Ferris wheel

[After George Washington Gale Ferris (1859-1896), American engineer.]

Background

A ferris wheel is an amusement park ride consisting of a large vertical wheel with places for people to sit or stand spaced evenly around the outer circumference. In operation, the ferris wheel revolves about a horizontal axis, and the riders are alternately lifted and then lowered as they are carried around the wheel in a circle. When the wheel stops, the people in the seat or platform at ground level exit the ride, and new riders take their place. The wheel then revolves a short distance until the next seat or platform is at ground level, allowing more people to exit and enter. This procedure is repeated until all the seats or platforms are filled with new riders, at which time the wheel is set in motion to undergo several complete revolutions. Although the name "ferris wheel" was not used until the 1890s, the wheel itself has been a part of human festivities for hundreds of years.

History

The earliest designs of wheels used for amusement rides may have been based on the large, circular wheels used to lift water for irrigation. In fact, knowing the human spirit, it is probable that adventuresome children used these water wheels for entertainment from the time they were first developed in about 200 B.C.

English traveler Peter Mundy described what he called a "pleasure wheel" with swings for seats after he visited a street fair in Turkey in 1620. In England, small handturned wheels were called "ups-and-downs" as early as 1728.

Whatever they were called, amusement wheels found their way to many parts of the world. One of the first wheels in the United States was built in 1848 by Antonio Maguino, who used it to draw crowds to his rural park and picnic grounds in Walton Spring, Georgia. As the concept of mixing amusement rides with park and picnic facilities caught on, several companies began manufacturing wheels of various designs. In 1870, Charles W.P. Dare of Brooklyn made several wood wheels of 20-and 30-ft (6.1-and 9.1-m) diameters, which he sold as the Dare Aerial Swing. The Conderman Brothers of Indiana made an even larger wheel when they developed a 35-ft (10.7-m) metal wheel in the 1880s.

The race for larger wheels culminated in early 1893 when American bridge builder and engineer, George Washington Gale Ferris, began building a 250-ft (76.2-m) wheel for the 1893 Colombian Exposition in Chicago. Designed like a bicycle wheel, with a stiff steel outer rim hung from the center axle by steel spokes under tension, the wheel could carry as many as 1,440 passengers at a time in 36 enclosed cars. The center axle was 33 in (84 cm) in diameter and 45.5 f (13.9 m) in length. It weighed 46.5 tons (42.2 metric tons) and was the largest steel forging ever produced at the time. The giant wheel opened on June 21, 1893, and drew more than 1.4 million paying customers during the 19 weeks it was in operation. The overwhelming success of Ferris' design ensured that his name would be forever linked with such wheels.

One of the people who rode the ferris wheel at the Colombian Exposition was American inventor and bridge builder William E. Sullivan. Sullivan was fascinated with the wheel and rode it many times. What was especially attractive to him was the possibility of making a smaller wheel that could be taken down and moved from one park or fairground to another. Drawing on his experience with bridges, he designed a 45-ft (13.7-m) transportable wheel with twelve three-passenger seats in 1900. In 1906 he formed the Eli Bridge Company and started manufacturing his wheel in Roodhouse, Illinois. Later he moved the company to Jacksonville, Illinois, where it remains in operation today. Most of the ferris wheels found in carnivals and fairs in the United States are made by the Eli Bridge Company.

Raw Materials

Because of the unique design of a ferris wheel, most of the component parts are fabricated by the manufacturer. Steel is the most common raw material and is used to make the trailer chassis, wheel support towers, wheel spokes, and wheel crossmembers. A variety of structural steel shapes are used depending on the application. They include square tubing, round tubing, angles, channels, and wide-flanged beams. Aluminum diamond tread plate is used for the entrance and exit walk-ways and for the operator's platform.

