a fairground life(what goes around-comes around)

Went to build up the Skydiver and the DZ this afternoon. The sun was splitting the sky as we built up the Miami first. Then we moved onto the DZ. I changed the flag to a Bonnie Scotland one. As we raised the tower the sky darkened and it started to rain. Within a couple of minutes it was torrential and lightning started. I told "r" to leave the tower even though there was only a couple of bolts in it. It was too risky in case of a strike. The forked lightning arced across the heavens. We waited for two hours until the storm passed. Even then it was still raining when we finished the ride off. I had intended to replace the Miami shaft seal as well today, but we were soaked, so at 6pm we called it a day. When I got back to the yard it had dried up. Blakey and Fatso were building an outside kitchen for "old Alf", so I gave them a hand. It was the least I could do as this is the same Alf that put that clutch in for me on New Years morning in 1999 just before I left for Cyprus. So a small part of my debt repaid. As they say-What goes around-Comes around.

As for painting place- it is a quagmire!

a fairground life (what a snider)

Up at 7am this morning and off to a fun day on the outskirts of Glasgow. This (coincidentally) was the first event that I had opened the Miami at some 6 years earlier. It was a very god day then, so my expectations were high enough not to worry that the weather was wet, windy and the location on a hill. Luckily it was in a car park, so lovely hard tarmac. Not so lucky was the lay of the land. It was a steep slope where the Miami was to stand and this lead to the worst build up I have ever had. The ride was so high at the rear, we closed the exit there so the passengers could only alight from one end. This knacked the one way system and would hamper us when busy. For 10am we were ready for opening all we needed was the people. Not to waste fuel we waited until 11am then we waited until 12pm. At that 2 kids appeared so we started up. Then 4 kids appeared! Well that was pretty much it. We did have nearly a full run at one point, but they were all the event volunteers so we let them on for FREE. By 1:30pm we had decided that 2:30 would be time up. The sun had came out by then and we waited more, but at 3:15 pm that was it. On the road for 4:19 pm heading back to the yard. What a disaster-well out of pocket.

I'm off to that other Klondike were having at 'painting place' now. After this afternoon it will feel like a gaff!  It's a grand life-if you don't weaken!

a fairground life (opening Alloa)

I had a few jobs to do in Glasgow so I didn't leave until after 2:30 pm. I got fuel for the jeep at T***o, it was quite busy with people stocking up. Its strange having to think about doing a journey-like being in a third world country-no they have plenty of cheap fuel, its only us that are taxed to death. When I got to Alloa the rain was bouncing off the ground (well it would have been if it had not turned to mush already).

I still had the show to erect before opening and started on it right away. The grass was turning to mush under my feet as I walk around the attraction fitting the pieces together. At 6pm I was ready and soaked through as well. At half six we opened. It was very quiet here for the first night. I think the weather and football kept a few indoors (it would have me). Not wanting to waste any precious diesel I closed promptly at 9pm. If I'm careful my generator fuel might last the next ten days of the fair. Maybe we should have advertised that the public should all come the first weekend incase we run dry before next week. No painting at painting place this year, and my lovely painted floor on the skydiver is turning a nice shade of brown.

The clip shows the energy storm in flight.

a fairground life

Sunday Morning.

