4 replies to this topic

[wf256]

I have a couple of postcards from these exhibitions including one from the 1911 centenial exhhibition, which shows a metallic structure in the background. A bit of surfing seems to demonstrate that it was a ride of sorts with two arms that went into the air and then down again.

Imagine a watchface with hands moving from quarter to three, twn to two, 5 to 1 and then midday. Then back again. (So not the same as the notoriosu flip flap railway from Sea Lion Park a decade earlier)

This: http://en.wikipedia....bition_1912.jpg is a view of another of theses fairs - in this case taken from the top of the flip flap, so it looks as though tit was there for the set of fairs.

I have never seen any reference to any other flip-flap. Was that it? And any ideas why not? It looks quite cute. Or did it resurface under a different name somewhere?

wf

[Randy Treadway]

Yes, the Flip-Flap was "the" ride of the White City Expositions, apparently quite popular. I think I have almost a hundred different postcard views of it. I'm not an engineer, but somehow it seems that one of the arms acted as a counterbalance for the other arm.

[Randy Treadway]

There's a really good two-part "then and now" visit to the White City Expos here:

Part 1:


Part 2:

[wf256]

Yes, the Flip-Flap was "the" ride of the White City Expositions, apparently quite popular. I think I have almost a hundred different postcard views of it. I'm not an engineer, but somehow it seems that one of the arms acted as a counterbalance for the other arm.

That's just amazing/ Interesting- thank you!.

And I'm really tickled pink by the idea of the swimming pool beingin the middle of the athletics track. Would have gotten exiting on javelin day

Thanks (yet) again Randy

[Randy Treadway]

And I'm really tickled pink by the idea of the swimming pool beingin the middle of the athletics track. Would have gotten exiting on javelin day

Not only that, but just outside the athletics track was a banked velodrome track for the cycling events.
All of that meant that the spectator seats ended up being quite a distance from the middle of the field. White City was really a huge stadium. All of that field space in the middle was used to bivouac soldiers in training, during the first World War.
After the first World War the White City fairgrounds met their end... but the stadium still thrived for many decades. Jim Ryun ran a great tactical mile race against Kip Keino there in 1967.