I just thought about this one. I can look and tell that original Rainbow gondola for the Rainbow weighs probably a ton or more by itself, but add people to it, and you've got more weight and double stress for those gears / driveshafts in the lower boom of a Rainbow. Well, how about this, IF and only IF it could be done. For the shows that still have their Rainbow out there, find a cheap 1001 Nachts on usedrides.com and somehow , some way, have it to where the 1001's gondola could fit onto the Rainbow gondola's mounting plate that it pivots on. I can look & tell the 1001's gondola is LOTS lighter in weight than that Rainbow gondola is. That'd definately put less stress on the gears and driveshafts in that lower boom on the Rainbow.
But, question is, would this work?, a 1001's gondola custom made to fit a Huss Rainbow's mounting plate / that square plate it's bolted to that it pivots on? [?] Of course the gondola from a Nachts is smaller in size than the Rainbow's, but i would bet the ride would still be enjoyable. One could paint up the Nachts' gondola to look like that of the Rainbow's gondola, & even custom make a place for those island girls to stand on the sides. I'm just shooting out ideas that could work, AND put less stress on the driveshafts/gears on a Rainbow. Think about this, you know how fast a Rainbow can get? Well, talk about all of the Air Time you could get on that little 'ol Nachts gondola if it were mounted to a Huss Rainbow! Ha ha, that'd be narly! [:p] People would be like, wow, talk about Air Time!
Because it'd be a less-weighted gondola, and the Rainbow wouldn't know how to act, it'd be doing alot more RPMs with a lighter weighted gondola. The operator would have to slow it down more than usual probably. Another thing, the welds and such would have to be double strong or tensil strength if a show decided to do this with their Rainbow, or a park decided to do it with theirs...to mount an Ali Baba / 1001 gondola onto a Huss Rainbow, but taking some things from the Rainbow gondola to put onto the 1001's gondola like those island girls. Who else thinks that plan would go far, or wouldn't go far? I'd like to hear your comments. It would surely be less stressful for a Huss Rainbow's driveshafts, therefore, less chance of them giving-way. Yes, it would look out of the ordinary, seeing a Nachts' gondola on a Rainbow, but other than that, i think it'd be a great ride indeed. Plus the 1001 has those restraints.
It'd surely need 'em with a Rainbow cranked up top notch, you talk about Air Time over the top with a 1001 gondola attached to a Rainbow, oh man! LOL [:0] Later then But first off, the mounting plate for the gondola on a Nachts is most likely different than the Rainbow's, so, there's where the custom stuff would come into play, to make a Nachts gondola fit a Rainbow's pivoting plate that it bolts onto.
~Ben