Moving and Lifting The Carousel

HOW THE CAROUSEL IS POWERED

When the carousel was first built it was steam powered. In 1894 a twenty-five horse powered engine and a forty-seven horse powered boiler were added to Menlo Park for the tobaggan ride.

Today a seven horsepower three-phase 240-volt electric motor powers a series of gear systems (using fluid coupling and a set of v-belts) that move the carousel forward.

The drive turns the carousel at a speed of approximately 5-1/2 revolutions per minute which results in the outer horses moving at about 7-1/2 miles per hour.

HOW THE BRAKE WORKS

  This is the brake handle. It is used to stop the carousel after people on the ride are on for about 3-5 minutes. What happens when the brake handle is pushed down is the fabric around the steel drum tightens and allows the carousel to gradually come to a stop. It allows those who are waiting for the ride to stop so they can get off and for those who are waiting for their turn to get on.

SUSPENSION SYSTEM

The entire carousel is suspended on a series of steel truss rods from a large center post. The carousel weighs between 6,000 and 8,000 pounds(depending on how many people are on the carousel). The carousel measures 40 feet in diameter at the outer rim.

Carousel truss rods (gray) hold up the red wood beam structure ( a series of 14 wooden sweep arms) that radiate from the center of the carousel.

During the fall of 1999 two drive gears broke and caused one of the wooden sweep arms to crack. Universal Millwright workers had to take apart the carousel in order to take the arms out and replace them and the gears with new ones. The new arms were made locally at Drapers DBS (4" square x 18' long fir). The carousel was fully operational for spring of 2000.

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