7 replies to this topic

[29yrswithaGApass]

The antique Carousel dates back to the late 1800's when the ride was steam driven. The ride's rounding boards even proclaimed it as the "Stud of Steam". When the ride was constructed at Great Adventure, a pipe-like chimney extended from the top of the ride out through the top of the wooden roof canopy and up through the center of the large onion dome shaped adornment on the rooftop. This "chimney" was removed some time during the early 1980's.

Does anyone have confirmation that the Carousel was actually steam driven while at Great Adventure and if so, during what years?

Notice the pipe extending up from the center of the ride up through the roof:


Here is a shot of the pipe after it was cut off:

[RobertDavid]

I'm pretty sure it was steam driven when the park opened. Didn't steam also power the colliape before they removed it and sold it?

[29yrswithaGApass]

I believe so, and I think the steam was discontinued when the calliope was removed. I would love to see a photo of the Carousel building with steam coming out of the roof on a cool fall morning!

[GAcoaster]

I can only remember the steam engine being run with compressed air up until the safety sweep. It's one of those things where it MUST have been run on steam at least for a short time when it was installed, or they had planned to run it on steam but used compressed air instead. There's no reason to have gone to the expense of having the chimney run up through the done unless it was needed.

I just have to wonder if it was run on steam, what was it fired with and from where? Was there a propane tank or an oil tank? I know the original restaurants all have propane tanks, and the trains were propane fired, so I would have to guess the Carousel was as well. That would have burned cleanly with minimal smoke and fumes. I just imagine it was a liability to have a boiler sitting so close to riders.

[The Master]

In the second picture, it looks like there is exhaust soot in the old pipe flange in the rafter hub.

[Daved Thomson]

I believe so, and I think the steam was discontinued when the calliope was removed. I would love to see a photo of the Carousel building with steam coming out of the roof on a cool fall morning!

I came across the following in the "Out of Chaos (and $45 Million...)" article that appeared in the New York Times following GA's opening in 1974. Given what was written by the reporter, it does sound as if it was operated by steam at least for a short period of time. In fact, apparently, LeRoy brought someone over from England specifically to operate it. Here's the line from the Times article...

"We came to the 1903 English Carousel, his particular pride, steam generated and with carved wooden horses, but it was not working. A girl attendant standing in front of it said: "This morning the engine was running and I smelled something burning and I turned it right off."

LeRoy shook his head: "We brought a guy from England to operate this thing and he broke his leg riding a motorcycle.""

[29yrswithaGApass]

You can see this Carousel's engine operating with steam near the engine and out the chimney at the top. I can't imagine our steam engine spewing steam with the operator's station right next to it within the center of the ride!

[Doug]

The pipe you're referring to is the top of interior tent or canopy (the carousel is held together like a tent) and does not extend through the roof of the shrine what had a bulb on it. The steam engine during my tenure was air compressor driven as belts and retrofit, no steam no calliope (pipe organ) - through 1982.

Furthermore, there was an 8-track tape player inside the center closet behind mirrors featuring the music overhead on speakers.