Right lol I didn't ride it cause scared the shit out of me not cause of the ride it's self but just find my Comment that was enough to inspire fear for my life
Haha looking at the thumbnail and reading the title I had expected worse problems than it just getting stuck a couple of times. Thought it had crashed.
Man, Timber Tower was weird. Every time we were at Dollywood when it was around, we'd rush up to Timber Canyon to rope drop it because we knew it would go down part way through the day, if even operating in general. If you saw the sign say it was operational, you would bolt to Timber Tower. Nowadays that bolt and rope drop award goes to Lightning Rod for taking the least reliable ride crown.
You are speaking truths! Timber Tower was always such a weird ride and I hardly saw it operating when there. Lightning Rod really bums me out. Such a good coaster, but you have to hit it up as soon as you go in the park if it's open or there are no ride guarantees. I wonder if that will ever change. 🎢
@@ConfusedLux the steel conversion helped, but unfortunately it went into maintenance mode for most of Luminights. It reopened Saturday for Smoky Mountain Christmas, but the remainder of the season is uncertain for its operation.
@@ConfusedLux I'll find out in a few weeks when I most likely visit. If it's 2 trains, which it seems to be by recent wait times, they probably fixed the issue. If it's a single train, whoo boy. At that point it exceeds its worth on wait times.
They were not very exciting to ride, kind of forceless. You basically just fall slowly over the side. Not really exciting, especially being pinned with an OTSR.
I've ridden the Belgian version last year. It was definitely more fun to look at than to actually ride the attraction, but that doesn't mean it was bad or anything; I enjoyed it fine enough, just nothing special. The ride also lasted wayyy too long, becoming very repetitive after toppling just 3 or 4 times. You got some cool views of the nearby attractions though
People always used to crap on Dollywood's installation of this ride. I found it to be an excellent addition for families and offered an incredibly unique, themed experience. That being said, nothing beats a good ole drop tower like the one currently sitting in its former location.
Agree about drop towers. I feel I’m getting cheated by those smaller ones that go up and down over and over. Once you ride one like Kings Island (the tallest in the world), where it takes you 315 feet into the air and drops you like a sack of potatoes, you feel like the smaller ones are ripping you off. The Kings Island Drop Tower is the most exhilarating amusement ride ever manufactured.
Your "yeeesh" when mentioning Marineland made me laugh. One place I worked at had the radio on during shift in the back. At the time the Marineland commercials were still in circulation (even though it was after one of their many public relation hits in the 2010s) and my boss would always yell "NO WE DON'T " whenever the everyone loves Marineland hook would come on. I cannot picture a more loathed amusement park in Canada, I have no idea how they stay in business
Dude, you managed to somehow create an incredibly engaging video about HUSS of all things. You also somehow were able to get 100,000 views in less than a week on this niche topic. You are incredibly good at what you do. This is absolutely outstanding content.
You’ve gotta love Huss and their crazy rides. A friend of a friend has one of these but I’ve never head that he’s actually located it anywhere. Thanks for this video Sam, seeing Dollywood put a smile on my face, love that place.
The one with the eagle theme was the one that opened in my local theme park of Djurs Sommerland in Denmark. I remember it very fondly as a child, since I've always enjoyed it and it was one of the first rides you could see from the parking lot, towering over the trees. It became one of the park's signature rides, but when thinking about it, I do recall it being closed quite often due to maintainance. And since last time I was there, it has been replaced with a pendulum swing ride instead.
I remember it too! It was never open, last time I rode it it was raining like crazy and I was the only one outside. It's a good ride, but without the water jets it's not nearly as exciting.
@@R1valz It is the most intense ride at the park imo. So it's a welcoming change, but atm the park is a little underwhelming for my taste. Can't wait for Fårup to open the first megacoaster in Denmark next year. Really putting their name on the map. I'd wish Djurs did something like that.
Thanks for this interesting video! I rode "El volador" this summer, and it was one of the weirdest flat ride experiences I ever had: it moves very slowly and when tipped over, you awkwardly hang in your restraint... It nevertheless looks quite impressive :)
I remember going to Marineland in Niagara Falls having my heart set on riding the topple tower. However it was shut down and i never got to ride it! I still hope to be able to ride one of these models someday!
I have very clear memories of this MESS as a kid 😂 it was never opened, I remember people getting stuck on it, I road it ONCE and it broke the same day after acting odd while we were on the ride and then it sat for awhile because it was broken so often because it wasn’t even worth opening it back up. We were NOT shocked when they took it out. The seating area they replaced it with was nice, but I’m glad the drop line eventually took its place. That thing is GORGEOUS with the festivals whose main points are lights (we went on honeymoon there during the pumpkin luminights in September) Now the lightning rod is looking like it’s going the same direction :/ they closed in august, opened back up for a few days in late September and had a freaking “crash” then closed again. And it’s still closed. And from what I’ve heard it’s been doing this since it opened. Not a good sign.
Lightning Rod was unreliable when it first opened because it is a prototype roller coaster - it’s the first and only wooden coaster on Earth to feature a launch. Its manufacturer has since replaced around 50% of its wooden track with steel track, and its been more reliable.
Idk why i can’t get enough of this type of content when i have been on 1 real ride in my whole life and hate coasters and rides lol. You and others like you just make such amazing videos honestly
You know it‘s interesting that when foreigners mention Huss Rides, they‘re mostly talking about Top Spins or Enterprises. Yet the most well-known flatride for us Germans is actually the Break-Dance (and maybe its inverted sister „Magic“). Would be surely interesting to know why these rides never really caught on in other countries, or should I say the US? There are quite a lot here in Germany!
The Huss Magic seems like a fun ride, If I ever make it to Marineland I'll be sure to ride it (even though I only live an hour away and I've never been there before lol)
Break Dances are popular here, too, particularly in mobile applications. I like scrambler-type rides, so I like the Break Dance, but my favorite Huss is the Troika.
