Troika (ride)
1970s amusement park ride
title: "Troika (ride)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["amusement-rides", "amusement-rides-introduced-in-1975", "articles-containing-video-clips"] description: "1970s amusement park ride" topic_path: "general/amusement-rides" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troika_(ride)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary 1970s amusement park ride ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Troika_Cedar_Point.jpg" caption="Troika at [[Cedar Point]] in [[Sandusky, OH"] ::
The Troika is an amusement park ride designed and manufactured by HUSS Park Attractions in the mid-1970s. The name Troika means "group of three" in Russian, a reference to its three armed design. There are several variations on the design.
Design
HUSS Park Attractions designed and manufactured the first Troika ride in the mid-1970s. It is named after the Russian word meaning "group of three", a reference to its three armed design.
Description and operation
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Cedar_Point_Troika_ride_(1746).ogv" caption="Video of the Troika ride at [[Cedar Point]]."] ::
A Troika consists of three arms radiating from a central column. At the end of each arm is a wheel-like assembly (star) holding seven gondolas, each of which seats 2 people side by side.
When the ride is activated, the central column rotates clockwise, while the Star at the end of each arm rotates counterclockwise. Hydraulic cylinders then raise the arms to an angle of 40°. The gondolas do have some capacity to rock from side to side, but this is minimal. At the end of the ride cycle, the arms are lowered, and the rotation stopped. Because it is a relatively mild thrill ride, it is a good ride for younger children or beginning riders who aren't up to riding more extreme attractions, like Huss's own Enterprise or Top Spin.
The main safety restraint is a buzz bar system, which locks into one of five positions. Huss recommends that riders be at least 42 inches tall with an adult or over 50 inches tall to ride alone.
Variants and modern adaptions
The ride is available in both transportable and permanent forms, although due to the total weight and size of the ride (35 tons, plus an additional 27 tons for the temporary base and platform), transportable Troikas are unpopular and uncommon.
Portable versions of the Troika can be disassembled, but due to the size and weight of the machinery and platform, rack onto no fewer than three trailers.
AirBoat
Huss now makes a modern version of the Troika, called the AirBoat. It is smaller and can only carry 24 people (with 3 pods and 4 cars per pod). It runs at about the same speed. One example that is no longer running was the Gator Bait ride at Six Flags New Orleans; this ride closed due to damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Scorpion
The Tivoli Scorpion is based on the same pattern as the Troika, but a much smaller gondola wheel diameter results in greater speed and centripetal force experienced by the riders (claimed to be over 100 km/h). The Scorpion is significantly lighter than a Troika, making it more popular for operation at carnivals and fairs.
Troika Installations
::data[format=table title=""]
| Name | Park | Country | Manufacturer | Opened | Closed | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scorpion | Adventure Island | UK United Kingdom | Tivoli | 2001 | Now operates as a travelling fair ride. | |
| Troika | Adventureland | USA United States | HUSS | 1976 | Leased to park by German immigrant Willy Miller. | |
| Troika | Al-Rawdah Sharaco Amusement Park | Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia | HUSS | 1988 | Park and ride presumed closed. | |
| Тройка (Troika) | All-Russia Exhibition Center | Russia Russia | HUSS | 1976 | ||
| Тройка (Troika) | Anapa | Russia Russia | HUSS | 2018 | ||
| Turbo Star | Alton Towers | UK United Kingdom | HUSS | 1984 | ||
| Tomahawk | Attractiepark Slagharen | Netherlands Netherlands | HUSS | |||
| Unknown | Barry Island Pleasure Park | HUSS | ||||
| Adrenaline Test Zone | Calaway Park | Canada Canada | HUSS | |||
| Triple Play | California's Great America | USA United States | HUSS | 1976 | ||
| Do-Si-Do | Carowinds | USA United States | HUSS | 2017 | ||
| Troika | Cedar Point | USA United States | HUSS | 1976 | ||
| Unknown | Coney Beach Pleasure Park | Wales Wales | HUSS | |||