Aluminum is used to make the seats and the drive rims. The drive rims are rolled out of aluminum angle stock and are attached to the spokes to form a large circle about 10 ft (3 m) smaller in diameter than the outer rim of the wheel itself. Two rubber drive wheels press against the drive rims on each side to rotate the wheel. Aluminum is used in this application because the constant rubbing of the drive wheels quickly removes the paint on the rims, exposing the bare metal. If steel were used, it would rust.

The cushions used on the seats are molded from a self-skinning polyurethane foam. This material forms a solid, smooth skin on the outside, while the inside remains a compressible foam. Nylon is used for some of the bushings, and a phenolic plastic is used in some of the electrical components. Support cables within the wheel structure may have a plastic cover for appearance and protection from the elements. The electrical rings that carry electrical power from the hubs to the lights along the rotating spokes are made of copper, and the brushes that bring the power to the rings are made of carbon.

Some ferris wheel components are purchased from other manufacturers and are installed on the ferris wheel when it is built. These include the axles, brakes, tires, and wheels on the trailer. Other purchased components include the electric drive motors, the electrical wires and cables, and the electrical light bulbs and sockets.

Design

Ferris wheels that are designed to be transported on the road from one location to another must conform to the overall width, height, and length restrictions for highway vehicles. Although these restrictions vary from state to state, most states limit the trailer width to 8.5 ft (2.6 m), the height to 13.5 ft (4.1 m), and the length to 55 ft (16.8 m). No matter how big or small the ferris wheel is when it is opened and in operation, it must fold down to meet these restrictions when it is travelling on the highway.

The ferris wheel must also be designed to operate safely. This requires calculations to ensure the horizontal and vertical forces of the fully loaded wheel can be supported when the wheel is in operation. It also requires the design of safety interlocks to prevent the wheel from revolving during loading and unloading operations, and to prevent the operator from inadvertently operating the wheel in an unsafe manner.

The Manufacturing Process

The manufacturing processes used to make ferris wheels varies with the design of the wheel and the manufacturer. Most of the components are built in different parts of the shop before they are brought to the main construction area for final assembly. Here is a typical sequence of operations used to build a transportable ferris wheel used in carnivals and county fairs. In operation, the wheel described is about 60 ft (18.3 m) in diameter with a capacity to carry up to 48 riders in 16 seats.

Building the chassis

• The trailer chassis forms the base for the ferris wheel, both when it is being transported on the highway and when it is in operation. The component parts of the chassis are cut to length, either with a metal-cutting saw or with a torch, and are welded together. Two vertical support posts are welded to the forward section of the chassis. These posts hold the upper end of the two wheel support towers when they are in their lowered position for travelling.
• The completed chassis is then sandblasted to remove any scale and spatter formed during the welding operation. This ensures a smooth surface appearance and prevents the scale from chipping off later and leaving patches of bare steel.
• The chassis is then coated with a rust-in-hibiting primer. After the primer has dried, one or more coats of finish paint are applied in the desired color.

Installing the towers

• The two wheel support towers are fabricated and painted elsewhere and are lifted into position on the chassis. The lower ends are attached to hinges on each side of the chassis, and the upper ends rest on the two support posts. The towers include ladders welded along one edge to provide access to the electrical rings and brushes at the wheel hubs and to the electrical drive motors and wheels that tum the drive rim on each side. The center axle is then installed between the wheel hubs at the tops of the two towers.
• A long hydraulic cylinder is attached between the chassis and the wheel support tower on each side, about halfway along the length of the tower. These hydraulic cylinders are used to raise the towers into their upright position when the ferris wheel is being set up for operation. The cylinders are secured in place with a pivot pin at each end.
• A separate lateral support arm is attached near the top of each wheel support tower. These arms each consist of two pieces of square tubing, with one piece slightly smaller in cross section so it slides inside the other. When the wheel support towers are raised for operation, the lateral support arms are pulled out to the side and the inner section of each is extended and locked in place with a pin. Two other pieces of square tubing are hinged to the chassis frame on each side and swing out to attach to the bases of the lateral supports. This gives the ferris wheel the required side-to-side stability it needs.
• Hydraulic and electrical lines are routed inside the chassis frame pieces where they will be protected. The operator's control station is installed and connected. The chassis axles, brakes, tires, wheels, and stabilizer jacks may be installed at this time or they may be installed after all other work is complete.