When I first started watching this video, I thought an accident was happening with riders about to get seriously hurt! then i realized thats the gimmick of this ride. I give a special shoutout to 2 of my fave dearly departed flat rides- Huss Rainbow at Myrtle Beach Pavilion, SC (it was beautiful and faced the ocean so a great view!), and Alien Encounter at WDW.
I think you make a great point when you mention how marketable the attraction was. It's not all about pure sensations or "fun"- it's really how good/impressive it looks from an outside point of view - You could compare it to the Slammer as a concept that just really doesn't sound much fun when you ride it but looks super impressive on a TV ad
Love it! Flat rides are truly underappreciated.... they are the most creative, complicated, most intricately engineered inventions in any park or fair 💜 And it really annoys me when they constantly fall victim to the big US theme park's unrealistic expectations & overzealous marketing departments. There's a reason you can't just fill a park with coasters & expect it to succeed.... because flat rides provide fun for _everyone._ This looks like awesome fun! And while I can appreciate how much of a maintenance headache it would be, at least it has a robust safety system.... better an oversensitive safety switch than a faulty brake or snapped support!
I just thought about how living in (or near) Antwerp is actually pretty great. We have many themeparks within reach with some really unique rides: - Bobbejaanland: Revolution (coaster with longest train -> 56m) and Dreamcatcher (swinging suspended coaster) (
I'm from ghent and what's really awesome is that most of the above parks are also very accessable via public transport in less then 3 hours. No need for a driver if you don't have a car :)
I'm with Dolly. I wouldn't ride it either. Goodness, I get sick looking at it then thinking of me spinning on it. Great info in the video. I appreciate the history and actually had no idea a ride like that existed.
Lol I literally just went to Bellewaerde a week and a half ago 😂 The El volador did not have any issues that day and I loved it, just like I always do when I go 😊
I immediately identified the one at Marineland being the one in the thumbnail (Dragon Mountain behind it was a dead giveaway) but I figured it was another case of an attraction being relocated. Guess this is a rare case where the attraction that's the focus of the video isn't the one pictured. I actually got to ride the one at Marineland before it closed and while I enjoyed it, I can certainly see why most parks that have them have deemed the problems not worth it and the ride is certainly more visually interesting then it is a unique riding experience.
"Timber Tower" - that sounds like a concept Dolly herself would suggest... Although some of those rides @ D-Wood, especially the semi terraformed roller coasters, might not have been something she designed per se, that Tennessee Highland Lady certainly _HAD_ a say in exactly _WHERE_ they would go! You DON'T second guess Dolly Parton!
Six Flags St. Louis has a similar ride called Excalibur, although instead of being in seats with harnesses, you are in 4 man little enclosure things. It may not be the most thrilling but I actually find it to be relaxing. Like I told my friend, "It's like being rocked to sleep like a baby"... I got a look back from her like I was crazy 😂
I remember timber tower at Dollywood! I was there on opening day of it. We were so excited to try out this new ride… And we were severely disappointed. It was slow, not exciting, and we got off feeling bored. And as your video said, it never worked. Ever. Glad it’s gone! Lol
I worked at Dollywood the last year timber tower ran. My dad was one of the main operators. a full gondola went up with me and guests and got stuck at about 45° when safetys tripped and stopped the ride for poping some welds. Mant tried to fix and sent me and my dad up as ballast for a test run. Tower pulled us up to the top went over about 5° and stopped again. Because we were both employees at the time they left us up there while they diagnosed the issue. We just sat there and waved at everyone below. at no time was we scared or worried. We eventually came down by dropping the gondola and letting the ride self right with the big counterweight.
Great video! I rode the Marineland one a decade ago and my memory of it was fuzzy. I figured I'd never get to ride one again, but I was surprised to find the one at Bellewaerde this past summer. The ride opened late due to technical issues, but I'm glad I rerode it. It's more fun to watch, but it's such a unique feeling onride.
one of my memories involves a trip to marineland as a kid. their topple tower was by some miracle actually working that day yet barely anyone was riding it. (at the time marineland was still super popular, not the ghost town it was the past few years) i just kept riding it over and over and over, i loved the ride.
I did not know there were Six Flags parks outside of the US. Very interesting Also I would love to hear more about that amusement park in Canada that was mentioned
I love the attraction, rode it already multiple times in Bellewaerde (Belgium). And yes it was multiple times stuck, but often not for too long. Btw it's also visually very beautifully.
We visited Bellewaerde recently - it was broken - again....gives us a reason to go back! Also the one that used to be at Djurs Sommerland has been removed...
Thank you for covering this subject. I've always found the topple tower to be oddly fascinating, but it was obscure enough to not really have been touched on and researched in great detail. I learned a lot that I previously didn't know and found this video to be insightful, well researched and entertaining. Thank you!
We also had one here in Denmark at Djurs Sommerland. it ran for about 12 years. build in 2006 and dismantled in 2018 :) it had the same problems, guests got stuck alot on it XD But it was run to watch! And it had a very interesting control system!
There used to be one of those in Djurs Sommerland in Denmark and I only rode it once. It’s actually the one on the right at 15:29. Those kinds of rides are just uncomfortable. Roller coasters are much more fun
Had to deal with similar problems at Skara Sommarland, a Swedish theme park where i worked. It was a new ride called Snake. It was down for maintanance more than it was operating for the first half of the season. It was really frustrating. It was made by Funtime, and it had been like this for two years prior. Constantly having faults and leaving guests in the middle of the air for several minutes. And the manifacturers from Funtime they JUST came like a month ago and finally fixed it. A group of people from Iceland flew all the way to Sweden just to try Snake and it stopped working just when they were first in line. It was tragic lol.
