Ride & Show Engineering, Inc.

Ride & Show Engineering, Inc.
Company typePrivately owned
IndustryEngineering services
Founded1984
FounderEduard Feuer and
William Watkins
ProductsEntertainment attractions, show action equipment, and transportation systems
Websitewww.rideshow.com Edit this at Wikidata

Ride & Show Engineering, Inc. is an American private company that conceptualizes, develops, and builds attractions, show action equipment, and transportation systems. In 1984 Eduard Feuer and William Watkins, the former Senior Project Engineer and Chief Mechanical Engineer, respectively, for Walt Disney Imagineering, established Ride & Show in California.

Ride & Show designs, engineers and fabricates simulation and motion base systems, boat ride systems, and people movers; floor-mounted ride systems for dark ride attractions; monorails; and numerous show action and special effect equipment for large and small entertainment projects worldwide.[1][2]

Industries

Ride & Show's clientele extend beyond typical amusement parks and range into:

  • Retail and location-based entertainment
  • Theme park attractions
  • Transportation and ride systems
  • Large show equipment and stages
  • Science centers and museums

Projects

Ride & Show's first project was to redesign and rehabilitate the chassis and install new bodies for the Disneyland Mark V monorails for Messerchmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) of Germany. Shortly thereafter Disney contracted Ride & Show to design and supply the Maelstrom boat ride system for the Norway Pavilion attraction at Epcot.[3]

The company has created and developed a number entertainment and specialty projects in a variety of forms.

Completed entertainment projects

Client Location Project Role Completion Date Notes
Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) Disneyland, Anaheim, California Mark V Monorail Engineering & Refurbishment 1987 Transportation System[1]
MCA Universal Studios Hollywood, California King Kong Engineering, fabrication and installation of the tramway motion bridge 1986 Show Action Equipment
MCA Universal Studios, Hollywood, California Miami Vice Action Spectacular Engineering, Fabrication and installation of helicopter, mine train and falling tower 1987 Show Action Equipment[4]
Disney EPCOT, Orlando, Florida Maelstrom Engineering, fabrication & installation of the Boat Ride System 1988 Boat Ride System[2]
MCA Universal Studios Hollywood, California Earthquake: The Big One Engineering, fabrication and installation of the tramway simulator platform 1989 Show Action Equipment
Ridewerks, Ltd. Burbank, California Turbo Tour Motion Theaters Engineering & Development of 3-axis Motion Theater 1990 Joint Venture Partnership with Iwerks Entertainment[5]
MCA Universal Studios Florida, Orlando, Florida Earthquake: The Big One Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 1990 Tram Motion Ride System & Show Action Equipment[4]
MCA Universal Studios Florida, Orlando, Florida Jaws Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 1990 Boat Ride System & Large Animation[4]
Hong Kong Science Museum Hong Kong Science Museum, Kowloon, Hong Kong The Energy Machine Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 1991 Museum's Signature Exhibit[6]
Denbies Co. Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking, United Kingdom Indoor Wine Tour Design, Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 1991 Ride System
Papalote Museo del Nino Papalote Children's Museum, Mexico City, Mexico Interactive Ball & Rail Machine Design, Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 1992
Toyo Engineering Corp. Shima Spain Village, Isobe, Japan Adventure Lagoon Show Design, Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 1993 Turnkey Attraction – Boat Ride and Show Systems
Taiwan Folk Village Taiwan Folk Village, Taichung, Taiwan Adventures of Cheng Ho Show Design, Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 1995 Boat Ride Show Systems
Museum of Discovery and Science Museum of Discovery and Science, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida The Great Gravity Clock Design, Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 1995
Schwager Davis Inc. Buffalo Bills & Primadonna Hotels, Primm, Nevada Unitrak Monorail Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 1998 Transportation System
USJ LLC Universal Studios Japan, Osaka, Japan Back to the Future: The Ride Engineering, Fabrication & Installation of Pre-show Ball & Rail 2001
Taipei Astronomical Museum Taipei Astronomical Museum, Taipei, Taiwan Cosmic Adventure Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 2002 Turnkey Attraction Omnimover and Show Systems
Kangwon Land Casino & Resort Kangwon Land, Sabuk, South Korea Alien Encounter Design, Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 2004 Turnkey Attraction
Battaglia Inc. Lotte World, Seoul, South Korea Pharaoh's Fury Design, Engineering, Fabrication & Installation of Special Effects & Show Action Equipment 2005

