Home made Dark Ride.
It's very interesting to research the history of dark rides. Most began in a carnival as a sideshow attraction. Some were the love canal two seaters in a small boat on water ... with a few jumpscares. Now they've gotten so large as to hold six or eight people and are even trackless.
I think it would be great to make your own single person Dark Ride for the ultimate Halloween decorated house.
Based on affordable Mobility scooters, maybe a good condition used one for $500. I've seen some people do this on YouTube and here is a link ...
watch?v=NdCotfhZWLE
If I was going to design it I would make a modular track system. Straight tracks, a sharp curve, and a gentle curve. My first thought was to sell the modified scooter and the modular tracks to the public. I'd love to see what they come up with when they'd make their own dark ride.
Go Big.
A bigger business idea is to make 20 cars for myself, and like 300 ft of modular tracks, and rent empty Warehouse spaces around Halloween, like the spirit of Halloween does. Set up an elaborate decorated Halloween theme ride, and sell tickets. I'd also sell simple concessions like sodas, chips, ice cream. To start out most of the decorations can be from Home Depot and Spirit of Halloween. Just do a great job and people will love it.
Even Bigger.
You could expand the business idea, by redecorating the entire space for Christmas theme. Now it's a Santa's North Pole ride for the kiddies and family. If you did any of these where it's not near any other entertainment like Disneyland, you would get all the local families coming out. You could add simple mini golf, etc.
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The engineering.
For the tracks I would use 4x8 sheets of plywood. Underneath it would be 2x2s and 2x4s, to make a 1.5 inch space. The track itself would be a single 3/4 inch EMT Steel, or PVC tube. This would be raised by short blocks maybe 1 in tall. They link together with tube inserts. Each modular track section would be screwed together by short pieces of plywood. Pretty low Tech but also very affordable. Paint all the panels black.
The scooter itself modified steering by a front triangular bar that has a wheel on top and two wheels on each side, with small springs to keep the tension on.
The modified scooter, ( a Ride Vehicle Car) , has a speed limiter, and is controlled on and off by a simple wireless radio remote control. It's hands-free and no steering needed. Throughout the ride there are small cameras that the operator can watch as the RVC travels through the course.
I thought a lot about two stories, and if there was a way to drive the cars up a gradual ramp. I think it's not very practical at all to go uphill. But you could do two stories if everybody's rides started on the second Floor, and after completing the level taking a gentle ramp down and doing the bottom level. Then an employee can take four or more scooters at a time, up the elevator to the start of the ride. Or to mechanize that you can use a version of my Swift lift,
or a looping cable on pulleys that hook a succession of empty cars to pull them quickly up a steep incline.
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