Another fascinating ride that didn’t have too many traveling models manufactured (33 total I think) was the mighty Chance Turbo. Now that’s a ride that triumphs over many other thrill rides when it comes to intensity. As a kid growing up in the ‘70s, I recall this ride operated at our local fair in 1975 and in 1976. It came alive at night with the lights and the swooping motions. Truly a sight to behold as a wide-eyed kid. It didn’t last long on the traveling carnival circuit due to inflation gas prices, it required three trucks to haul all of the parts, and setting up was a major task that required several strong guys who knew how to balance the heavy frame and structure. I think there’s one left operating in China. I had heard someone in Northern California had purchased parts to install one to operate it but I’m not sure if that’s correct or not. I had also heard of one operating in Australia. It’s definitely a rare breed. In 1984 our local fair offered a Chance Radar which was basically a Turbo but with Ferris wheel-like seats instead of the pods. I rode it at night. I was the only rider on my side and there was only one rider on the other side. The seats were open and riders legs would dangle over them. I also recall the sound of many unbuckled loose seatbelts clinking freely as it rotated. I was really glad I was able to ride that as it was magical and my way of making a connection with the Turbo.
If you're still taking Expedition Dollywood suggestions, might I suggest the Mountain Slidewinder? It was a log flume ride that had a cool conveyor belt for bringing the logs back up to the loading area
As a kid I rode every ride they had at Astroworld except The Swap Buggy. It looked like a huge dead tree trunk where the car would ascend straight up and then ride the tracks around the trunk to the bottom. It also was often closed for repair and removed before I got the chance to ride it.
I remember seeing this @ an IAAPA Expo. Thought it looked great. Flat rides are popular, but "will" in time have metal fatigue cracks & hydraulic/ pneumatic, motor or control issues. With that much weight twirling & moving, it's NO wonder that it would be "down" a lot.
Omg I went once into that flat ride..(3:45). NEVER again........ so many occasions I ALMOST fell off........ I couldn't have proper grip. You were not even secured. I had sore muscles for a week after and I cried for the first time. This is from someone who went into the craziest rides since age 10 (even if it went overhead and whatnot) I did not care. I wasn't even phased when I forced my father to ride this very dangerous "Tango" attraction which--I was glad I did at age 11 or if I didn't I'd be the victim to fall off the ride. (The ride's concept today has changed into more boring and stomach turning nonsense that no longer is fun) they deleted that whole attraction after many incidents and one day a kid around 12-13 fell off the ride so they removed it fully. Personally I have always been small and short so for 11 year old, I was height of 7-8 year old and the ride was never age-restricted or weight or anything. (My dad's hand reflected and caught me from falling through the braces during overhead spins)....But at least I secured my grip and I was fine....... this however......... I was rattling all over. (I was 15) but back then I didn't know I had MSI.........so that was why my other friend who was smaller had no issue and I didn't know of my disease until 20 years later. It was there already where my grips would lose because my hands stopped working, and I thought it was my fault. I hated it so much
There was a topple tower at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Canada. I went there in 2017 for the first time in what felt like forever, as we were having a family vacation for a week or two at a nice house. I remember seeing a commercial of the topple tower on TH-cam and I was like, "I wanna go on that." We got to the park and rode some rides and went over to where topple tower was, mainly to ride Dragon Mountain. Topple Tower wasn't running for some reason. I went over to it and it turned out it was permanently closed in 2011 because of a structural crack. It hasn't operated since. It opened in 2007.
I IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED THE THUMBNAIL!! I always passed that ride when I would go to Marineland with my dad. Way back when I was younger, and I never saw it running ONCE out of all of the times I had gone there.
If anyone's wondering why Huss went under, they were in about $50 million in debt. Most of that was a mixture of back-taxes and yet-to-be-delivered flat-rides (which count as debt on the financial sheets until they are delivered) but the cost of building and reworking the topple towers finally pushed them over the edge. Why didn't they file for Chapter 11? Because we don't have Chapter 11 or an equivalent in Europe. You're either in business or you're not, simple as that. It's why you sometimes hear about airlines like WOW or Thomas Cook shutting down in what seems like milliseconds whereas, if say American Airlines went bankrupt tomorrow, they'd operate at a reduced capacity whilst trying to restructure thier debts.
i was born in bavaria germany and lived there. So i grow up with Huss rides. Since today you can find them here everywhere and they are fun and still very good and got high quality here. but i never saw a ride like the timber tower here :D
Another quality video Sam👍 I'm not a fan of flat rides but this does look a unique ride type. Any chance of a video on history of the the wooden classic coasters at Blackpool some time? Seen you on a few of Jackies vlogs recently, lovely to see you enjoying the parks and nice weather you lucky so and so"s😂😂👍👌
I was there when it got stuck at the top. We were going through the park going on rides and would occasionally look to see if they were still stuck. I'm pretty sure I even rode it once. It's a shame it's gone I always enjoyed looking at it when I went through the park.
Dollywood is my home park, and this thing was famously problematic when it was around! During that time I was young and going with family so I actually never got to ride it, or even see it operate. But everyone knew it was the broken ride, and I heard lots of horror stories. I love the video, even if it's not a happy ending story I still love seeing Dollywood get some attention for something other than Lightning Rod!
I got partway through the beginning and had to remind myself that this isn't Fascinating Horror, and you weren't going to tell us a bunch of people died.
I was there for media day at Dollywood when it opened. It was a pretty underwhelming ride, no real forces, you just fall slowly over and hang awkwardly by the OTSR. Most of the other people who attended media day pretty much bit their lip at lack of excitement. Within an hour almost all the media people had left to do something else. In my visits back to Dollywod over the next few years it was always closed.
