with the old paratrooper. This was when "b" and I travelled with my grandmother. It was a very tight get in as the access was narrow and at the bottom of a steep hill with a 90 degree turn into the funfair area. This was a last minute fill in for us and we missed the main night as we left the fair early to return to our regular run of fairs. About 5 years later I returned again, this time I was married. The amount of equipment had increased since my first visit and so had the village population. Again it was a fill in and we did not stay for the main night with the paratrooper however my wife did stay with our market stall and dart game to give it a try. The following Saturday was busy for her, so much so that we have returned to that fair every year since 1986! I have only missed the main day once in all that time (due to getting a crazy once in a lifetime hire for all my equipment that paid silly money). Eventually the other tenants dropped out one by one and only the lessee and I attended the fair. I had acquired other equipment, along with my fathers and the lessees, this kept the fair going. The gate got worse every year. At one time we had to slide a vehicle around the corner on slippery boards (covered in fairy liquid) to get it around and out.
Eventually the lessee stopped attending the fair and it was only my wife and I with our equipment. She hated it as she is more social than me, I loved the quiet solitude of the place and got plenty of work done during the week days. During this time I got friendly with an elderly couple who lived in the house directly behind the fair area. We got friendly after I saved their house from burning down in the early nineties. The old lady was at home by herself when the tumble dryer went on fire in her living room. She came out calling for help and I was within earshot. I quickly ran in, unplugged the dryer and carried it out the house (with flames & smoke belching from it). From then on we got along like a house on fire (pardon the pun). More years later and the fair was passed on to me. I kept returning every year, but the gate was really bad now and the rides had got bigger. ( it took nearly half an hour to get each ride out. We had to reverse around the corner,then up the hill, across a road,up into a side road to turn onto the main carriageway. It was such a spectacle that many a time we had spectators standing watching.) It came to crunch time (2002), we could not do it any more so I asked for a move of site and the gala committee were helpful and I got a piece of tober across the river with easy access. It was heaven and made the place enjoyable again.We even got some more tenants to attend the fair. I made the short trip back to the old site to visit the elderly couple a few times during our stay every year. I have known them for over fifteen years. The last few years I have always left there wondering if I would see them the next year. This year after visiting them, I left feeling down. Sadly my fears were realised when the old gentleman passed away last week. I returned to the village for his funeral on Thursday. It was a wicked day to say the least. When I visit this village it has always been in the summer,I never thought I would see it under an inch of snow! It will not be the same this year. He grew great rhubarb in his garden. His son said he will keep the plant going in memorial. What a loss his wife must be feeling, they were coming up for 50 years married.

a fairground life

That is the first week in the shed over. Progress on the new skydiver floors is quite good.We had one side working under hydraulic pressure today. The second floor will be a bit quicker now we have worked out a method. The overhead crane has come in really handy, it was worth the expense to get it repaired. The photo shows "r" taking himself for a "wee huddle" on the crane.
He looks like Biggles with the hat and welding goggles.

a fairground life

The work on the skydiver has started well. "b" had half a side of the floor stripped before I even turned up at 9:30am. I helped him to finish it off. As the steel was to arrive after 1pm we left at 12 for a bite to eat. No sooner had we left and the phone rang.The steel had arrived early so we about turned. The driver backed in under the hook and we lifted the steel off. I used a strap that I had been given by "r" a year ago. It was rated for 5 ton, the bundle of steel weighed about 2 ton. We lifted the steel up and off the lorry. Now we had to move it down to the other end of the shed. If the crane had been working properly, I would have kept it low to the floor and steered it around the other rides. How ever because the left & right was not going I had only one choice-lift the steel up about 20ft then go straight over the top of the Dropzone, superbob, matterhorn to the skydiver. It was then I thought-is this strap ok? If this load drops it will make a funny mess! Thankfully it made it all right, but my heart was in my mouth! Later 'r' arrived after sitting a uni exam. I picked up the profile lugs to make the hinges. The cutting job was not very good and the eyes had to be drilled out for the hinge pins. So 'r' spent 3 hours on the bench drill. While he was doing this 'b' stripped the rest of the flooring and I made the first 6m long hinge beam. In between times the electricians arrived and repaired the crane. That's was a good job done. It was nearly 9pm by this time so we called it a day. All in all a very productive 12 hours. Hope we can keep the pace up.
The photo shows half the flooring stripped off the skydiver.