Installing the spokes

• Sixteen pairs of spokes run from the center hubs at the tops of the towers out to the seats. To install the spokes in the factory, the first pair of spokes is laid flat on the factory floor, and two crossmembers are installed between the spokes. One crossmember is located at the point where the drive rims will be attached, which is about 5 ft (1.5 m) in from the outer end of the spokes. A pair of curved sections of the drive rims are also bolted in place on each side at the same point. Only one end of the drive rim sections are bolted, leaving the other end free. This procedure is repeated for the remaining spokes, crossmembers, and drive rim sections until they form a stack. The inner ends of each pair of spokes are pinned to the pair below it. V-shaped lighting booms are installed between the center of every other outer crossmember as the stack is assembled. This overlapping pattern of lights produces a double-star effect.
• The stack is then lifted onto the trailer with an overhead crane, and the top pair of spokes is pinned to the hubs. In operation, the spokes are all pulled into the vertical position when the towers are raised. The spokes are then pinned to the hubs, one pair at a time, and the free ends of the drive rim sections are swung down and bolted to the adjacent spokes to form the wheel—like a paper fan being unfolded.
• Electrical cables are connected from the electrical rings at the wheel hubs to each lighting boom. Mechanical support cables are installed between the ends of the spokes around the outer circumference of the wheel. Other mechanical cables are installed in an x-pattern between each pair of spokes to give additional stability.

Finishing the wheel

• The entrance and exit stairs and walkways, safety fences, and trim pieces are fabricated, painted, and installed. The seats are fabricated and painted. In operation, four of the seats are carried attached to the wheel. The remaining seats are carried separately on the trailer and are manually lifted and pinned into place after the wheel is erected.

Safety Considerations

As with any amusement park ride, safety is the primary concern of both the manufacturer and the operator. Current safety regulations governing ferris wheels vary from city to city and state to state. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) is in the process of developing a comprehensive standard for the design, testing, manufacturing, and operation of all amusement park rides. Ferris wheel manufacturers and amusement park operators are actively participating in this process.

The Future

Having provided entertainment for several hundred years, if not several thousand years, the ferris wheel will probably continue to be a pleasurable experience for many years to come. Although roller coasters and other thrill rides may dominate amusement parks, the ferris wheel will still give riders the gentle thrill of being carried up in the air in an open seat to hang high above the crowds on a warm summer evening.

Where to Learn More

Books

Anderson, Norman D., and Walter R. Brown. Ferris Wheels. New York: Pantheon Books, 1983.

Periodicals

Marks, D., and J. Barfield. "Riding High." People Weekly (November 15, 1999): 62-63.

Other

Eli Bridge Company. http://www.elibridge.com (October 13, 2000).

[Article by: Chris Cavette]

A noted feature of the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893 was a huge upright steel wheel three hundred feet tall and thirty feet wide, with thirty-six passenger cars, each of which could hold sixty people, swinging around the wheel's rim. This was the Ferris wheel. Although not the first such contraption, it became the most famous. George W. G. Ferris, a Pittsburgh engineer, built the wheel upon hearing the lament that there was nothing planned for the fair as novel as the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Exposition of 1889.

His wheel became one of the main attractions on the exposition's Midway Plaisance.

Bibliography

Adams, Judith A. The American Amusement Park Industry: A History of Technology and Thrills. Boston: Twayne, 1991.

—Alvin F. Harlow/A. E.

A Ferris wheel (also known as an observation wheel or big wheel) is a nonbuilding structure, consisting of an upright wheel with passenger gondolas attached to the rim.

The original Ferris wheel was designed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., as a landmark for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The term Ferris wheel later came to be used generically for all such rides.

