Colossus (Ferris wheel)

Colossus
Colossus
Location	Six Flags St. Louis
Area	1904 World's Fair
Coordinates	38°30′53″N 90°40′35″W / 38.5146403°N 90.6763834°W / 38.5146403; -90.6763834Coordinates: 38°30′53″N 90°40′35″W / 38.5146403°N 90.6763834°W / 38.5146403; -90.6763834
Opening date	1986
Replaced	Petting Zoo
Model	Ferris wheel
Height	54.9 m (180 ft)
Speed	10 mph (16 km/h)
Vehicles	32
Riders per vehicle	10

Colossus is a 180-foot (54.9 m) tall Ferris wheel located at Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri, USA. It is 165 feet (50.3 m) in diameter, weighs 180 short tons (160 metric tons), and has a maximum capacity of 320 people.^[1]

Colossus is currently the tallest Ferris wheel at a theme park in the United States.^[2] The outright tallest US wheel is the 212-foot (64.6 m) Texas Star, at the Texas State Fair.

Colossus was originally debuted at the 1984 New Orleans World's Fair.^[1] It and the other rides at the Exposition were operated by Six Flags, Inc. The ride cost $2.50 per passenger at that point. The wheel turned at a rate of 1½ revolutions per minute which equates to 10 mph (16.1 km/h).^[3]

At Six Flags St. Louis Colossus currently stands where the Pet-A-Pet petting zoo once was. The zoo was removed in 1985 to make more room for the 1986 addition of Colossus.^[4]

As of 1992 the wheel was lit by 2200 lights which displayed a 24-pattern performance with a starburst finale. During the months that the park was closed the lights displayed a giant clock face which was visible to those passing on nearby Interstate 44.^[3]

On 17 June 2009 there was a power outage at Six Flags St. Louis and as a result several park guests had to be manually released from the rides. Colossus was the most difficult ride for the park employees to release riders from, because, with no power, the wheel had to be manually cranked to get the passengers to the ground, which took about 75 minutes.^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Six Flags introduces ride". Southeast Missourian. March 13, 1986. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=f8cfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kNgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4343,1575947&hl=en. 
2. ^ "Colossus Ferris Wheel". Theme Park Insider. http://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/six_flags_st._louis/colossus_ferris_wheel/. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Anderson, Norman D. (1992), Ferris Wheels: An Illustrated History, Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, p. 138, ISBN 9780879725327, http://books.google.com/books?id=SkFQ5tgWKfEC&pg=PA138&lpg=PA138 
4. ^ "Six Flags St. Louis History". Theme Park Timelines. http://timelines.home.insightbb.com/sfsl_years.htm. 
5. ^ Power Outage Strikes Six Flags Over St. Louis

External links

• Official website