Chance Rides is a roller coaster and amusement ride manufacturer. Originally founded in 1961, the current company was formed on May 16, 2002, when the former Chance Industries Inc. emerged from bankruptcy. The main office and manufacturing facility are located in Wichita, Kansas.
Chance Manufacturing was incorporated in 1961 by Richard H. (Harold) Chance. Harold Chance had been involved in the amusement business since 1946, building small trains for the Ottaway Amusement Company. He designed a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge replica of the C. P. Huntington, a well-known steam locomotive built in 1863 for the Central Pacific Railroad.[2] Titled by the same name, Chance's C. P. Huntington is the company's most successful product line.[1] In 1967, Chance began producing Starliner Trams under the subsidiary Chance Coach. In 1970, Chance acquired the assets of the Allan Herschell Company. Richard G. Chance (Dick Chance) assumed control of the company and formed Chance Industries, Inc. in 1985 to oversee the various divisions – Chance Rides, Chance Coach, and Chance Operations.[1] In December 1986, Chance then acquired Bradley & Kaye, a ride manufacturer specialized in children's rides and carousel figures.[3]
Modern era
For several years, Chance Rides Manufacturing products were sold under the brand Chance Morgan. In 2011, the company reintroduced the Chance Rides brand which encompasses Chance Morgan Coasters, Inc. and Chance Rides Manufacturing.[1] On September 17, 2011, trade publication Amusement Today presented Chance Rides with the Golden Ticket Award for Supplier of the Year, in honor of the company's 50th anniversary.[4]
In 2023, Chance Rides was sold to Missouri-based private equity firm Permanent Equity.[5]
Chance Rides began to fabricate their 2 ft narrow gauge C. P. Huntington locomotive in 1961. These locomotives can be powered by gasoline, diesel, propane or battery electric motors; as of 2024, only the electric model is being offered. Its drive wheels are not powered, but roll on the rails while fake side rods reciprocate in and out of fake cylinders. Power is instead provided by the front and rear trucks.
With more than 400 examples built as of 2022, the C. P. Huntington has become the most popular park train since the Allan Herschell Company merged into Chance Industries in 1970 and production of the S-24 Iron Horse train ceased. Locomotives and coaches can be customized in a variety of ways.
Carousels
Chance Carrousels (deliberately spelled with two "R"s) were introduced in 1971 following the acquisition of the Allan Herschell Company the previous year. Chance modified the Herschell design giving it a more ornate style.[1] After Chance purchased Bradley & Kaye in December 1986, Chance was able to use the molds and manufacturing rights to 62 carousel figures produced by Bradley & Kaye owner, David Bradley. He had carefully reproduced prized carousel animals from famous carvers over the previous 20 years and new molds were cast at the Chance facility under his direction, until Bradley died in 1988.[6] These famous reproductions with spectacular detail have been included on Chance carrousels since the late 1980s. With the merger of the D. H. Morgan line of carousels, some of the unique Morgan figures have been added to the collection as well. Although fiberglass, the magnificent detail and menagerie of different styles of horses and other figures have become a trademark of Chance Rides carrousels.[1]
Ferris wheels
The first Ferris wheel from Chance, the Astro Wheel, was sold to showman Don Franklin and debuted at the 1967 Iowa State Fair. It featured 16 cars with two passengers per car.[7] The first park model, an 80-foot Giant Wheel, was built in 1975 at Valleyfair amusement park in Minnesota.[8] It features 18 cars holding four passengers per car and is still in operation. The Giant Wheel/Century Wheel was introduced in various sizes in both park and portable models in 1988.[9]
In 2006, Chance worked with Ronald Bussink Professional Rides of Switzerland and Dutch Wheels BV, a division of Vekoma Rides, to produce larger wheels such as the Niagara SkyWheel which stands 53.3 m (175 ft) tall.[10] It features 42 air-conditioned cars seating eight passengers per car.[11] According to Chance Rides director Angus Jenkins, the larger wheels are known as observation wheels as opposed to Ferris wheels, since they carry riders in enclosed cars rather than in open seats.[12]
On October 19, 2012, Chance Rides announced a long term license agreement with Bussink Design GmbH for the exclusive rights to manufacture and sell the R80XL Giant Wheel in North America.[13] Chance Rides will market the R80XL, which is over 250 ft (76 m) tall, under an affiliate company, Chance American Wheels. The first R80XL wheel was manufactured by Maurer German Wheels in Munich, Germany, and was delivered to the city early in 2013.[14] The first U.S. version built by Chance was the Capital Wheel at the National Harbor, Md. It opened May 23, 2014.[15][16] Chance Rides/Chance American Wheels will continue to manufacturer and sell R60 wheels in North America under an exclusive license from Dutch Wheels BV.[10]
I-X Center Ferris wheel (1992) 125-foot (38 m) tall. It was the world's tallest indoor wheel when it opened.[18][19] Relocated in 2023 to Canton Football Hall of Fame Village.[20]
Chance Manufacturing's first coaster was the Toboggan, a portable ride in which a small vehicle climbed vertically up a tower then spiraled back down around the same tower. The ride was invented by Walter House of Amarillo, Texas, and Chance acquired the manufacturing rights and started producing it in 1969. It was designed to be a carnival ride, fitting on two trailers, but several units were purchased by amusement parks where they were set up as permanent attractions. Chance manufactured 32 of these units, two of which still operate at a permanent park.[26] In 1998 Chance introduced the Big Dipper children's coaster. With the integration of the D. H. Morgan line into Chance Rides in 2001, the company acquired track manufacturing technology and the ability to offer a variety of coaster designs. D. H. Morgan was an offshoot of Arrow Development, original developer of tubular steel track, first used on Disney's Matterhorn Bobsleds attraction. In 2006, Chance formed an alliance with Vekoma.[27] Chance Rides represented Vekoma in North America and manufactured the steel track for select projects. On October 17, 2012 Chance Rides and Vekoma discontinued their agreement to produce rides together for the North American market.[28]
^"About the Author". Maker of Dreams. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2016. In December 1986, when Chance Rides, Inc. acquired Bradley & Kaye, a Long Beach, California based ride manufacturer specializing in children's rides and carrousel animals, Swinson saw a new opportunity for Chance Rides in the shopping center industry, which he was already familiar with because of his commercial real estate background.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ abcdefgSeifert, Jeffrey (September 2011), "For 50 years, Chance Rides delivers rides, fun to the amusement industry", Amusement Today, 15 (6.2): 32
