Colossus (Ferris wheel)
| Colossus | |
|---|---|
 Colossus | |
| Six Flags St. Louis | |
| Area | 1904 World's Fair |
| Coordinates | 38°30′53″N 90°40′35″W / 38.5146403°N 90.6763834°WCoordinates: 38°30′53″N 90°40′35″W / 38.5146403°N 90.6763834°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | 1986 |
| Replaced | Petting zoo |
| General statistics | |
| Manufacturer | Carousel Holland B.V. |
| Model | Ferris wheel |
| Height | 54.9 m (180 ft) |
| Speed | 10 mph (16 km/h) |
Colossus is a 180-foot tall (54.9 m) Ferris wheel at the Six Flags St. Louis theme park in Eureka, Missouri, United States. 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 was originally debuted at the 1984 New Orleans World's Fair.[1] It and the other rides there were operated by Six Flags, Inc. It cost $2.50 per passenger at that point. It turned at a rate of 1½ revolutions per minute which equates to 10 mph (16.1 km/h).[2]
Colossus stands where the Pet-A-Pet petting zoo used to be. That was removed in 1985 to make room for the addition of Colossus in the 1986 season.[3]
As of 1992 Colossus was lit by 2200 lights which displayed a 24-pattern performance with a starburst finale. During the months that the park was closed they displayed a giant clock face which was visible to those passing on nearby Interstate 44.[2]
On June 17, 2009 there was a power outage at the park and as a result several guests had to be manually released from certain rides. Colossus was the most difficult one for the employees to release riders from, because, with no power, it had to be manually cranked to get the passengers to the ground, which took about 75 minutes.[4]
For the 2018 season Colossus was modified to continuously rotate in order to improve operational efficiency.
References
- 1 2 "Six Flags introduces ride". Southeast Missourian. March 13, 1986.
- 1 2 Anderson, Norman D. (1992), Ferris Wheels: An Illustrated History, Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, p. 138, ISBN 978-0-87972-532-7
- ↑ "Six Flags St. Louis History". Theme Park Timelines.
- ↑ Power Outage Strikes Six Flags Over St. Louis