Well it had to happen sometime, after 25 years none of the crew could make the pull down. So it looked like "r" and I would have to pull the three rides down ourselves. I left early to go and pick up a repair from the engineers out at Ayrshire then out to the Mall for opening. It was quiet all afternoon and as normal we finished at 6 pm. Luckily "r" had got one of his uni pals out to give him a hand. So he and the "new blood" did the skydiver while I finished the show off with "m". Next I moved onto the Miami. At 9:30 pm I left with the skydiver to take it to Clackmannanshire. This left "r" & co to pull the Dropzone down. It was a smooth run out and just before 11pm the skydiver was at the next fair. The ground seemed hard as I walked across to find the pegs (fairs are usually set by the lessee before hand and the plots marked with wooden pegs hammered in). Soon afterward I had drove across the park, around the already erected waltzer and positioned it just forward of the plot. I did want to move the show lorry to make it easier to manoeuvre but it would not start!! Jumping out the cab I said to my wife in a fit of temper-"that's it,new batteries tomorrow!" At that another showman appeared and with him driving and me guiding, the ride was set on the plot without too much fuss. Back to Glasgow and picked up the DZ to take it to the yard. Passed "r" going the other way on the M8. As I was leaving he called to say the motorway was closed and I would have to go through the city. I took the DZ back to the yard. The lorry didn't boil so I guess it is the weight difference, probably the radiator is choked. The suspension seemed ok so I wonder if the extra pressure from the other unit had cleared a blockage???? Time will tell. 1 am and into bed.

Monday

A lay in and up after 10 am. I got up and went for the new batteries and 25 lts of TFR. £199.10 later they were in the boot of the jeep. Back to the yard to get the Hobby trailer ready for moving. We left after 1 pm. When we arrived on site the trailer was set and the domestic power tapped on. The showmen had this power supply put in during the late 80s (I think 86). Before this I can remember everyone running small generators. They all had to be off for 11:30 pm to avoid disturbing the houses. The park was pitch black at nights. No late night telly back then anyway.

      We fitted the new batteries to the show and it was set on its plot. "r" and I got stuck into the skydiver and it was erected for 7 pm. It was a lovely day, last year it rained for two days solid while building up.

Then back to the Mall to get the Miami where it had sat all day by it's self. It was just getting dark as we moved it off the plot. Using the TFR we washed up the oil stain from the burst we had last week. It was back in the yard for 10 pm. 

The Clyde runs along the back of the fair at the Mall. There are usually a few large ships up and down. The picture doesn't really show just how large this battleship is. I'm not very good with flags ( Union Jack prime example) but I'm sure this one was Spanish (2 red stripes with 1 yellow in the middle plus insignia in middle).

a fairground life

It has been a long fortnight and I'm ready for moving to the next gaff. Business has been slow and everyone I have spoken to said the same. I think we are in for a lean summer. I did a little tidying up today in preparation for tomorrow nights pull down. After we closed "r" changed the oil in the new set (generator) as it has clocked up over 1800 hrs since new. I have changed the oil three times now to try and keep it running well. My youngest has been away all week staying with her friends at Kirkcaldy. It is definitely a good social venue for the younger ones. There was a memorial football cup on the first Tuesday with a two Dances afterwards. Showmen just made up "mates" teams and played a knock out tournament. Pleased to say the cup stayed in Scotland this year. There will be another two dances on Sunday, one for the juniors and one for the over 18s. I don't really know why Kirkcaldy is such a social event, maybe because it is so large a fair, maybe cos there is new faces from other sections, perhaps because it is the first major fair of the season, or a combination of all. One thing is for sure-if you are there with no responsibilities, you will have a ball.

Off to Clackmannanshire with the skydiver and show on Sunday night. I hope the dry weather holds as it is a soft park. It makes all the difference when you don't have to be winched onto your plot. There is some tracking laid, but it is impossible to cover the whole park.

a fairground life (rides review?)

     So I've finished Carkson's book. It seems he earns a living bitching and telling people what he thinks of cars (rightly or wrongly). As I sit here in my box with nothing to do, I thought maybe I could do a review of some rides. Since I have time on my hands and not much to write about, it would be two birds with one stone. So how would anyone review a ride? I suppose it would be fun to compare them to cars, everyone has an idea of them.

First up is the Miami ride. This is (to my mind) a Ferrari. It has a limited seating capacity (only 16) compared to some and small children can't ride. Where would you put a baby seat in one of those?It is fast though, fast ride cycle,fast ride and fast erection/pulldown times. Like a Ferrari it's also thrilling just to watch it in motion. The ride is easy to operate, I don't even need to leave my seat, everything is at my finger tips. The teenagers will go for this every time and so would Dad if it wasn't for the luggage (pesky kids!). For the one day events it an easy days work, but it is heavier on the fuel.