Star parks bought two topple towers at once, the second, just after Bellewaerde, came in Walibi Lorraine (now Walygator parc) in Metz, France. Tang'or. After a few years it was removed due to too many technical problems. I was able to ride it, and got stuck on the Bellewaerde version before.
Used to go to Dollywood every weekend with family, i maybe got to ride this like 3 times and every other time it was closed for maintenance :/ was very fun though!
I rode the one at dollywood and loved it. And after it was removed I asked my step mom why. I was always afraid to ride rides and this was one I liked so I was sad when it was removed. But happy to know why now years later.
I rode the one at Bellewaerde a couple times as a kid, and because it kinda looks like an upside down frisbee ride, it helped 10yr old me build up courage to finally ride a frisbee.
You mentioned Dollywood, but I know it from Bellewaerde, haha. Fun fact: Van Orsouw headquarters lies +- between Efteling and Toverland, but a bit to the north, so a bit towards Walibi whatever it's called nowadays. Not my park. HUSS office meanwhile, is in Breman, that's about 300 km from Bellewaerde. So I guess that helps. Also a bit odd to hear so much Dutch in the video, my native language.
I'm glad that I got a chance to ride this thing. It was very fun. The water fountain feature made this ride very unpredictable and fun. I got wet on it and I was giggling like a schoolgirl. Too bad it was extremely unreliable
Topple tower at marine land was only running the first time I went. the next time It was shut down and has been shut down ever since. Always wondered why they closed it and left it abandoned
I was at the park working ( Dollywood my home park ) when timber tower went downhill that day.. I’ll never forget the rumours spreading the park in the coming weeks.
Also info for fun. Dolly has never owned the park or anything similar. They have always used her name, they being the herschend family. They just use her name and connection with the area. I believe last I heard she owned 2.?% of the park.
One ride I'd love to see here (but probably won't due to lack of videos) is the old 'Sidewheeler' ride at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson NJ, USA. Whole thing looked like the inner workings of a huge watch, and capacity was *insane*. Kinda like a scrambler inside another scrambler, inside yet another scrambler. Will likely never see anything like it again, which I find sad.
My immediate reaction to just the thumbnail was "oh, dear God no"
Ahaha yesss
Same!! 🤣🤣
Right lol I didn't ride it cause scared the shit out of me not cause of the ride it's self but just find my Comment that was enough to inspire fear for my life
Haha looking at the thumbnail and reading the title I had expected worse problems than it just getting stuck a couple of times. Thought it had crashed.
@@ExpeditionThemePark
Loved it!
Ever do Worlds Of Fun
somewhere in Kansas?
I remember my first coaster was there:
The Orient Express!
Man, Timber Tower was weird. Every time we were at Dollywood when it was around, we'd rush up to Timber Canyon to rope drop it because we knew it would go down part way through the day, if even operating in general. If you saw the sign say it was operational, you would bolt to Timber Tower.
Nowadays that bolt and rope drop award goes to Lightning Rod for taking the least reliable ride crown.
Aha right!
You are speaking truths! Timber Tower was always such a weird ride and I hardly saw it operating when there. Lightning Rod really bums me out. Such a good coaster, but you have to hit it up as soon as you go in the park if it's open or there are no ride guarantees. I wonder if that will ever change. 🎢
@@ConfusedLux the steel conversion helped, but unfortunately it went into maintenance mode for most of Luminights. It reopened Saturday for Smoky Mountain Christmas, but the remainder of the season is uncertain for its operation.
@@dcstone Nooo! That is so sad. :( It's such a good ride. Hopefully they figure it out!
@@ConfusedLux I'll find out in a few weeks when I most likely visit. If it's 2 trains, which it seems to be by recent wait times, they probably fixed the issue. If it's a single train, whoo boy. At that point it exceeds its worth on wait times.
Kind of a bummer these things were a maintenance nightmare, they look fun and they're really mesmerizing to watch
So cool to watch
They were not very exciting to ride, kind of forceless. You basically just fall slowly over the side. Not really exciting, especially being pinned with an OTSR.
There's still one in Bellewaerde - Belgium
I've ridden the Belgian version last year. It was definitely more fun to look at than to actually ride the attraction, but that doesn't mean it was bad or anything; I enjoyed it fine enough, just nothing special. The ride also lasted wayyy too long, becoming very repetitive after toppling just 3 or 4 times. You got some cool views of the nearby attractions though
People always used to crap on Dollywood's installation of this ride. I found it to be an excellent addition for families and offered an incredibly unique, themed experience. That being said, nothing beats a good ole drop tower like the one currently sitting in its former location.
Great for the family for sure!
Agree about drop towers. I feel I’m getting cheated by those smaller ones that go up and down over and over. Once you ride one like Kings Island (the tallest in the world), where it takes you 315 feet into the air and drops you like a sack of potatoes, you feel like the smaller ones are ripping you off. The Kings Island Drop Tower is the most exhilarating amusement ride ever manufactured.
I don’t mind any kind of tides, so long as I don’t have to go on it 😂
@@sickstuff7624 but the Kings Island one has an 80m drop while the tallest has a 126m drop
Excellent video topic!
Hi Theme Park Crazy!
Thank you! Maybe see you at IAAPA?
@@ExpeditionThemePark Totally!
Hello
Your "yeeesh" when mentioning Marineland made me laugh. One place I worked at had the radio on during shift in the back. At the time the Marineland commercials were still in circulation (even though it was after one of their many public relation hits in the 2010s) and my boss would always yell "NO WE DON'T " whenever the everyone loves Marineland hook would come on. I cannot picture a more loathed amusement park in Canada, I have no idea how they stay in business
Hopefully not for long!