Completed performance stage projects

Client Location Project Role Completion Date Notes
House of Blues Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, California Swinging Bar & Stage Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 1994
House of Blues Chicago, Illinois Stage Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 1996
House of Blues Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Stage Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 1997
House of Blues Downtown Disney, Orlando, Florida Stage Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 1998
Virgin Megastore Downtown Disney, Orlando, Florida Virgin Megastore Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 1998 Performance Platform and Canopy Entrance[7]

Completed specialized engineering projects

Client Location Project Role Completion Date Notes
Self-Realization Fellowship Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, Pacific Palisades, California Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Memorial Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 1998 Canopy Structure
Flowserve Corporation Multiple Locations Hydraulic Vehicles Engineering and Fabrication 1998-2008 For the removal of motors in nuclear power plants
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles, California The Great Bronze Doors Engineering, Fabrication & Installation 2002 50,000 lb. Doors with 300-year design life[8]
Dynamics Research US Army Training Simulator Fabrication 2006 Simulator steel platform and aluminum cab structures

Patents

Ride & Show Engineering has been assigned four patents in the entertainment industry.

  • Amusement ride car system with multiple axis rotation,[9] which pairs ride car systems with programmable controllers to direct patrons view of the show sets and scenery within an attraction. The invention was a significant improvement over previous mechanical cam systems utilized to achieve this result.
  • Flight simulator which provides for independent control of rotation about the pitch and roll axis including the capability for complete inversion of an occupant in the cockpit.[10]
  • Flight simulator with full 360 degree rotation capability about the roll axis.[11]
  • Inverted simulation attraction where the ride cars are suspended from the track and the cars are pointed in various directions to view specific portions of the attraction and a motion base allows for simulated movement[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Ascenzi, Joseph (March 27, 2000). "Ride & Show Engineering: San Dimas company specializes in exotic attractions and pricey contraptions". The Business Press/California. p. 17.
  2. ^ a b Rappaport, Mike (March 13, 2002). "Ride & Show success finds funding Export-Import Bank helping firms expand internationally". San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
  3. ^ Rene, Luna (October 11, 2000). "Design firm has some magic of its own". Inland Valley Times. p. 2.
  4. ^ a b c Shiver, Jube (August 23, 1990). "Universal".
  5. ^ Rubin, Judith (July 9, 2013). "Inventing Themed Entertainment".
  6. ^ Tsui-kai, Wong (July 17, 2015). "A behind-the-scene tour of the Energy Machine at Hong Kong Science Museum".
  7. ^ Riegler, Shax (March 1998). "Virgin Megastore Orlando, Florida" (PDF). Architectural Record. p. 88.
  8. ^ Graham, Robert (2002). The Great Bronze Doors for the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angles. Los Angeles, Calif.: Wave Pub. pp. 108–125. ISBN 0-9642359-3-5.
  9. ^ US 552722, Brown, Ronald L. & Feuer, Eduard, "Amusement ride car system with multiple axis rotation", published 1996-06-18, assigned to Ride & Show Engineering, Inc.
  10. ^ US 5791903, Feuer, Eduard; Brown, Ronald & Somwong, Banyat, "Flight simulator with full roll rotation capability", published 1998-08-11, assigned to Fir Ride & Show Engineering Inc.
  11. ^ US 5453011, Feuer, Eduard & Brown, Ronald L., "Flight simulator", published 1995-09-26
  12. ^ US 8641540, Feuer, Roland & Sellers, Matthew, "Inverted simulation attraction", published 2014-02-04

Sources

  • McNary, Dave (July 26, 1987). "Fantasies make San Dimas firm boom". Tribune/News. p. H1
  • McNary, Dave (July 26, 1987). "Disneyland monorails getting a major facelift". Tribune/News. p. H1
  • Parisi, Paula (November 18, 1993). "IAAPA event a thrill a minute". The Hollywood Reporter.
  • Dreyer, Evan (December 20, 1993). "Theme Park in Oceanside considered". The North County Times. p. A-1
  • Shaer, Ruth (April 1999). "San Dimas Engineering Company Specializes in Theme Attractions". San Gabriel Valley Business Journal. p. 1, 3, 4
  • Benson, Don and Drummer, Randyl (May 15, 2000). "Inland Empire Focus: Exporters win honors for globalizing trade". The Business Press/California.
  • Luna, Rene (October 11, 2000). "Design firm has some magic of its own". Inland Valley Times. p. 2
  • Bradvica, David (May 20, 2002). "Cardinal Mahony blesses doors for L.A. cathedral". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. p. A3
  • Miles, Jack (2002). "The Great Bronze Doors for the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels". Wave Publishing. p. 108-125