A rotary-driven amusement device in which passenger bearing carriages traverse an endless and circuitous generally spiraling railway track. The device is mounted on a rotary support table and has a portion of the endless track disposed in an upwardly spiraling fashion at the center of the rotary table and up which the carriages are traversed by engagement of the carriages with peripheral portions of a concentrically inwardly disposed vertically oriented, reellike pushing frame, responsive to relative rotation between the rotary table-mounted track and the pushing frame. The pushing frame is preferably also mounted on the rotary table and is driven at variable speeds in an opposite direction to the table rotation, although the pushing frame in a different embodiment may be mounted stationary to a separate base or to the ground while the table is made to rotate relative thereto. The endless railway further includes a generally downwardly spiraling more outwardly disposed undulating and irregularly circuitous portion which interconnects with the top and bottom of the aforementioned centrally disposed upwardly spiraling portion. The table in operation is usually continuously rotating and has a selectively stop and start annular rotary passenger loading-unloading walkway disposed outwardly concentric with the rotary table. The rotary walkway is selectively rotatable to synchronize its speed and its access and discharge gates thereon, with those corresponding thereto on the rotary table so that the passengers may be safely loaded and unloaded with rotary support table. The passengers may also disembark from the carriages at the top to view the surrounding scenery from an observation platform thereat.
A transport device is provided for transporting a water ride participant from a first elevation to a second, higher elevation. The device includes a spiral transport element extending generally between the first and second elevations. The spiral transport element has first and second end sections, an intermediate section and an inner surface extending along the intermediate and first and second end sections. The inner surface defines a spiral pathway between the first and second elevations. Further provided is a drive mechanism coupled to the spiral transport element for effecting rotation of the transport element such that the first end section of the transport element is capable of receiving a participant at the first elevation and the second end portion is capable of releasing the participant at the second elevation after the participant has traveled along the spiral pathway from the first elevation to the second, higher elevation.
