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The Amazing "Touring Rockets" of the 1950s!
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I found this advertizment for THE RALSTON ROCKET appearance at a fair...



And this page from a SPACE PATROL punchout book from 1954.



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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 25, 2017 7:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Those are both beautiful pieces of promotional art! Very nice! Very Happy

Today I noticed a very interesting difference between the "touring" Ralston Rocket and Ricky Walker's clubhouse version.

The fin on the top of the "touring" rocket is curved. The two on the sides might also be curved, but it's hard to be sure. Notice that since the rocket rests on its belly atop the flatbed trailer, there is no fin on the bottom.



___________


__________




However, the fin on the top of Ricky's rocket is straight — which I much prefer! There are no fins on the sides like the ones on the "touring" rocket, and the two quasi-fins at the bottom which connect with the flatbed are (by necessity) straight like the one on the top.









That means we can definitely conclude that the one discovered in the junkyard, shown below, is Ricky's clubhouse version.





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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Wed Mar 07, 2018 7:35 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 25, 2017 7:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

All of which would indicate that the touring model....The one with the instrament panel, diorama of Terra, and outfitted as a spaceship insides....went someplace else.

It's pretty sure that it became the BLAKELY OIL ROCKET in Arizona but where did it go from there?

Did it become a "reskinned" rocket and ressurect as the LUER ROCKET?

That rocket had an interrior set up with movie screen and seating, but it would have been easier to just build the rocket to the new specs. The hatches on both seem to be located similarly (Take into account that the new "skin" replaced the RR's front "stubby" bow with porthole windows with a sleeker tapered needle fronted bow, so the hatches would appear to be further back.)

Like you Bud, I'd like to see what the interior of the LUER ROCKET looked like then and now.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 25, 2017 9:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Let's consider the fact that these two great "rockets" were built to be part of the trailers they rode on.

With that in mind, observer the way the Ralston "touring" rocket's trailer is tilted upward when hooked to the truck which towed it. The front part of the trailer is higher off the ground than the back part.





Now observer the way the Luer rocket's trailer is parallel to the road below it, but it's forward portion raises the front of the rocket because of the trailer's "wedge" shape.









Clearly these are NOT the same trailers.

Therefore, they are NOT the same rockets attached to the top of them. We can also see differences between the trailers' forward sections which hook onto the trucks that pulled them.

When these facts are added to the drastic differences between the shapes of the two rockets' fuselages and the shapes of their fins (not to mention the way their rear ends do not look the same), it's not reasonable to think that the Luer rocket is a "reskinned" version of the touring version of the Ralston Rocket.

The defense . . . rests. Very Happy

_________________
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Wed Jul 26, 2017 9:09 am; edited 1 time in total
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 25, 2017 10:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree. AND I'd like to raise another point. In the book Space Patrol by Jean-Noel Bassior it shows an examination of the schedule for the visits of the TOURING fully spaceship-like interior versions-----shows visits on the same day on different sides of the country!

In other words---THERE HAD TO BE TWO OR MORE COPIES OF THE TOURING ROCKET!

The game is--indeed--afoot!

"High adventure in the wild vast reaches of space! Mission of daring in the name of interplanetary justice! Travel into the future with Buzz Corry, commander-in-chief of the Space Patrol!"
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 4:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Indeed it is, Dr. Gordo. Indeed it is . . .

I spent a large part of my day trying to get more information about the Blakely Oil Rocket. For the first few hours all I got was mis-information about the Ralston Rocket, the Ricky Walker clubhouse rocket, Silvercup Rocket, and the Luer Rocket.

One website stated that the Raltson Rocket was converted to Ricky's clubhouse rocket when the Ralston was finished with it. That's bogus, of course, because we know the final fate of Ricky's rocket (it was eventually scrapped), and we know the two rockets have significant physical difference.

A few facts I have confirmed is that the Ralston touring rocket, Ricky Walker's clubhouse rocket, and the Luer Rocket were all built by the Standard Carriage Works in Los Angles, CA.

Click the link above and scroll down. The pictures on the right side of the page are examples of the vehicles they've built, and the last three pictures are of the Ralson touring rocket, the Luer Rocket, and — wonder of wonders — the Blakely Rocket.

This is the only picture I've found of it, the one on that website.






I work on it a bit, and here's the result. Very Happy





Clearly this IS the Ralston Rocket, with it's distinctive oval-shaped cockpit windows and the four square portholes along the side. The lettering on the nose spells "Flagship Ar____", and the second word might be "Arizona", one of the two states the Blakely Rocket toured in. But that's just a guess, and it could be something like "Flagship Arrow". Who knows? Confused

I'm happy to report that the same web page presents the answers to many of the questions we've had about the various "touring rockets". Here's what it says, about halfway down the page.