a fairground life

Spent the morning in a meeting with a coming event organisers. By late afternoon I was back in the shed. "b" &"r" erected the bottom of the skydiver in prep for starting the work tomorrow. Still no joy with the overhead crane but I have left a space that the steel delivery lorry will be able to back in under the hook. At least this way I can lift the steel load off and move it up to the skydiver (100 m away). An electrician will hopefully look at the crane this week. Finished early at 6pm, by next week we will be pushing it to 8pm.

a fairground life(season pack up)

Sunday
The rain fell all morning. When we opened up at noon it got heavier, I had a hunch it would be an early finish so I phoned the "crew" to come for 4pm. It did ease for a couple of hours, but at 4:15pm it was bouncing off the ground and we called it a day. "r" and "s" got into the skydiver while "w" and I started the show. Then "w" and I went onto the Dropzone. Before we had this finished "r" and "s" had completed the skydiver and came over to help us. At that I left them and started on the miami. Everything went well (except we were soaked through), all the tower bolts on the DZ and Miami weight bolts came off easily. I had greased the bolts to help during the build up and it had paid off. All the vehicles started no problem too. At 9pm we were all done. I set sail for the shed with the first load. Expecting to get it in and return for another. Not the case. When I arrived at the gates the paddle lock had been changed, so I parked at a nearby showman's yard and returned this morning to put the lorry in. The old lock had been damaged during the period between me getting the key and turning up last night. Then I did another three trips to the shed. I have other showmen in with me as well. It took most of the day to get the rides in. Its a tight fit as the vehicles have to be reversed around a corner, up a narrow path and jack knifed into the shed. By the third load we had it sussed out though.
While organising things for the shed "r" and I got talking about safety equipment. One thing that popped up in the conversation was the effectiveness of steel toe cap boots. I remember about 1975 or so my father had a coupling bar dropped on his foot. He was wearing steely's but they crushed onto his toes. He was hurt but not severely, so I suppose they did help.
"r" wondered what would happen if a lorry ran over your foot? So we did a small test. Not finding anyone stupi.. I mean brave enough to put their foot in, we improvised and used a carrot in place. Watch the video to see the result. We ran two axles of the skydiver over it. The ride weighs about 28 tons. So that would be about 4 ton over the boot. No matter the result--We fully recommend steel toe cap boots. (They are also good for a laugh by welding your mates foot to something)

a fairground life

We arrived on site just after 11am this morning. There had been some storm damage to the funhouse paybox. It had blown over in the gales. The door was off the hinges, the roof and a panel were also detached."b" had told me it had blown over,but I had not realised the extent of the damage or I would have came over earlier. The rivet gun and some wood screws did the trick and just after 12 noon it was all back together. Just as well the back flash on the skydiver had been strapped down to the lorry and a nearby fence. A hoopla stall had been so badly damaged that there was no choice but to take it down altogether. This time last year the dodgem had lost it's entire top cover,to take no chances it had been reefed this year.
This time tomorrow night we will be well into the pull down. Its been a long time sitting in one place for the equipment. To minimise any problems I tried to start the vehicles. All of them needed the charger put on. The skydiver unit started after 5 hrs of charging and three attempts (just started and no more). The funhouse lorry just spun until the batteries went flat again, no doubt due to the fuel running back in the system. I will put the big charger on tomorrow and spin it until it starts (I hope). There is no lift pump on a Cummins engine so you can't prime the fuel system by hand. I have arranged for the 'crew' to come through to help.My father in law will be sitting this one out as he has been unwell. All I want now is a dry night. The old bones will be aching tomorrow evening when we finish-it doesn't take long to go soft and it's been October since I did any physical work!

