Zodiac Thoughts/Memories - Kings Island History

I rode the Zodiac at Kings Island several times, as well as the one (Giant Wheel) that was at Hersheypark. (Trivia - all of KI's promotional materials for the addition of Zodiac  in '75 used images of Hershey's Giant Wheel.)

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Although it was always closed when I went to the park prior to its removal, there was a triple-arm version at Great America in Chicago (Skywhirl.) They removed it for Deja Vu'.

My fondest memory of the Zodiac at KI was riding it to see "The Bat" from the air.  My Dad and I first rode it specifically so I could get a better view of the coaster.  What sticks out in my mind about the ride experience itself was that the "barrels" needed a paint job in those later years.  They were held on to the arms by chains - so that was a bit unnerving.  There was a pole that ran down the center of each barrel with a metal wheel - much like spinning teacups - that allowed you to rotate.  But the barrels were hard to turn and they didn't rotate that quickly and made a "sqeeeeeak."  There were also legs on the bottom of the barrels that would "scrape" the concrete a bit when it reached the ground.  The ride cycle was a long one - because they had to fill and lock each of the tubs one at a time on the loading side - much like how long it takes to load and lock the Scrambler and/or Monster.  The ops used a "key" to unlock each barrel like they do skyride tubs.

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Finally, the ride was essentially a walk-on at anytime.  I don't ever remember a long line.  The wait was akin to the wait for Eiffel Tower.  Since it was more of an "observation" ride rather than a "thrill" ride, it wasn't a big draw.

Before I knew better, I always thought they had taken Skyride Tubs and built the ride - LOL.  They looked the same to my young, untrained eyes back then.

I recall the barrels on Zodiac being fairly wide - each held at least 4 people.

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