Next up the Skydiver. I think it would be fair to call this a BMW 3M. It looks the part and promises so much, fast, sporty, but when in it you realise its not that thrilling or great handling. But for the family its plenty fast enough and it accommodates the "luggage" too.The ride is the hardest of my equipment to erect but it is still better than many others. At a music event it has a better capacity (30) than them Ferrari's. However like most BMW's, it looks great until next to a Ferrari.

The DropZone is like any small 2+2 sports car, It looks thrilling and is a better ride than you would expect from the size. It  has the limited seating capacity (16 again) but  can handle the "luggage". It is easier to mind and get about than the  Skydiver but not the Miami. Good for the family events. Like the BMW it's a bit of an all rounder. Sports cars don't turn heads like Ferraris though, but they are lighter on the fuel.

The Twist ride is like a Jaguar. Most people have heard of them, the family man definitely wants a go and there is room for the baby seat and golf clubs as the ride has high capacity (36 seats). Like the Jag most teenagers won't know how fast it can go until they try it, they assume the Jag is an "old mans car" and BMW is faster. Mum likes Jag better because she thinks it is safer than BMW  or 2+2 sports car (she would rather be low than ride high with the kids). The ride is quite easy to erect and comparable with the Skydiver. A good family tool with hidden vrooom!

I can see the old Carousel in front of me-That has to be the Horse and Carriage. Old time, slow and fine for all the family. Perfect for those special events, weddings or romantic trips, nostalgic. But very high maintenance, specialised and you wouldn't want to drive to work in one everyday.

My favourite then has to be the Miami, easy, quick and satisfies 99.9% of punters. In the right hands you can really get this baby rockin-Its a Ferrari alright-a big PINK one, the boys still get in because they know it's fast, but it seems to appeal more to the girls.

chuckle!, just a bit of fun!

a fairground life (nothing doing)

Nothing much has happened since last week, hence no writing. As for the outstanding problems from previous posts- NO I haven't fixed the EC12 radiator problem, NO I haven't raised the air pressure for the suspension on the DZ, NO I haven't  replaced the shaft seal on the Miami motor (even though last month the oil running down the front could NOT have pained me more if it were blood from one of my own veins) But, at least I'm consistent. 

What have I been doing? Sitting in my box 8 hours a day reading one of Jeremy Clarksons books. (Business is that poor, I have read it more or less uninterrupted) And I have discovered that he whinges more than me. I never read a lot before, but I suppose as you get older your taste changes as does your appearance and ability to do things you did before. I no longer jump up onto the rides, I look for alternative routes , preferably with a chair lift. So nothing doing -nothing to write about. As for the rest of Showland- All roads lead to Kirkcaldy tomorrow. Uh oh!  thats done it, the "K" word, I'm getting an overwhelming feeling of anxiety andd I cann feelll theee shakesss cominggg on. Got too goooo 

a fairground life

    Last week while erecting the Dropzone I decided to change the flag on the top as the old one was getting tatty (greasy hand prints etc). All I had was either a Union Jack or the Stars & Stripes. So in this PC world (I wouldn't have give it a second thought 10 yrs ago)  I decided on the Union Jack as it was less likely to offend anyone in the present political climate. So up it went. Some time later it was pointed out to my father in law (by a passer by) that the flag was flying up side down and that this is a sign of distress and an offence to be flown like this. Obviously the chap was probably of military or seafaring background. So after hearing no good reports from any Fair and how bad business has been for us this Easter & weekend , it is clear to me that that this Fair (if not all Showland) is clearly in DISTRESS! and no offence has been committed.

a fairground life (twisting the years away)