a fairground life

Yesterday the miami was crack tested. The NDT chap has done this ride several times now (and many others) so knew his way around it. It was not long before the job was done using ultrasonic and magnetic particle inspection. I have an event coming up so I wanted this ride done now rather than wait until I was in the shed.
To get organised for the new floors going on the skydiver I spent some time pre ordering profile cut lugs for the floor hinges.
After this I went to finalise the let of the shed and pick up the keys. After the storms last night I was wondering if it would still have a roof! Thankfully all was in order and I went and got spare keys cut. One small hitch is the overhead cranes. One moves along the gantry and left & right but the hook will no raise or lower. The other moves along the gantry and raises & lowers but will not move left or right. So tomorrow I will have a look incase there is a fuse or breaker off. Apart from that I am really looking forward to getting in and started. I have enclosed a photo, (don't laugh, I like the shed, it will be home for the next 2 month)

a fairground life

The holidays are finally over and it was time to take the Santa train down. Well he has done two weeks overtime! The ride only has one build up and pull down a year. As a result its not very organised. We have to lift everything onto a trailer piece at a time. Then transport it down to the truck. Lift it all off again before packing it in the truck (double handling). The carriages are quite heavy and have to be man handled into place. If we were doing this every weekend as with the other rides, no doubt a winch and racking would be fitted. Several trips, three and a half hours later, job done. All packed into a 40ft truck, Confucius would say that the load will expand to the available space. Not to disappoint him, our 40ft truck is full from end to end with one small ride because that's the area available. Not to worry, it only does two journeys a year, once there and once back! So tomorrow the truck will be parked for another year. This time next week we will be taking the rest of the equipment down. It just suddenly occurred to me that there will be dozens of Christmas fairs packing up tonight around the country. Most showmen will be looking forward to going on holiday in the next few weeks, I'm going in the shed.

a fairground life(roots)

I did allude to it in my last post, now it seems its out the bag-I have bought a house. Nearly a year ago now and we are not moved in. Why? Partly due to *snagging, partly to being away in the summer, partly to not having sold my wagon, partly to not wanting to leave the company of the yard. Why did I do it? Our life style has changed, more fairs in less time, nearer to a central location. The time it takes to move the wagon is now better spent moving another ride, so my wife moves the touring caravan for us with the jeep. It is also an investment for our future when I'm too old to do the work I do now. Finally I did not want my wife to be left with a wagon on a yard when I am dead and gone as she could not maintain or move it (builders are ten a penny, coach builders are a bit rarer). As for the house, it's a new build and to be honest it is CRAP! If wagons were built to the same standard with the same materials they would collapse at the first pothole! Nothing is square inside, you can't screw to a wall without cavity fixings, the slightest touch on the painted walls leaves a dirty mark. A wagon inside is more like a luxury yacht, high gloss wood or laminate finishes, cabinet built interiors, solid materials built to last and stand the rigours of motion. Ok the house is not meant to move, but that does not stop the plaster board splitting at the seams, popping nails. Settlement my ass, it's nearly a year old!! Shoddy workmanship and cheap materials! You won't find any chipboard in a showman's wagon, its all marine ply if not real wood and held together by glue and screws not clouty nails!
We must be perfect neighbours. I suppose we are the mysterious people who bought a house that no one lives in. I wonder how long before the kids on the estate make up ghost stories? We will move in eventually I suppose, but there's no hurry. I like the sound of the rain on the wagon roof, any way the yard is handy for the shed the rides will be in next week. I'm not the first showman to buy a house by any means but I may be the first to mention it on a blog. I wonder how it will change my life?, am I no longer part of an ethnic minority???Maybe there's a case study here??, then again maybe not.

*snagging-spin talk for unskilled, could not care less workmanship. including, but not limited to--leaking verandas, misaligned roof tiles, faulty heating,blocked drainage, patchy paint work, damaged interior fittings, damaged exterior fixings, broken door locks, leaking baths, showers, gutters and numerous other problems I've forgotten about.

I do like my house, we visit for a few minutes at least once a month!