But even the whales love Marineland! That's why they keep trying to get out of their pools, so they can see the rest of the park
Marineland actually got a new ride for this year lmao, a zierer starshape
True!
they stay in business on music alone lol that theme song goes too hard
Dude, you managed to somehow create an incredibly engaging video about HUSS of all things. You also somehow were able to get 100,000 views in less than a week on this niche topic. You are incredibly good at what you do. This is absolutely outstanding content.
You’ve gotta love Huss and their crazy rides. A friend of a friend has one of these but I’ve never head that he’s actually located it anywhere. Thanks for this video Sam, seeing Dollywood put a smile on my face, love that place.
Oh interesting! Tell him to get that to Blackpool
@@ExpeditionThemePark They are Blackpool based as it happens 😄
A friend of a friend just happens to own a HUSS TOPPLE TOWER? Are you Jeff Bezos by any chance?
@@b-chroniumproductions3177 Who’s asking 😂…..
I best not confess that a friend of a friend owns Mack Rides then 🤭
The one with the eagle theme was the one that opened in my local theme park of Djurs Sommerland in Denmark. I remember it very fondly as a child, since I've always enjoyed it and it was one of the first rides you could see from the parking lot, towering over the trees. It became one of the park's signature rides, but when thinking about it, I do recall it being closed quite often due to maintainance. And since last time I was there, it has been replaced with a pendulum swing ride instead.
I remember it too! It was never open, last time I rode it it was raining like crazy and I was the only one outside. It's a good ride, but without the water jets it's not nearly as exciting.
Sucks that they replaced it with a basic zamperla giant discovery
It actually was my favorite flat ride
@@R1valz oh its intamins oh ok thats good
@@R1valz It is the most intense ride at the park imo. So it's a welcoming change, but atm the park is a little underwhelming for my taste. Can't wait for Fårup to open the first megacoaster in Denmark next year. Really putting their name on the map. I'd wish Djurs did something like that.
Oh wait they replaced it? I remember it was advertised a lot!
Thanks for this interesting video!
I rode "El volador" this summer, and it was one of the weirdest flat ride experiences I ever had: it moves very slowly and when tipped over, you awkwardly hang in your restraint...
It nevertheless looks quite impressive :)
Thank you for watching!
Why does this ride give me so much anxiety 😄 looks impressive
so fun to watch
I've ridden it before. Wasn't anything too exciting.
I remember going to Marineland in Niagara Falls having my heart set on riding the topple tower. However it was shut down and i never got to ride it! I still hope to be able to ride one of these models someday!
Sounds right!
I have very clear memories of this MESS as a kid 😂 it was never opened, I remember people getting stuck on it, I road it ONCE and it broke the same day after acting odd while we were on the ride and then it sat for awhile because it was broken so often because it wasn’t even worth opening it back up.
We were NOT shocked when they took it out. The seating area they replaced it with was nice, but I’m glad the drop line eventually took its place. That thing is GORGEOUS with the festivals whose main points are lights (we went on honeymoon there during the pumpkin luminights in September)
Now the lightning rod is looking like it’s going the same direction :/ they closed in august, opened back up for a few days in late September and had a freaking “crash” then closed again. And it’s still closed. And from what I’ve heard it’s been doing this since it opened. Not a good sign.
Lightning Rod was unreliable when it first opened because it is a prototype roller coaster - it’s the first and only wooden coaster on Earth to feature a launch. Its manufacturer has since replaced around 50% of its wooden track with steel track, and its been more reliable.
love your vids man, keep it up!
Buff helpy will be here in two minutes
Thank you so much!
Nice to see you here Dawko.
didn’t expect to see you here
I went two years in a row to Dollywood, once when this was open. Then next year it was awkwardly stuck in place closed.
Sounds about right
Idk why i can’t get enough of this type of content when i have been on 1 real ride in my whole life and hate coasters and rides lol. You and others like you just make such amazing videos honestly
What other channels do you recommend binging after I’ve seen all these ones?
You know it‘s interesting that when foreigners mention Huss Rides, they‘re mostly talking about Top Spins or Enterprises. Yet the most well-known flatride for us Germans is actually the Break-Dance (and maybe its inverted sister „Magic“). Would be surely interesting to know why these rides never really caught on in other countries, or should I say the US? There are quite a lot here in Germany!
The Huss Magic seems like a fun ride, If I ever make it to Marineland I'll be sure to ride it (even though I only live an hour away and I've never been there before lol)
I've never seen that ride before! But here in America we do have similar rides called Wipeout made by Chance Rides or Bayern Kurve by Schwartkopf
@@missybarbour6885 wow that Bayernkurve Part triggered me more than I thought it would… XD
my home park in iowa has a breakdance! it's really fun
Break Dances are popular here, too, particularly in mobile applications. I like scrambler-type rides, so I like the Break Dance, but my favorite Huss is the Troika.
When I first started watching this video, I thought an accident was happening with riders about to get seriously hurt! then i realized thats the gimmick of this ride. I give a special shoutout to 2 of my fave dearly departed flat rides- Huss Rainbow at Myrtle Beach Pavilion, SC (it was beautiful and faced the ocean so a great view!), and Alien Encounter at WDW.
Classics!
I think you make a great point when you mention how marketable the attraction was. It's not all about pure sensations or "fun"- it's really how good/impressive it looks from an outside point of view - You could compare it to the Slammer as a concept that just really doesn't sound much fun when you ride it but looks super impressive on a TV ad
Yeah looks so cool
Love it! Flat rides are truly underappreciated.... they are the most creative, complicated, most intricately engineered inventions in any park or fair 💜 And it really annoys me when they constantly fall victim to the big US theme park's unrealistic expectations & overzealous marketing departments. There's a reason you can't just fill a park with coasters & expect it to succeed.... because flat rides provide fun for _everyone._ This looks like awesome fun!
And while I can appreciate how much of a maintenance headache it would be, at least it has a robust safety system.... better an oversensitive safety switch than a faulty brake or snapped support!
