Recent newsletter. Name of ride in photo #1

[Jim Douglas Jr.]

The ride in question in the newsletter is most certainly a Trabant (also known as the Satellite in similar trim).
Newer versions are mocked up as roulette wheels and other schemes.
There was a similar ride where the cars faced in the opposite direction called Schwabinchen.
The Satellite/Trabant was a better ride. The stomach dropping effect was better.

The one shown here retains the star motif on the sides of the cars, identical to the one in the recent newsletter. It is a Satellite.




This is the nearly identical Trabant version.



Schwabinchen.

[Busheyfields]

Yes the ride in picture 1 is the Satellite.
I moved to Thanet in January 1958 and the ride appeared 2 or 3 years later so I would date it from the early 1960's. It stayed in Dreamland a good many years finally dissappearing I seem to remember when Bemboms took the place over.

[Busheyfields]

Just checked on the Sheffield University site, Satellites were first produced in 1965 and the attached web page reference shows one of the first going to Dreamland.

http://nfa.dept.shef.ac.uk/history/rides/satellite.html

[kevinashe]

butlins at ayr used to have one ,im sure it was relocated to one of its remaining southcoast parks and there was also one touring scotland this year spending a good part of the summer at burntisland.imo this is one of the better older circular rides

[aweber1us]

I think the one from Ayr is now at Butlins Bognor and has been slowed down so much the ride it gives is rubbish. There is one also sitting in bits in what was Butlins Mosney Ireland. There is also a complete Tempest which i think is now the only example of this type of ride left. These two rides have been sitting there for about ten years now. It would be nice to see the Tempest at Dreamland.

[Xtremecoasters]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMInbQx21jg

[Vince, Charlie and Sam]

I'm curious about the name, I have always associated the name "Trabant" with one of these polluting plastic Commie-bloc monstosities...



I presume the name is co-incidence, and wonder if there is a reason for it?

[Jim Douglas Jr.]

Haven't we discovered Google yet?

Trabant is the German translation for satellite.

[porf]

This site has gone all educational

I can see the relevance of the name to the ride, I'm having a lot more trouble seeing that car as a "Satellite" I guess "Müll kleinen Auto aus Kunststoff" was a bit too long-winded a name.

[Jim Douglas Jr.]

We had the Plymouth Satellite.
It was a little more potent.