The Twist.
I speak often about the old paratrooper but this is not the only older ride we had. We needed another ride. The new "Sizzler" type twist was on the go, but we could never afford one of those. So In 1987 we purchased an old twist ride from another Scottish showman, it was a Jacksons (1966) make. It was an odd design for this type of ride (one of only two built I think) as the whole ride ran on a track around the outside and it had a waltzer centre instead of a pole. Not surprising when you remember Jacksons were better known for Arks (speedways) and Waltzers. The ride had an aluminium floor of over 180 wedge shaped pieces. They started small in the centre and got larger as they moved out. The ride had no top arms only three broad bottom arms that had waltzer/ark type wheels on them. One of these wheels was connected to a worm drive and this drove the cars around on the end of each arm. The centre was a waltzer drive but with no paybox on top. It all packed into an 8 wheel Atkinson Borderer (split windscreen, old N reg) and Ford D series (old M reg). We took possession of the ride at Dunfermline in late October. It was quite heavy to erect and took a while. All the pieces had to be lifted into the lorry on a gib arm with chain block. So we decided to trailer mount it that winter. This would mean that much of the ride would be fold up.
We went to an engineer that my father had used to fabricate our fold up arcade a few years before.We would help out so as to keep labour costs down. They made a chassis first then we fitted the centre (drive) into it. Next a new floor frame was made for us to fit the existing aluminium floor to. The steel frame was from 50 x 50 x 3 box section. The floor was in 24 wedge sections divided by concentric rings. EVERY cut (hundreds) was made by hand using a hacksaw!!! How stupid were we? The cuts were so off square that it took the welder longer to fill the gaps than weld the joins! After the frame was made the hydraulics were fitted to raise it for travelling. Next we fitted the old aluminium sheets. To do this we removed all the aluminium spars and riveted the sheets to the frame. All the ally spars (50mm C section) were scrapped. The steel track was welded into position and the handrails fitted. A new control box was fitted to the rear of the trailer on runners so that it could slide in for travelling. The cars all packed on the arms in the centre of the truck. The floors folded up, wheels under and it just looked like a 40ft trailer. It knocked at least 3 hours off a build up or pull down. Job done in about three months. The ride was mechanically sound but the old tin clad cars were too heavy and old fashioned looking. So in 1995 we made new car frames (we bought a chop saw) , finished them with moulded metal flake fibreglass skins and seats (were getting cleverer too) and new handrail inserts . The ride looked a lot better, but nowhere near the look of a Sizzler Twist. So in 1997 it was back to the drawing board. We decided to do away with the waltzer center and track drive. Basically we done away with the top of the ride. We put in a slew ring centre with hydraulic drive, pole with neon lighting, new top and bottom arms, new stainless steel lighting panels for the top arms. It was a total re build. Most of the fabrication was from profile cut steel plates. I picked it up in a small lorry. When I got to the yard I said to my dad-"look a twist ride in flat pack!" All the welder had to do was join it together. It took a couple of months to do the conversion and the ride worked really well, more importantly it looked even better! Before we started out the river came up behind the yard and flooded where the twist was erected. The water got into the old 110v drive motor (now attached to a hydraulic pump) and not long after it burnt out. So by about the second fair that year we had changed to 3ph 415v. The ride worked fine for the next few years. Not finished there, it was still a 40ft draw bar trailer, so in 2002 we made it into a swan neck articulated trailer with new larger GRP panelled control box fitted, extra lighting, a sign and another new hydraulic drive with reverse motion. The ride looked even better, but not finished there in 2005 it was sold to an Irish showman shortly after my brother took possession of his brand new Twister ride. It is the bees knees. Is there a lesson here?? Maybe so, nearly twenty years of work, three rebuilds and conversions then finally replaced by a new Twister- basically the ride we wanted in the first place, perhaps it would have been cheaper to buy the new one in the first place?

The photos show the new twist and our old twist version 3.