Quote:
During the mid-1950s Standard Carriage Works built a number of promotional trailers that were outfitted to look like rocket ships, which were a common fixture in early children's television programming.

In 1953 they built two Ralston Rocket promotional trailers, a deluxe one used in promotional tours to promote Ralston's Space Patrol TV Show (aired on ABC 1950-1955), and a second smaller version that was awarded to Ricky Walker, the winner of the show's "Name the Planet" contest. They are also credited with building the similarly-styled Luer Meat Packing Company rocket which first appeared in late 1955.

The Ralston Rocket was later sold to the Blakely Petroleum Co., who sent the re-christened Blakely Oil Rocket to promote its "Rocket Gas" on promotional tours in Arizona and California during the late 1950s.

The Luer Rocket featured a 24-seat, 16 mm movie theater and a vibrating floor, and it was used to promote the firm's products at supermarket openings and other public events.

So, there you have it, guys. And every site I've found agrees on one thing: the Ralston / Blakely Rocket is still missing! Shocked
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Wed Mar 07, 2018 7:39 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 6:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

OK, here's another trip down the Traveli'n Rocket Rabbithole.

I found a reference to the Wisdom Astroliner Space Simulator Ride and did a search for it. There's TONS of pictures and information about it on the web, but I'll just touch on it here.



This rocket was built to be mainly an attraction or a "ride experience" and was (maybe still is) found at traveling carnival setups and amusement parks.



This rocket was built by the Wisdom Co. first in the early 60's, and extending to the 90's. But instead of being inspired by a TV themed show it was more in the NASA vein.

The interior seems to be identical to that described for the LUER ROCKET, two rows of seats facing forward to a view screen in the bow showing a flight into space. Future astronauts entered through a rear hatch, wheras in the RALSTON, SILVERCUP and LUER ROCKETS you entered in the front. The rocket moved slightly giving it sensations of movement.











According to a carnival ride website:
http://www.carnivalwarehouse.com/ride_index/rides.asp?ID=48

here's some info on it:

Classification: Major
Manufacturer: Wisdom Industries
Location of Manufacturer: Colorado, USA
Manufacturer's website: http://www.wisdomrides.com
Description: The Astroliner is a space ship themed simulator of the early 1990s.
Number of transport trailers: 1
Some shows that own this ride: Wade Shows, Wabash Valley Shows

There are a few videos on Youtube not only showing the rockets but copies of the movies that were projected during the ride.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY3m86GtFYE

Run a search for "Astroliner" or "Wisdom Astro Liner" and you'll see over 100 images. Also there are a few Youtube entries as well.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 7:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Just when I thought we had run out of fun things to discuss on this wonderful subject! Very Happy

Gord, this is impressive stuff considering the fact that it was done on Super 8 film on a very low budget . . . for a carnival ride! I love it!

Here's the video you posted the link to. Please buckle up for blast off, folks!



______________________ Astroliner Moonbase


__________

_________________
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Fri Mar 30, 2018 12:18 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 1:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I discovered these pictures of the Terra diorama that was displayed in the touring RALSTON ROCKET.

These were inside a display case about 3 feet long and 2 feet high fronted by a glass pane. This was located near the rear on the starboard side.













This picture of Buzz and Happy was taken inside the touring rocket too. Note the square porthole.



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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 11:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I found a large jpeg of the floor plan, but the labels on the sections were still hard to read, so I redid them all! Very Happy




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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 12:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Gord I think you actually got to see the miniatures used in the opening credits of Space Patrol!

I made these screen shots from a Youtube video, but I'm sure our new DVDs would yield better pictures. I might make a few and replace these.
Very Happy





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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 9:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote



This picture seems to have been taken in the RR also. It looks like the "space-o-phones" area on the diagram above.

Note that it's right next to the "Mass reaction control panel" that you can see at the bottom of the photo in my previous post.
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orzel-w
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2017 4:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is my interpretation of the Rocky Jones touring rocket from photos (without the trailering hardware).


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orzel-w
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2017 4:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's a drawing I made comparing the two Ralston touring rockets. These drawings portray the rockets without the flatbed trailers on which they were mounted.

The upper configuration seems to have been used by the cast for making publicity tours and appearances. The lower one was the grand prize giveaway in the Name the Planet contest.



~~~~~~~~~~~
Edit 29 Sep 2017: Revised nose contours.
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Last edited by orzel-w on Fri Sep 29, 2017 2:07 pm; edited 1 time in total
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orzel-w
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2017 2:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
I have no info about this photo, other than the suspicion that it isn't a "touring rocket" and that it might be located in San Francisco. Something about background seems to suggest that. Confused


. . . . . . . . .

Appearance at Burning Man event, 2009:

. . . . . . . . .

It actually is a touring rocket. It just doesn't have wheels, and must be disassembled between locations.
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