I remember Timber Tower just sitting there. I was too young to ride it then even if it worked. Dropline is in its place now, and its pretty cool.
Yeah a nice replacement
I just thought about how living in (or near) Antwerp is actually pretty great.
We have many themeparks within reach with some really unique rides:
- Bobbejaanland: Revolution (coaster with longest train -> 56m) and Dreamcatcher (swinging suspended coaster) (
Really some amazing parks close by
Don't forget Europa Park the themepark owned by the Mack company that also create's alot of the ride's in many theme parks around the world
@@Boreanz Europa Park is certainly a great park, but it's not that close to Antwerp (6h drive). ;)
I'm from ghent and what's really awesome is that most of the above parks are also very accessable via public transport in less then 3 hours. No need for a driver if you don't have a car :)
@@Please-be-patient-Im-autistic i'm from poperinge , and yes its nice to live close to amusementparks.
I'm with Dolly. I wouldn't ride it either. Goodness, I get sick looking at it then thinking of me spinning on it. Great info in the video. I appreciate the history and actually had no idea a ride like that existed.
it doesn't feel like you are spinning that much but it is quite weird to ride
Lol I literally just went to Bellewaerde a week and a half ago 😂 The El volador did not have any issues that day and I loved it, just like I always do when I go 😊
I immediately identified the one at Marineland being the one in the thumbnail (Dragon Mountain behind it was a dead giveaway) but I figured it was another case of an attraction being relocated. Guess this is a rare case where the attraction that's the focus of the video isn't the one pictured. I actually got to ride the one at Marineland before it closed and while I enjoyed it, I can certainly see why most parks that have them have deemed the problems not worth it and the ride is certainly more visually interesting then it is a unique riding experience.
It was the best official picture I could get!
7:35 you see yellow coaster in the background, that is first opened Vekoma Boomerang btw
This will make my Monday morning better, thank you :)
Have a great Monday!
"Timber Tower" - that sounds like a concept Dolly herself would suggest... Although some of those rides @ D-Wood, especially the semi terraformed roller coasters, might not have been something she designed per se, that Tennessee Highland Lady certainly _HAD_ a say in exactly _WHERE_ they would go! You DON'T second guess Dolly Parton!
Six Flags St. Louis has a similar ride called Excalibur, although instead of being in seats with harnesses, you are in 4 man little enclosure things. It may not be the most thrilling but I actually find it to be relaxing. Like I told my friend, "It's like being rocked to sleep like a baby"... I got a look back from her like I was crazy 😂
That's one of my bucket list ride if I ever make it there.
I remember timber tower at Dollywood! I was there on opening day of it. We were so excited to try out this new ride… And we were severely disappointed. It was slow, not exciting, and we got off feeling bored. And as your video said, it never worked. Ever. Glad it’s gone! Lol
Yeah it really was a family ride
I worked at Dollywood the last year timber tower ran. My dad was one of the main operators. a full gondola went up with me and guests and got stuck at about 45° when safetys tripped and stopped the ride for poping some welds. Mant tried to fix and sent me and my dad up as ballast for a test run. Tower pulled us up to the top went over about 5° and stopped again. Because we were both employees at the time they left us up there while they diagnosed the issue. We just sat there and waved at everyone below. at no time was we scared or worried. We eventually came down by dropping the gondola and letting the ride self right with the big counterweight.
Great video! I rode the Marineland one a decade ago and my memory of it was fuzzy. I figured I'd never get to ride one again, but I was surprised to find the one at Bellewaerde this past summer. The ride opened late due to technical issues, but I'm glad I rerode it. It's more fun to watch, but it's such a unique feeling onride.
one of my memories involves a trip to marineland as a kid. their topple tower was by some miracle actually working that day yet barely anyone was riding it. (at the time marineland was still super popular, not the ghost town it was the past few years)
i just kept riding it over and over and over, i loved the ride.
Years ago I worked with a large traveling carnival. I love seeing these old forgotten rides is great. Keep up the great work!
The way you pronounce "Bellewaerde" really cracks me up
I tried lolll
Holy cow this thing looks weird but fun. I wonder what forces you experience when riding it and how strong they are.
They are not strong, more relaxing
It wasn’t strong. It looked more fun than riding it.
Ahhh yesss. I got to ride the Dollywood one just once on a very lucky trip. Excellent work as always 👏🏻👏🏻
14:50 Man, that went way too hard for a commercial advertising a Topple Tower. Super catchy
I did not know there were Six Flags parks outside of the US. Very interesting
Also I would love to hear more about that amusement park in Canada that was mentioned
Actually six flags México is very unique. You should come to visit
I love the attraction, rode it already multiple times in Bellewaerde (Belgium). And yes it was multiple times stuck, but often not for too long. Btw it's also visually very beautifully.
We visited Bellewaerde recently - it was broken - again....gives us a reason to go back! Also the one that used to be at Djurs Sommerland has been removed...
I loved Timber Tower the few times I got to ride it at Dollywood. An excellent ride for sure.
A true odd but interesting ride!
Thank you for covering this subject. I've always found the topple tower to be oddly fascinating, but it was obscure enough to not really have been touched on and researched in great detail. I learned a lot that I previously didn't know and found this video to be insightful, well researched and entertaining. Thank you!
I get nauseous just looking at it lol. Your channel is so informative, interesting and well done.
I love how @4:30 Six Flags Holland's video includes footage from the then Six Flags Ohio / Six Flags World's of Adventure.
We also had one here in Denmark at Djurs Sommerland. it ran for about 12 years. build in 2006 and dismantled in 2018 :) it had the same problems, guests got stuck alot on it XD But it was run to watch! And it had a very interesting control system!
