Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel (also known as a big wheel) is a nonbuilding structure consisting of an upright wheel with passenger gondolas suspended from the rim.
Ferris wheels are a common type of amusement park ride and may also be found at urban parks and public places. Ferris wheels usually hold about 50-100 people.
History
The Ferris wheel is named after Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduate and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania bridge-builder, George Ferris. He began his career in the railroad industry and then pursued an interest in bridge building. Ferris understood the growing need for structural steel and founded G.W.G. Ferris & Co. in Pittsburgh, a firm that tested and inspected metals for railroads and bridge builders.
Ferris designed and built the first 264 foot (80 meter) wheel for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois in 1893. The wheel was intended as a rival to the Eiffel Tower, the centerpiece of the 1889 Paris exhibition. This first wheel could carry 2,160 persons; The Ferris wheel was the largest attraction at the Columbian Exposition standing over 250' tall and powered by two 1000 HP steam engines. There were 36 cars each the size of a school bus that accommodated 60 people each (40 seated, 20 standing). It took 20 minutes for the wheel to make two revolutions - the first to make six stops to allow passengers to exit and enter; the 2nd a single non-stop revolution - and for that, the ticket holder paid 50 cents. The wheel was moved twice after the 1893 Fair and was eventually destroyed (by controlled demolition) in 1904 after it was used at the St. Louis exposition of that year. At 70 tons, its axle was the largest steel forging of the time. It was 26 stories tall, only a quarter of the Eiffel Tower's height.[1]
The Travels of Peter Mundy, 1608-1667 describes and illustrates "Several sorts of Swinginge used in their Publique rejoyceings att their feast of Biram" in the Ottoman Balkans. Among means “lesse dangerous and troublesome” only for children was a Ferris wheel “like a Craine wheele att Customhowse Key” where the passengers swing on short swings, sometimes sitting sometimes hanging trapeze fashion. The illustration here is of a different Turkish design, apparently for adults.
Another famous Ferris wheel with a height of 65 meters (213 feet), dating back to 1897, is the Riesenrad in Vienna's Prater in the second district of Leopoldstadt. It was designed by Hubert Cecil Booth. See also World's Fair...
London, UK had its very own 'Gigantic Wheel' built at Earls Court in 1895, which was modelled on the original one in Chicago. This wheel stayed in service until 1906 by which time it had carried over 2.5 million passengers. It was built by two young Australian engineers named Adam Gaddelin and Gareth Watson and was the first of over 200 Ferris wheels that they built world-wide.
For the 1900 Paris Exposition a 'Grande Roue', of similar size and design to Ferris', was constructed and kept in operation until its demolition in 1937. The French wheel operated 40 cars (as opposed to Chicago's 36), and is clearly visible in photos of the 1900 exhibition. [1]
The London Eye, in London, England, measuring 135 meters high, had until very recently been the world's largest, but has since been eclipsed by the The Star of Nanchang [2]. Located in the Chinese city of Nanchang , Jiangxi Province , this new Ferris wheel measures 162 meters high. The London Eye remains the largest in the Western Hemisphere.[2]
Observation wheels
Recent large Ferris wheels have been marketed as "observation" wheels to differentiate them from the smaller Ferris wheels, but ironically are more similar to the original Ferris wheel than the smaller modern wheels.
The London Eye is in London, England. Its great popularity has led to a number of other cities, including Manchester, Birmingham and York (The Yorkshire Wheel), Moscow,Belfast, Nanchang, Las Vegas, Shanghai, Melbourne, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore erecting, or proposing to erect, similar wheels.
Double and triple wheels
In the mid to late 1970s, coaster company Intamin AG invented a new twist on the common Ferris wheel. Using long arms to hold the wheels, they created a way to load and unload Ferris wheels more quickly. In 1976, 2 Sky Whirls opened at Marriott's Great America (IL, CA) and were the first triple wheels. Triple wheels were attached to three long arms mounted equal distance in a circle on a central tower. When loading/unloading passengers, the 3 arms would rotate until one arm was at the loading area and hydraulics would bring that arm/wheel to the ground.