P.S. blew a pipe off the miami ride today, I must be getting used to breaking down now as I nearly forgot to post it. That is worrying! Had a spare though so "r" had it up and running again in 30 mins. Only lost 20 lt of oil has he spotted the problem as the ride was ending its cycle but it will still take a bit of cleaning up (sigh)

a fairground life (post fair stress)

KJ asked about Kirkcaldy.
My grand parents were tenants at Kirkcaldy, they passed the plots onto my father who passed them down to my brother and I. The fair which started like most fairs as a market is over 700 years old now. In Fife it is known as the "Links Market" at one time it was Europe's longest street fair, it may still be, but at 7/10th of a mile it is shorter by at least 1/2 a mile from the early 70s. The fair is set along the sea front on a piece of dual carriageway. At one end is a car/ truck park area called the "Basin", the length of the fair is also described as being "land side" or "sea side" . Most large rides are on the sea side while most stalls are on the land side.The Basin is also on the "sea side". When I was a child my father and mother had an amusement arcade and kiosk (burger stall) in the basin. I was not allowed out of this area and until I was about 11 years old I never knew that the street part of the fair existed! In 1979 my father purchased the upright paratrooper from J White. With it came the position at Kirkcaldy for the ride. It was as far away from the basin as you could get. Every day I had to walk from one end to the other to mind the ride, sometimes several times to deliver a message (this was long before mobiles).The ground had suffered curtailment again that year(1979) and the Paratrooper was the last ride on the sea side at the town end of the fair- 7/10th of a mile away from the arcade. The plot was unusual because there was a row of side stalls across the entire front of the ride. The only frontage we had was 3ft at one end, then was the continuation of the road and pavement. The position was what we would call "running ground", not very good for earning money and only when the centre of the fair was jam packed with people (about 8-9pm nightly) would we start to take money at the end of the fair. The position was further awkward for us as it was a 50ft square of grass on a street and raised up 12-14 inches above the pavement.This meant we had to use railway sleepers to get the lorry up on the plot (and if it was wet we were the only people to get stuck in mud on a street fair!). I can remember our first build up there. I would be 12 and my brother 10, our dad took us up to help him do the top of the ride. It was bitterly cold and the wind was howling past. We were only kids and warmed our hands on the lighting set (generator) radiator between lifting items. My great uncle "Ratio" and "b" took the ride on after that and I would not do it again until I was 14 yrs old. I did it from then on.
Next to the plot was a toilet building. There were several along the sea front but now I think there is only the basin end set of toilets left. They were Victorian style sand stone buildings. At night my uncle would get "b" to plug a wire into the toilets lights for power for his wagon. Early in the morning "b" would get up and take it off before anyone would see. This worked well for a few nights until "b" went out on the tiles and slept late, the toilet attendant spotted the wire that morning and the game was up.
The ride plot was the most awkward build up we ever had for this or any ride since. The lorry went up on sleepers to get onto the plot, but to get the pole up we had to drive the lorry off the other side again. To keep it level we used the heavy kerb stones (12" w x 8" h x 30"l) that edged the grass. We man handled them into two straight lines about 12ft long and drove the front axles of the lorry onto them. This meant the lorry could only go forward or back no more than 12ft and it was tight up to the toilet building. When the pole was up we would normally move the lorry around to the front to build up, but here we had to spin the pole around to face the lorry as it was jammed in. We turned the pole by connecting a hand turfer winch to any solid object we could find. Here we used a short pole that was cemented into the ground at the edge of the plot (until one year we pulled it out altogether whilst using it). It was slow and hard work to turn the pole, it also walked off the packing and therefor out of position. We made numerous contraptions to make it easier for this one build up and pull down. The thing was that when we turned the ride 180 degrees to erect it we then had to turn it back 140 degrees to face the front. This added about 1-2 hours onto the job and that was only if all went well. After all the turning we usually had to reposition the ride onto the centre mark. Since we had lost our anchor we had to hammer in an 8ft scaffolding tube into the ground only leaving about 2 inches above the soil. We attached the hand turfer to this and using some carefully positioned rollers under the centre of the pole, turfed the ride back onto its spot (about 18 inches). Then of course we could not get the scaffolding tube out again so we just knocked it in the last two inches and covered over the top with some turf. The ride was fully erected during all this and wobbling side to side, back to front as all packing was loose so we could move it. I did this for my first time when I was 14 years old and "b" who was about 30 at the time. The fair also had other problems- it was very large and tight so caravan space was precious, if you did not arrive on time you may not get onto your space or get any space at all. I was only 19 when I started driving the lorry to Kirkcaldy and I had the belly ache every year since worrying if I would be on time to get my wagon onto its position. Then in 1994 I lost the ride position,the fair shrunk by another plot as the council re-modiffied the layout of the prom.They removed the grass area, made it more car parking and built a six foot high wall right across it. The ONLY thing that annoyed me about this is that no one ever notified me, I only found out three days before the fair when another showman had spotted it whilst driving through Kirkcaldy.I would have arrived there on site with my lorry and wagon for nothing.
I HATED THIS FAIR, I HATED THE WORRY FOR A WEEK BEFORE IT, I HATED THE EXTRA WORK FOR SETTING UP THE RIDE, I HATED THE FACT THAT I HAD A RUBBISH POSITION. I STILL get the belly ache today when I drive to Kirkcaldy even though I no longer operate any equipment there. We still have the basin plots but they are occupied by other showmen for us. I was too young and the stress too great. IF I NEVER ATTEND KIRKCALDY FAIR AGAIN, IT WOULD BE TOO SOON. BUT YOU SHOULD, Its a sight worth seeing!!! Many new rides debut here from all over the country.
The photo is the paratrooper on the plot at Kirkcaldy in the late 80s. It was taken from the edge of the ride plot through the 3ft gap I mentioned. The stalls across the front are just out of shot. The wagon at the back in not mine. There are numerous wagons to the left of the paratrooper just out of shot again. They were all jammed in about 18 inches apart. A fire hazard, this is why the fire chief had most wagons removed from the fair in the late 90s.
"b" and I were filmed in the early 80's erecting the paratrooper there and it appeared briefly in a video produced afterwards.

