Future of Timber Tower uncertain as Dollywood settles HUSS dispute
Submitted by Nick Sim on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 09:27
Timber Tower's future is unclear after Dollywood settled a dispute with the ride's manufacturer. Image: WillMcC, Wikimedia Commons (license)
Dollywood has settled a legal dispute with manufacturer HUSS over problems with its Timber Tower ride, which was closed throughout 2011.
The park has revealed through a press release that it has "settled all of its differences" with HUSS Park Attractions and Huss Parts & Services, with the terms of the deal being kept confidential. However, it is not yet known whether the ride will reopen to the public in 2012.
The two current HUSS companies were formed from the remains of the insolvent HUSS Maschinefabrik, from which Dollywood purchased Timber Tower before its opening in 2006. The ride is one of only two HUSS Topple Tower rides in North America, with the other still in operation at Marine Land in Niagara Falls. It sees guests boarding a 40-person gondola, which rises to the top of a tower. It then rotates as the tower topples back and forth.
Timber Tower has suffered from a range of technical problems since its debut, including a high-profile incident in 2007 when 40 riders became stranded on it for around 3 hours. Dollywood has been locked in a contractual dispute with the HUSS firms over maintenance of the attraction, which it has now finally resolved.
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Source: Dollywood press release
1 comment on "Future of Timber Tower uncertain as Dollywood settles HUSS dispute" so far. Why not add yours?
HUSS's rides since the new
HUSS's rides since the new millennium have truly been a mess. Credit where credit is due, they're unique. But the idea of making "Giant" versions of classic carnival rides has been absolutely, positively disastrous. Canada's Wonderland's Giant Jump 2 is closed more than it's open.
The two Giant Frisbees in Ohio are usually closed for at least a month each year with a sign out front that reads "Awaiting parts from Germany." And their one attempt at a Giant Top Spin at Kings Island has been put through the paces to the extent that 10 years after debuting, it ended up with 2/3 of its original capacity performing only two inversions, then never made it to its tenth season. No surprise that this Topple Tower was a real piece of work, and will continue to be so even if it does open again - just with HUSS footing the bill, I'd wager.