| Kaleidoscope | Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom | USA United States | HUSS | 2017 | ||
| Troika | Dreamland Margate | 1983 | ||||
| Troika | Elitch Gardens Theme Park | USA United States | HUSS | 1995 | ||
| Goldcurse | Familiepark Drievliet | Netherlands Netherlands | HUSS | |||
| Troika | Fuji-Q Highland | Japan Japan | HUSS | |||
| Troika | Fun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo | USA United States | HUSS | Standing but not operating after park closed. Removed sometime between 2011 and 2015 and relocated to Santa's Village AZoosment Park. | ||
| Wellenreiter (Wave Rider) | Hansa-Park | Germany Germany | HUSS | 1978 | ||
| Scorpion | Horn Luna Park | Serbia Serbia | Tivoli Enterprises | 1997 | ||
| Bad Apple | Kings Dominion | USA United States | HUSS | 2002 | ||
| Shake, Rattle & Roll | Kings Island | USA United States | HUSS | 1975 | ||
| Humla | Kongeparken | Norway Norway | 1997 | |||
| Diablo | La Ronde | Canada Canada | 1978 | |||
| Troika | Linnanmäki | Finland Finland | HUSS | 1974 | Relocated to Särkänniemi. Ride originally bought for Särkänniemi, but Särkänniemi did not open until 1975 and so the ride was rented to Linnanmäki for 1974 season. | |
| Unknown | Loudoun Castle | UK United Kingdom | HUSS | |||
| Tumble Bug | Luna Park Sydney | Australia Australia | HUSS | 1995 | ||
| L'aigle Noir (The Black Eagle) | OK Corral Theme Park | France France | HUSS | 1970 | ||
| Super Star | Palace Playland | USA United States | 1980s | |||
| Tri-Star | Pleasureland Southport | UK United Kingdom | 1974 | |||
| Tri-Star | Pleasureland Southport | UK United Kingdom | Fairmatt | 2013 | ||
| Unknown | Pleasurewood Hills | UK United Kingdom | HUSS | Now operates at Carowinds | ||
| Tri-Nado | Santa's Village AZoosment Park | USA United States | HUSS | 2015 | Relocated from Fun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo. | |
| Troika | Särkänniemi | Finland Finland | 1975 | |||
| Riptide Rescue | Sea World San Antonio | USA United States | Huss | Airboat | ||
| Riptide Rescue | Seaworld San Diego | USA United States | Huss | Airboat | ||
| Spider | Selva Magica | Mexico Mexico | ||||
| Warp 2000 | Six Flags AstroWorld | USA United States | HUSS | 1981 | Most parts moved to Six Flags Over Texas for usage on its Troika. | |
| Thrillbilly | Six Flags Darien Lake | USA United States | HUSS | 1979 | Ride removed with changes in park ownership. | |
| Triple Play | Six Flags Great America | USA United States | HUSS | 1976 | ||
| Wild Flower | Six Flags Great Adventure | USA United States | HUSS | 1975 | Previously Wild Rider. | |
| Gator Bait | Six Flags New Orleans | USA United States | HUSS | AirBoat version. No longer in operation after Hurricane Katrina but still standing. | ||
| Harley Quinn Spinsanity | Six Flags Over Texas | USA United States | HUSS | 2006 | Previously Crazy Legs. Relocated from Six Flags AstroWorld. | |
| Tri-Star | Spanish City | 1984 | Relocated from Pleasureland Southport. | |||
| Scorpion | Talley Amusements, Inc. (Showman) | USA United States | Tivoli | |||
| Calgary Stampede | Thorpe Park | UK United Kingdom | 1993 | |||
| Troika | Toshimaen | Japan Japan | HUSS | |||
| Mustang Runner | Worlds of Fun | USA United States | HUSS | 2017 | ||
| Dancing Queen | Unknown - German Showman | Germany Germany | Traveling version in Germany. | |||
| :: |
References
References
- Mercaldo, Christopher. (2014). "Adventureland". Arcadia Publishing.
- "Al-Rawdah Sharaco Amusement Park (Riyadh, Ar Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)".
- "Saudi Constructioneers Ltd.".
- "Тройка".
- "Turbo Star".
- "Calaway Park Website".
- "Do-Si-Do - Carowinds Website".
- "Troika - Cedar Point Website".
- "Kaleidoscope - Dorney Park Website".
- "Troika - Elitch Gardens Website".
- "Goldcurse // On/Offride // Drievliet, The Netherlands // Huss Troika".
- "Goldcurse - Drievliet (NL) - polypweb.eu".
- "Fuji-Q Highland - Troika".
- "Wellenreiter - Hansa-Park Website".
- "Bad Apple - Kings Dominion Website".
- "Shake, Rattle & Roll - Kings Island Website".
- (18 January 2019). "Humla - Kongeparken Website".
- "Tumble Bug - Luna Park Sydney Website".
- "Rides - Palace Playland Website".
- "Thrill Rides - Santa's Village AZoosment Park Website".
- "Triple Play - Six Flags Great America Website".
- www.mwdwebdesign.com, Matt's Web Design-. "Talley Amusements - Scorpion".
- "Mustang Runner - Worlds of Fun Website".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::