The '95 Raft Race
In 1995, the raft was a 75-foot long train composed of five separate cars.
This is a long shot of the train performing its act near Barton Creek, and
near the take-out point.
The float re-enacted the Great Train Robbery. Three bandits attacked the
train; two "galloped" up the sides of the train, and one climbed
over the caboose and passenger car to jump down on the flat car carrying
the payroll safe.
Fortunately, the Marshal is riding nearby, and saves the day. It's a little
known fact that many marshals in the Old West wore sandals and carried cookies.
Building the train required a couple of months for a sizable crew, and the
occasional casualty.
The locomotive was one extermely heavy piece of work; we moved
it with a couple of hand trucks and lots of bodies. It contained a powerful
trolling motor and a fog machine to provide smoke for the stack and wheel
cylinders. It was crewed by three engineers.
The coal car contained the sound system and two generators (for the sound
system and the fog machines).
The flat car held the payroll safe and a number of fake cargo boxes. The
boxes held spare batteries for the locomotive and the horse floats. It was
crewed by several highly ineffecive train guards.
The passenger car held lots of drinks and snack food, as well as some hardware
for quick repairs. It was also a good place to rest between shows.
The caboose had another trolling motor mounted, and held more drink coolers
and equipment. It was crewed by one political candidate and his wife. It
also provided refuge for the conductor.
The bad guys and the marshal rode horse floats, built from foam over a plywood
frame. They used styrofoam outriggers for flotation and stability. They
used trolling motors for mobility. Spare batteries for the horses were carried
on the flatcar.
Oh, yeah, there were a few other floats on the river. This one was a floating
Viking dogcow from Apple Computer.
Our float was the only one to complete the race under our own power. Here
are a few photos from the takeout point.
What will '96 be? Come to Town Lake and find out!
There have been passengers wandering
here.
Credits
All text and layout copyright 1996 Jim
Gould
Photos copyright 1996 Jim Gould,
Jane Holcomb, Anne Klumpf
Back to The Raft Race
Direct questions and comments to Jim Gould
(jgould@io.com)