A two-arm version titled "Zodiac" was also installed at Kings Island in Ohio as well as Hersheypark in PA titled "Giant Wheel." The double wheels were attached to a long, straight arm. The arm was mounted in the center on a central tower. When the hydraulics lowered one side, the other raised.
The Kings Island Zodiac was relocated to Australia's Wonderland but closed in 2004.
All models featured 8-10 passenger cages. The cages were attached to the wheels by chains. When the wheel was in the loading position, it was horizontal and all cages could be loaded at once. As the arm raised or rotated, the wheel moved to a vertical position and provided a typical Ferris-wheel ride, only much higher from the ground.
Another version of this ride existed at Magic Mountain in California titled "Galaxy." This ride was similar to the Zodiac, except the arms did not raise as far off the ground. The arms on this ride were shaped more in a "V", than a straight line, and the central tower was shorter. On each wheel were 4 smaller wheels that also rotated, providing a double vertical rotating movement.
A fourth version of the ride was installed and removed at Astroworld in Texas titled "Morowheel." It was also similar to the Zodiac model, but had the shorter tower/"V" arm configuration of the Galaxy.
More Ferris wheels and manufacturers
- Allan Herschell
- Seattle Wheel--The Seattle Wheel has 15 cars with up to two people per car.
- Ronald Bussink Professional Rides
- R60 - 60 meter wheel with 42 enclosed capsules with air conditioning. The largest transportable Ferris wheel in the world. Seen in Birmingham, Manchester, York, Seville, Dresden, Malaysia, Niagara Falls and elsewhere. It requires at least twenty 40ft containers to transport it and is ballasted with water.
- Chance Morgan
- Astro Wheel--There are 16 cars with up to two people per car. Half of the cars face one way, and the other half the other way.
- Century Wheel--This Ferris wheel has 15 cars with up to four people per car.
- Giant Wheel--This ride has 20 cars with up to six people per each car. This is one of the biggest production Ferris wheels, and requires at least two 18-wheelers to transport it.
- Sky Wheel--This Ferris wheel is a double wheel. There is a wheel on top, and bottom of the ride. There are eight cars per each wheel with up to two people for each car.
- Childress
- Expo Wheel There are 16 cars with up to two people each per car. The seating on this wheel is much like the Eli Bridge Hy #5, or Chance's Astro Wheel.
- Eli Bridge [3]
- Eagle Wheel--This ride has 16 cars with up to three people per car.
- Hy #5 Big Eli Wheel--Some of these rides are cable driven while others are rim driven. This ride has 12 cars with up to three people per car.
- Little Wheel--This ride is much smaller in dimensions, but it still has 12 cars with up to two people per car.
- Intamin
- Coaster Wheel--This type of Ferris wheel is a little different. Some of the 16 cars move on a track in the middle of the wheel. There are also 8 cars on the outside of the ride that do not move much, and do not have a track. One of these is located at Disney's California Adventure, and another is located at Coney Island. Each of these cars can hold up to six people.
List of world's largest Ferris and observation wheels
| Name | Height (m) | Year Built | Country | Town | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Beijing Wheel | 208 | 2008 | China | Beijing | Under construction for Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics |
| Singapore Flyer | 165 | 2007 | Singapore | Singapore | Under construction |
| The Star of Nanchang | 160 | 2006 | China | Nanchang | |
| London Eye | 135 | 1999 | UK | London | |
| Southern Star Observation Wheel | 120 | 2008 | Australia | Melbourne | Under construction |
| Changsha Ferris Wheel | 120 | 2004 | China | Changsha | |
