Dalek

Edwin Hall's stand at the Amusement Trades Exhibition - The Coin Slot, January 1966

The Doctor Who Dalek ride was made by Edwin Hall & Co. and released in January 1966.  Upon insertion of sixpence, the ride would rotate to a soundtrack of the original Doctor Who theme tune and Dalek voices.  There was a seat located quite close to the floor, from which the rider could control the two arms on the front of the ride by way of levers inside.  Some Dalek rides also included a periscope feature, but this seems to have been discontinued quite soon after their release (possibly due to the cost of producing them).

Edwin Hall's stand at the Amusement Trades Exhibition - The Coin Slot, December 1966

At the November 1966 Amusement Trades Exhibition, Edwin Hall released a second version of the ride, the "Dalek Supreme", painted in black to resemble the leader of the Daleks.  The regular red version was then renamed the "Dalek Ordinary".

1966 Edwin Hall Catalogue

This was quite possibly the most popular ride of the 1960s and there seems to have been one outside just about every seaside amusement arcade at the time!

I can distinctly remember sucking up courage to ride the one at Bognor Pier and actually being scared that I would get my fingers caught in the slots where the levers were located!  The moving parts were a very clever idea for their time, but there were sharp metal edges everywhere!  It's a wonder that 1960s children didn't end up losing a finger after riding in these things - maybe children were more sensible back then!  They definitely wouldn't pass modern health and safety laws.

The Dalek is of course very popular with Doctor Who enthusiasts, so hopefully this is one ride which will be preserved in private collections for many more years to come.

This Dalek was auctioned by Unique Auctions Lincoln in 2013. It came from an amusement arcade in Mablethorpe originally, possibly Jackson's Pastimes.