What it is
The drive is the structure and machinery that carry the load and move it. It has a fixed center and a turning ring around it. Every horse, every rider and the whole platform hang from or rest on that ring.
A typical classic machine turns a few times a minute. That sounds slow. On the outer row, far from the center, it feels quick. Distance from the center sets the speed you feel.
What it is made of
- Center pole
- The vertical mast at the middle. Also called the king pole. Wood on early machines, later steel.
- Sweeps
- Long radial arms, like the spokes of an umbrella, that spread out from the top of the center.
- Hanging rods
- Rods that drop from the sweeps to carry the platform on many machines.
- Crankshafts
- Overhead shafts with offset bends. As they spin, they push jumper poles up and down.
- Ring gear
- A large toothed ring that turns the top of the machine, driven by a smaller pinion.
- Brass sleeve
- The polished casing on each jumper pole. It is what riders grip.
How the horses rise and fall
Above the canopy, out of sight, run the cranks. Each crankshaft runs out along a sweep. It has a bend for every jumper on that line. As the top of the machine turns, small gears spin the cranks. Each bend lifts and lowers one pole.
The bends are offset. So neighbouring horses are at different heights at the same moment. The result looks like a herd in motion, not a row of pistons.
From muscle to steam to motor
The earliest rides were pushed by hand or turned by a horse or mule walking in a circle under the platform. That limited size and speed.
Steam changed this in the second half of the nineteenth century. Frederick Savage of King's Lynn, in Norfolk, England, built steam engines for fairground rides. His work helped create the British steam galloper, with a small engine at the center of the ride. The engine could also drive the organ.
Electric motors followed as towns were wired. A motor is quiet, clean and easy to start and stop. Most surviving machines today run on electricity, often through a clutch and gearbox that soften the start.
| Source | Where it sat | Effect on the ride |
|---|---|---|
| Hand or animal | Under or beside the platform | Small, slow, few rows |
| Steam engine | At the center | Larger machines, faster, organ driven too |
| Electric motor | At the center or below | Steady speed, smooth starts, easy to operate |
The brass ring arm
Beside some machines stands a fixed arm that feeds rings to riders on the outer row. It is not part of the drive, but it depends on it. The speed must be steady, or riders cannot time their reach. The Flying Horses Carousel in Oak Bluffs and the Watch Hill Flying Horse Carousel in Rhode Island still offer rings.
Watch Hill is also unusual in structure. Its horses hang from chains attached to the sweeps, not from poles on a platform. As the ride speeds up, they swing outward.
Handling notes
The drive is the part that can hurt people. Inspection belongs to trained operators, under local ride safety rules. Grease points, gear teeth and crank bearings wear first. Listen for knocking at the cranks and check the platform for sag at the outer edge.