There used to be one of those in Djurs Sommerland in Denmark and I only rode it once. It’s actually the one on the right at 15:29. Those kinds of rides are just uncomfortable. Roller coasters are much more fun
Thank you for all of your amazing ride videos. Love you and love your voice!!
I enjoyed this video. I am really intrigued at how that thing works, never seen one before.
Thank you so much for watching
Flying Circus was such a nice ride. Had the opportunity to ride it on a fair in my hometown about 15 years ago. Great ride experience.
i never have been able to ride it
I remember Timber Tower. It was weird.... when it was working and open. The ride that replaced it is awesome
More Dollywood videos please!!
Had to deal with similar problems at Skara Sommarland, a Swedish theme park where i worked. It was a new ride called Snake. It was down for maintanance more than it was operating for the first half of the season. It was really frustrating. It was made by Funtime, and it had been like this for two years prior. Constantly having faults and leaving guests in the middle of the air for several minutes. And the manifacturers from Funtime they JUST came like a month ago and finally fixed it.
A group of people from Iceland flew all the way to Sweden just to try Snake and it stopped working just when they were first in line. It was tragic lol.
Another fascinating ride that didn’t have too many traveling models manufactured (33 total I think) was the mighty Chance Turbo. Now that’s a ride that triumphs over many other thrill rides when it comes to intensity. As a kid growing up in the ‘70s, I recall this ride operated at our local fair in 1975 and in 1976. It came alive at night with the lights and the swooping motions. Truly a sight to behold as a wide-eyed kid. It didn’t last long on the traveling carnival circuit due to inflation gas prices, it required three trucks to haul all of the parts, and setting up was a major task that required several strong guys who knew how to balance the heavy frame and structure. I think there’s one left operating in China. I had heard someone in Northern California had purchased parts to install one to operate it but I’m not sure if that’s correct or not. I had also heard of one operating in Australia. It’s definitely a rare breed. In 1984 our local fair offered a Chance Radar which was basically a Turbo but with Ferris wheel-like seats instead of the pods. I rode it at night. I was the only rider on my side and there was only one rider on the other side. The seats were open and riders legs would dangle over them. I also recall the sound of many unbuckled loose seatbelts clinking freely as it rotated. I was really glad I was able to ride that as it was magical and my way of making a connection with the Turbo.
I’ll never forget riding Timber Tower at Dollywood when it had just opened, and I thought, “This ride is so boring.”
I love this guy!! :) I now equate his voice every time I see a ride. The MindBender accident in Edmonton Mall....have you covered that one?
That ride looks like it was so much fun!
A weird one for sure!
I rode the prototype recently and I can't decide I enjoyed it or not - it was just one of the strangest rides I ever experienced...
I was wondering when you were going to touch on these flats. Awesome one 🥃
If you're still taking Expedition Dollywood suggestions, might I suggest the Mountain Slidewinder? It was a log flume ride that had a cool conveyor belt for bringing the logs back up to the loading area
As a kid I rode every ride they had at Astroworld except The Swap Buggy. It looked like a huge dead tree trunk where the car would ascend straight up and then ride the tracks around the trunk to the bottom. It also was often closed for repair and removed before I got the chance to ride it.
I remember seeing this @ an IAAPA Expo. Thought it looked great. Flat rides are popular, but "will" in time have metal fatigue cracks & hydraulic/ pneumatic, motor or control issues. With that much weight twirling & moving, it's NO wonder that it would be "down" a lot.
Yeah a shame
What is your favorite flat ride?
Enterprise at Alton Towers
Probably a carousel for the gentle rides, and an enterprise for thrill rides.
Anything that doesn’t just spin me around till I puke…although I do love Tilt-a-Whirls.
Ferris wheel and a chair swing
The kid Eater in cook park cypress
Omg I went once into that flat ride..(3:45). NEVER again........ so many occasions I ALMOST fell off........ I couldn't have proper grip. You were not even secured. I had sore muscles for a week after and I cried for the first time. This is from someone who went into the craziest rides since age 10 (even if it went overhead and whatnot) I did not care. I wasn't even phased when I forced my father to ride this very dangerous "Tango" attraction which--I was glad I did at age 11 or if I didn't I'd be the victim to fall off the ride. (The ride's concept today has changed into more boring and stomach turning nonsense that no longer is fun) they deleted that whole attraction after many incidents and one day a kid around 12-13 fell off the ride so they removed it fully. Personally I have always been small and short so for 11 year old, I was height of 7-8 year old and the ride was never age-restricted or weight or anything. (My dad's hand reflected and caught me from falling through the braces during overhead spins)....But at least I secured my grip and I was fine....... this however......... I was rattling all over. (I was 15) but back then I didn't know I had MSI.........so that was why my other friend who was smaller had no issue and I didn't know of my disease until 20 years later. It was there already where my grips would lose because my hands stopped working, and I thought it was my fault. I hated it so much
There was a topple tower at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Canada. I went there in 2017 for the first time in what felt like forever, as we were having a family vacation for a week or two at a nice house. I remember seeing a commercial of the topple tower on TH-cam and I was like, "I wanna go on that." We got to the park and rode some rides and went over to where topple tower was, mainly to ride Dragon Mountain. Topple Tower wasn't running for some reason. I went over to it and it turned out it was permanently closed in 2011 because of a structural crack. It hasn't operated since. It opened in 2007.
Very entertaining and fun to watch. Thanks for posting this.
Never heard of this ride! The ride doesn’t look like its amazing to ride like you say but wooow… That visual from the outside!!! 😮😮😮
I IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED THE THUMBNAIL!! I always passed that ride when I would go to Marineland with my dad. Way back when I was younger, and I never saw it running ONCE out of all of the times I had gone there.
