Colossus (Six Flags St. Louis)
Encyclopedia
Colossus is a 180 feet (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 (163.3 MT), and has a maximum capacity of 320 people.
Colossus is currently the tallest Ferris wheel at a theme park in the United States. The outright tallest US wheel is the 212 feet (64.6 m) Texas Star
, at the Texas State Fair.
Colossus was originally debuted at the 1984 New Orleans World's Fair
. 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).
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.
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
.
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.
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
located at Six Flags St. Louis
Six Flags St. Louis
Six Flags St. Louis , is an amusement park owned by Six Flags, Inc. It is located in Eureka, Missouri, USA . Opened in 1971 as the third theme park of the Six Flags chain, this was the last park that was built under the Six Flags name...
in Eureka, Missouri
Eureka, Missouri
Eureka is a city located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States, between St. Louis and Pacific, Missouri, along Interstate 44. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 10,189. The city is west of the former site of Times Beach, the site of dioxin contamination discovered in...
, USA. It is 165 feet (50.3 m) in diameter, weighs 180 short tons (163.3 MT), and has a maximum capacity of 320 people.
Colossus is currently the tallest Ferris wheel at a theme park in the United States. The outright tallest US wheel is the 212 feet (64.6 m) Texas Star
Texas Star
Texas Star is the tallest Ferris wheel in North America. It is located at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas, and operates during the annual State Fair of Texas, where it is the most popular ride....
, at the Texas State Fair.
Colossus was originally debuted at the 1984 New Orleans World's Fair
1984 Louisiana World Exposition
The 1984 Louisiana World Exposition was a World's Fair held in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was held 100 years after the city's earlier World's Fair, the World Cotton Centennial in 1884. It opened on Saturday, May 12, 1984 and ended on Sunday, November 11, 1984...
. It and the other rides at the Exposition were operated by Six Flags, Inc.
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
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).
At Six Flags St. Louis
Six Flags St. Louis
Six Flags St. Louis , is an amusement park owned by Six Flags, Inc. It is located in Eureka, Missouri, USA . Opened in 1971 as the third theme park of the Six Flags chain, this was the last park that was built under the Six Flags name...
Colossus currently stands where the Pet-A-Pet petting zoo
Petting zoo
A petting zoo features a combination of domestic animals and some wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. In addition to independent petting zoos, also called children's farms or petting farms, many general zoos contain a petting zoo...
once was. The zoo was removed in 1985 to make more room for the 1986 addition of Colossus.
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
Interstate 44
Interstate 44 is a major highway in the central United States. Its western terminus is in Wichita Falls, Texas at a concurrency with US 277, US 281 and US 287; its eastern terminus is at the Illinois state line on the Poplar Street Bridge over the Mississippi River in St...
.
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.