| Zhengzhou Ferris Wheel | 120 | 2003 | China | Zhengzhou | |
| Sky Dream Fukuoka | 120 | 2002 | Japan | Fukuoka | |
| Daiya to Hana Ferris Wheel | 117 | 2001 | Japan | Edogawa, Tokyo | Located on Kasai Rinkai Park |
| Palette Town Ferris Wheel | 115 | 1999 | Japan | Odaiba, Tokyo | |
| Cosmo Clock 21 | 113 | 1999 | Japan | Yokohama | |
| Harbin Ferris Wheel | 110 | ? | China | Harbin | |
| HEP Five | 106 | 1998 | Japan | Osaka | |
| Tempozan Harbor Village Ferris wheel | 100 | 1997 | Japan | Osaka | |
| Ferris Wheel of Paris | 100 | 1900 | France | Paris | Built in 1900 for world exhibition; demolished in 1937. |
| Space Eye | 100 | ? | Japan | Kita-Kyushu | |
| Eurowheel | 90 | 1999 | Italy | Savio | |
| Janfusun FancyWorld | 88 | ? | Taiwan | Yunlin | |
| Big O | 80 | 2003 | Japan | Tokyo | First-ever Ferris wheel without center-axis.[4] |
| The Ferris Wheel | 80 | 1893 | USA | Chicago | First-ever Ferris wheel; built for World's Colombian Exposition (World's Fair); demolished. |
| Panoramic Wheel | 75 | ? | Russia | Moscow | |
| Miramar Entertainment Park | 70 | 2002 | Taiwan | Taipei | Including the building it stands on it is 100m tall. |
| Texas Star | 65 | 1985 | USA | Dallas/Fair Park | Largest Ferris wheel in North America |
| Vienna Ferris Wheel | 64.8 | 1897 | Austria | Vienna | |
| Belfast Eye | 60 | 2007 | UK | Belfast | |
| Eye on Malaysia | 60 | 2006 | Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | |
| La Noria Panoramica De Sevilla | 60 | 2006 | Spain | Seville | World Tourist Attractions Transportable Ferris Wheel |
| Norwich Union Yorkshire Wheel | 60 | 2006 | UK | York | World Tourist Attractions Transportable Ferris Wheel |
| Riesenrad Dresden | 60 | 2006 | Germany | Dresden | World Tourist Attractions Transportable Ferris Wheel |
| Wheel of Manchester | 60 | 2006 | UK | Manchester | World Tourist Attractions Transportable Ferris Wheel |
| Wheel of Birmingham | 60 | 2004 | UK | Birmingham | World Tourist Attractions Transportable Ferris Wheel |
| Hablützel Ferris Wheel | 60 | 2003 | Switzerland | various locations | Transportable Ferris Wheel |
| Roue de Paris | 60 | 1999 | France | Paris | |
| Steiger-60-metres Ferris Wheel | 60 | 1980 | Germany | various locations | Transportable Ferris Wheel |
| Eye of Emirates | 60 | ? | UAE | Dubai | |
| Sea World Eye | 60 | ? | Australia | Gold Coast | |
| Panoramic Wheel | 56 | 2001 | Belarus | Minsk | |
| SkyWheel | 53.3 | 2006 | Canada | Clifton Hill | |
| Bellevue | 53 | 1994 | Germany | various locations | Transportable Ferris Wheel |
| Kipp Europa Ferris Wheel | 53 | 1994 | Germany | various locations | Transportable Ferris Wheel |
| Giant Wheel | 50.3 | 1982 | USA | Darien Lake | Originally purchased from 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville |
| Dream-Mall | 50 | 2007 | Taiwan | Kaohsiung | Including the building it stands on it is 102.5m tall |
| Willenborg Oktoberfest Ferris Wheel | 50 | 1979 | Germany | various locations | Transportable Ferris Wheel |
| Giant Ferris Wheel | 47.5 | 1985 | USA | New Jersey | |
| Navy Pier Ferris Wheel | 46 | USA | Chicago | ||
| The Giant Wheel | 46 | 1991 | USA | Louisville |
References
- ^ Erik Larson. (2003) The Devil in the White City, page 258.
- ^ LeRoy Ashby, "Review of Ferris Whels: An Illustrated History," The Historian 69.3 (Fall, 2007): 603-604.
northern ireland
External links
- Eye On Malaysia
- Singapore Flyer
- Ferris wheel patents
- Bellevue Ferris wheel at Luxembourg Schueberfouer
- Information about a triple wheel, Sky Whirl
- The Yorkshire Wheel A 54m observation wheel at the National Railway Museum, York, England.
- London Eye homepage
- Niagara SkyWheel homepage
- Manchester City Council Wheel of Manchester page
- World's tallest Ferris wheel - The Star of Nanchang
- A video of Eli bridge Erecting a Ferris wheel in 1949