If anyone's wondering why Huss went under, they were in about $50 million in debt. Most of that was a mixture of back-taxes and yet-to-be-delivered flat-rides (which count as debt on the financial sheets until they are delivered) but the cost of building and reworking the topple towers finally pushed them over the edge. Why didn't they file for Chapter 11? Because we don't have Chapter 11 or an equivalent in Europe. You're either in business or you're not, simple as that. It's why you sometimes hear about airlines like WOW or Thomas Cook shutting down in what seems like milliseconds whereas, if say American Airlines went bankrupt tomorrow, they'd operate at a reduced capacity whilst trying to restructure thier debts.
i was born in bavaria germany and lived there. So i grow up with Huss rides. Since today you can find them here everywhere and they are fun and still very good and got high quality here. but i never saw a ride like the timber tower here :D
Another quality video Sam👍 I'm not a fan of flat rides but this does look a unique ride type. Any chance of a video on history of the the wooden classic coasters at Blackpool some time? Seen you on a few of Jackies vlogs recently, lovely to see you enjoying the parks and nice weather you lucky so and so"s😂😂👍👌
Haha thank you so much! I will cover them at some point for sure
I was there when it got stuck at the top. We were going through the park going on rides and would occasionally look to see if they were still stuck. I'm pretty sure I even rode it once. It's a shame it's gone I always enjoyed looking at it when I went through the park.
Well done! Thank you! Added to my bucket list!
I rode it this summer and it really is a blast to ride and well worth the effort of the park.
Dollywood is my home park, and this thing was famously problematic when it was around! During that time I was young and going with family so I actually never got to ride it, or even see it operate. But everyone knew it was the broken ride, and I heard lots of horror stories. I love the video, even if it's not a happy ending story I still love seeing Dollywood get some attention for something other than Lightning Rod!
I got partway through the beginning and had to remind myself that this isn't Fascinating Horror, and you weren't going to tell us a bunch of people died.
Not this time!
I was there for media day at Dollywood when it opened. It was a pretty underwhelming ride, no real forces, you just fall slowly over and hang awkwardly by the OTSR. Most of the other people who attended media day pretty much bit their lip at lack of excitement. Within an hour almost all the media people had left to do something else. In my visits back to Dollywod over the next few years it was always closed.
Star parks bought two topple towers at once, the second, just after Bellewaerde, came in Walibi Lorraine (now Walygator parc) in Metz, France. Tang'or. After a few years it was removed due to too many technical problems. I was able to ride it, and got stuck on the Bellewaerde version before.
Such a unique and cool looking ride. Wish I would have had the chance to ride one.
Used to go to Dollywood every weekend with family, i maybe got to ride this like 3 times and every other time it was closed for maintenance :/ was very fun though!
That was really interesting. Never knew these existed until I watched this video. Thank you
Thank you for watching
I rode the one at dollywood and loved it. And after it was removed I asked my step mom why. I was always afraid to ride rides and this was one I liked so I was sad when it was removed. But happy to know why now years later.
I rode the one at Bellewaerde a couple times as a kid, and because it kinda looks like an upside down frisbee ride, it helped 10yr old me build up courage to finally ride a frisbee.
great job with your narration / the information / history - keep it up :)
Thank you!
You mentioned Dollywood, but I know it from Bellewaerde, haha.
Fun fact: Van Orsouw headquarters lies +- between Efteling and Toverland, but a bit to the north, so a bit towards Walibi whatever it's called nowadays. Not my park.
HUSS office meanwhile, is in Breman, that's about 300 km from Bellewaerde. So I guess that helps.
Also a bit odd to hear so much Dutch in the video, my native language.
Might soon ride the one at Bellewaerde provided it's running. They also have the very first Vekoma Boomerang so that will be a cool credit :)
SLEDGEHAMMER!
Also Soaring Timbers but I've never tried that one at Wonderland. But Sledgehammer is a classic. Maybe for a future episode?
IF it has swung back and forth without the moving in a circle......it may have worked in a reliable manner.
I'm glad that I got a chance to ride this thing. It was very fun. The water fountain feature made this ride very unpredictable and fun. I got wet on it and I was giggling like a schoolgirl. Too bad it was extremely unreliable
Yeah a shame really!
Topple tower at marine land was only running the first time I went. the next time It was shut down and has been shut down ever since. Always wondered why they closed it and left it abandoned
Rode the one at Bellewaerde a couple of years back. Ngl I still remember it to be an amazing and fun ride!
I think it’s fun!
Huss: Hire an Austrian for our infomercial!
Agency: An Australian! Got it!
aha
Ah! I missed that connection!
Awesome video! This was so interesting!
Great video sam!! I was at the park when this got stuck,..
Thank you so much
Honestly this concept is very phenomenal but really really weird. But such a great project.
Really Enjoyed This Insightful Video On The Topple Tower, It Must Be A Nightmare To Maintain A Ride Like That!! 👍🏻👍🏻
I was at the park working ( Dollywood my home park ) when timber tower went downhill that day..
I’ll never forget the rumours spreading the park in the coming weeks.
Also info for fun. Dolly has never owned the park or anything similar. They have always used her name, they being the herschend family. They just use her name and connection with the area. I believe last I heard she owned 2.?% of the park.
I actually made another video recently talking about the start of the park!
@@ExpeditionThemePark I’ll have to check it out! I’ve been out of the loop on watching uploads as of late!
Great video as always very informative and interesting
Thank you!
14:34 so that's why I saw a topple ride on our school trip to Dragon Park
One ride I'd love to see here (but probably won't due to lack of videos) is the old 'Sidewheeler' ride at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson NJ, USA. Whole thing looked like the inner workings of a huge watch, and capacity was *insane*. Kinda like a scrambler inside another scrambler, inside yet another scrambler. Will likely never see anything like it again, which I find sad.
A weird one for sure!
I remember riding the one at Dollywood. Nice topic