Bumper cars or dodgems are the generic names for a type of flat amusement ride consisting of multiple small electrically powered cars which draw power from the floor or ceiling, and which are turned on and off remotely by an operator. They are also known as bumping cars , dodging cars and dashing cars . The first patent for them was filed in 1921.
17-757: South Pier may refer to: South Pier, Blackpool , a pier in Blackpool, England South Pier, Lowestoft , a pier in Lowestoft, Suffolk South Pier, Penzance , a pier in Penzance, Cornwall, England Charlevoix South Pier Light Station , a lighthouse in Charlevoix, Michigan, U.S. Gorleston South Pier Lighthouse , a coastwatch station in Gorleston, England See also [ edit ] Marina South Pier ,
34-491: A pole -mounted contact shoe touches the ceiling, forming a complete circuit . A newer method, the Floor Pick-Up (FPU) system, uses alternating strips of metal across the floor separated by insulating spacers, and no ceiling grid. The strips carry the supply current, and the cars are large enough so that the vehicle covers at least two strips at all times. An array of brushes under each car makes random contact with
51-475: A steering wheel . The cars can be made to go backwards by turning the steering wheel far enough in either direction, necessary in the frequent pile-ups that occur. The cars are commonly powered by one of three methods. The oldest and most common method, the Over Head System (OHS), uses a conductive floor and ceiling with opposing power polarities. Contacts under the vehicle touch the floor while
68-483: A multi-storey climbing spiders web; and "Maxibounce", an acrobatic, safety harnessed trampoline. On 10 April 2011, seventy people were trapped by the tide near the pier . Bumper car The metal floor is usually set up as a rectangular or oval track, and graphite is sprinkled on the floor to decrease friction . A rubber bumper surrounds each vehicle, and drivers either ram or dodge each other as they travel. The controls are usually an accelerator and
85-526: A pier in Marina South, Singapore Marina South Pier MRT station , a proposed massive transit station at Marina South Pier South Parade Pier , in Portsmouth, England Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title South Pier . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to
102-574: A promiscuous, irregular, and undefined path over the floor or other area, to not only produce various sensations during the travel of the vehicle but to collide with other cars as well as with portions of the platform provided for that purpose." During their heyday, from the late 1920s to 1950s, two major US bumper cars brands were Dodgem by the Stoehrer and the Lusse Brothers' Auto-Skooter by Joseph and Robert 'Ray' Lusse. Lusse Brothers built
119-413: Is that these ships' bumper cars take several hours to recharge. Although the idea of the ride is to bump other cars, safety-conscious (or at least litigation -conscious) owners sometimes put up signs reading "This way around" and "No (head on) bumping". Depending on the level of enforcement by operators, these rules are often ignored by bumper car riders, especially younger children and teenagers. In
136-527: The South Shore , the pier contains a number of amusement and adrenaline rides. It opens each year from March to November and is owned by The Sedgwick family. The Blackpool South Shore Pier & Pavilion Co. Ltd. was registered in November 1890 and work began to build the pier in 1892. It was constructed, at a total cost of £50,000, using a different method than that used for North and Central piers,
153-609: The Crazy Mouse roller coaster in 1998. The pier now contains numerous rides including dodgems , Crazy Mouse and a Waltzer , the Laughing Donkey Family Bar, which has live entertainment, a Kiddies Ride Arena, as well as the Adrenaline Zone which houses: "Skycoaster", a freefalling swing at a height of 38 m (124 ft 8 in); "Skyscreamer", a Reverse Bungee ride; "Spider Mountain",
170-575: The Worthington Screwpile System, by the company owned by Alderman James Heyes, a twice major of Blackpool. It opened, with a choir, two brass bands and an orchestra on Good Friday 1893. The 3,000 capacity Grand Pavilion opened on 20 May. At 163 yards (149 m) long, it was the shortest of the three piers, and had 36 shops, a bandstand, an ice-cream vendor and a photograph stall. It was built shorter and wider than North and Central piers to accommodate pavilions. Victoria Pier
187-434: The early 1920s, a patent was granted to Max Stoehrer and his son Harold for an "Amusement Apparatus" which became the basis for their Dodgem cars. They deliberately equipped their device with "novel instrumentalities to render their manipulation and control difficult and uncertain by the occupant-operator.” They asserted that “in the hands of an unskilled operator," a "plurality of independently manipulated... cars" would “follow
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#1732771832342204-694: The entrance was widened, and the Regal Pavilion constructed. Two fires in six years changed the pier dramatically. First in 1958, a fire damaged the Grand Pavilion, followed by a further fire in 1964 which completely destroyed it. It was replaced with a theatre. In 1963 the Regal Theatre, at the entrance, was converted into the Beachcomber Amusement Arcade. The pier head theatre was demolished and replaced by
221-421: The first fiberglass body in 1959, in part due to the survival of Chevrolet Corvette bodies over the previous six years. After getting permission from Chevrolet, then subsequently buying the actual Corvette chevrons from local Philadelphia dealers, those were attached to the nose of their product for 1959. In the mid-1960s, Disneyland introduced hovercraft -based bumper cars called Flying Saucers , which worked on
238-530: The intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=South_Pier&oldid=1037462843 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages South Pier, Blackpool South Pier (originally known as Victoria Pier ) is one of three piers in Blackpool , England. Located on South Promenade on
255-608: The same principle as an air hockey game; however, the ride was a mechanical failure and closed after a few years. The largest operating bumper car floor currently operating in the United States is at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee , Illinois . Called the Rue Le Dodge (renamed Rue Le Morgue during Fright Fest in the fall), it is 51 feet 9 inches (15.77 m) by 124 feet 9 inches (38.02 m) or
272-505: The strips, and the voltage polarity on each contact is arranged to always provide a correct and complete circuit to operate the vehicle. A third method is used on Quantum -class cruise ships , where bumper cars run on electric batteries . This avoids the conductive floor/ceiling of the traditional bumper car setup, allowing the SeaPlex venue to be convertible from a bumper-car ride to a multipurpose gym (basketball court). The disadvantage
289-475: Was considered to be more "upmarket" than North and Central piers, and at first provided little entertainment. Holidaymakers started visiting the South Shore in 1896 when a carousel was installed on the sand dunes . In 1902 the south entrance of the promenade was widened with the construction of the present promenade, and the pier entrance had to be moved back. In 1930 the pier was renamed South Pier. In 1938
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