check this link out-http://video.aol.com/video-detail/links-market-kirkcaldy/2264231131

a fairground life

Some one mentioned Wishaw fair. I was never a tenant there, but my wife and my mother both were (about 30 years apart I would guess). I only ever set foot on the ground (fairground) twice. Once when I was about 14 or 15 years old, I can't remember where I was open at myself but one night after closing we went a run in an older friends car. It was late when we arrived and the ground was closed. I remember we climbed over a fence/wall at the back of the loads and this led into the club that the showmen drank in. The fair must have been in decline then as I can remember thinking that there were many gaps between the equipment. This would be in the very early 80s. The next time would be a year or so later. We were open at a fair in Carluke for the Galaday. It was a hot dry summer (as most seemed to be way back then) and one afternoon all the boys from the ground went to swim in a large pool in a nearby field. We were all fit young men between 14-17 years of age. Just aswell because the pool was bottomless with no solid banking. We walked through the waist high reeds until we gradually submerged in the water. HIGHLY DANGEROUS when I think back now, if anyone had got into difficulty it would have been near impossible to help them. The water was dark and there could have been any number of hazards just below the surface. Anyhow thinking better of it we decided to leave and get a bus to Wishaw baths. The baths were near where the ground was and we walked across this area en route for a swim (second time set foot, but not at time of the fair being present). Twenty odd years later both the fair and the baths are gone. (I may have some details in the next part wrong as I only heard it , not witnessed it, so if anyone knows better please tell)--A few (plus) years ago another showman goes to open a fair in Wishaw. He drives his first ride onto the site. The ride (an artic of around 50 tonnes) starts to sink into the ground. They try to drive it away,but it sinks so far into the soil that they have to climb out the cab windows!! They try tractors and lorries to tow it out but cannot move it, they try a crane to lift it out, but the vacuum is too great. Eventually a bulldozer comes and digs out the soil all the way around the ride, then digs a sloped trench behind the ride that they pull the ride out by on the end of a winch. The whole exercise costing thousands and taking days. The site he drove into ----yip, the old swimming pool that had not been filled or compacted very well.