Caterpillar (ride)


The Caterpillar ride is a vintage amusement ride engineered by the inventor Hyla F. Maynes of North Tonawanda, New York. The first known Caterpillar ride traveled with the Johnny Jones Exposition show in 1922. Early permanent installations debuted at Kennywood in 1923 and at Coney Island in 1925.
It generates a significant amount of centrifugal force, causing the riders on the inside of the seats to push against the riders on the outside of the seats. It was once a commonly found ride within amusement parks, but is now so rare that original Caterpillar rides can only be found operating in three parks today.
The ride features a complete circuit of motorized vehicles which are connected end-to-end all the way around the ride, in a manner similar to a Music Express. The cars travel a circular, undulating track similar to that of a Tumble Bug. The ride is notable for its canopy that begins to slowly surround the cars and fully encapsulate them once the ride reaches its maximum speed. When covered with the canopy, the ride resembles a caterpillar. A high-powered fan located under the carriage of the ride was traditionally used to surprise riders with a blast of air as the cars traverse the track.
The Caterpillar serves as the predecessor to the Music Express ride, sometimes also called Musik Express or Himalaya.

Manufacturers

Caterpillar rides were manufactured by several amusement ride companies, most notably including:
Maynes, the inventor of the Caterpillar and owner of the patent, was paid a royalty by the companies that built the rides, and sometimes by the buyers of the rides.

Locations

Operating

The only three original Caterpillars still known to be operating are at:

In storage

Original Caterpillar rides in storage are at:

Notable defunct installations