London Eye

Contents 1 History 2 World's tallest Ferris wheels 3 Observation wheels 4 Double and triple wheels 5 Manufacturers 6 In popular culture 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

History

The first Ferris wheel, built for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago

Wiener Riesenrad, Vienna

The Ferris wheel is named after George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, bridge-builder. 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 Chicago Wheel^[1][2] for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. The wheel was intended as a rival to the 324-metre (1,060 ft) Eiffel Tower, the centerpiece of the 1889 Paris Exposition. It was the largest attraction at the Columbian Exposition, with a height of 80 metres (260 ft), and was powered by two steam engines. The axle, a single 700.000-ton solid hammered steel forging, was forty-five feet long and thirty-two inches in diameter.^[3] There were 36 cars, accommodating 40 people each, giving a total capacity of 1,440. It took 190 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. When the Exposition ended, the wheel was moved to the north side, next to an exclusive neighborhood. William D. Boyce filed an unsuccessful Circuit Court action against the owners of the wheel, to have it moved. It was then used at the St. Louis 1904 World's Fair and eventually destroyed by controlled demolition using dynamite on May 11, 1906.^[4]

The Wiener Riesenrad is a surviving example of nineteenth century Ferris wheels. Erected in 1897 in the Prater park in the Leopoldstadt district of Vienna, Austria, it has a height of 64.75 metres (212.4 ft).^[5] Following the demolition of the 100-metre (330 ft) Grande Roue de Paris in 1920,^[6] the Riesenrad was the world's tallest extant Ferris wheel until the construction of the 85-metre (280 ft) Technocosmos for Expo '85 in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.

World's tallest Ferris wheels

The 165 m Singapore Flyer, world's tallest Ferris wheel since 2008

• 1893: the Chicago Wheel, the first-ever Ferris wheel, was 80 metres (260 ft) tall. It was built for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, and later moved to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. It was demolished in 1906.

• 1895: the Great Wheel was built for the Empire of India Exhibition at Earls Court, London, UK. Construction began in March 1894^[7] and it opened to the public on July 17, 1895.^[8] Modelled on the Chicago original, it was 94 metres (310 ft) tall ^[9] and was the first of over 200 Ferris wheels built by Australian engineers Adam Gaddelin and Gareth Watson. It stayed in service until 1906, by which time its 40 cars (each with a capacity of 40 persons) had carried over 2.5 million passengers, and was demolished in 1907.^[10]

• 1900: the Grande Roue de Paris was built for the Exposition Universelle of 1900, a world's fair held in Paris, France. It was demolished in 1920,^[6] but its 100-metre (330 ft) height was not surpassed until almost 100 years after its construction.

• 1997: the Tempozan Harbor Village Ferris wheel in Osaka, Japan, opened to the public on July 12, and is 112.5 metres (369 ft) tall.^{[citation needed]}

• 1999: the Daikanransha at Palette Town in Odaiba, Japan, is 115 metres (380 ft) tall.^{[citation needed]}

• 2000: the London Eye, in London, UK, is 135 metres (440 ft) tall. It was officially opened (by Tony Blair) on December 31, 1999, but did not open to the public until March 2000, because of technical problems. It is still the tallest in the Western Hemisphere.^[11]

• 2006: the Star of Nanchang, in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China, opened for business in May 2006 and is 160 metres (520 ft) tall.

• 2008: the Singapore Flyer, in Singapore, is 165 metres (541 ft) tall, and currently the world's tallest Ferris wheel. It started rotating on February 11, 2008, and officially opened to the public on March 1, 2008.

Name	Height (m)	Completed	Country	Location	Remarks
Singapore Flyer	165	2008	Singapore	Singapore	World's tallest
Star of Nanchang	160	2006	China	Nanchang	World's tallest at time of construction
London Eye	135	2000	UK	London	Europe's tallest
Suzhou Ferris Wheel [12]	120	2009	China	Suzhou
The Southern Star	120	2008	Australia	Melbourne	Tallest in Southern Hemisphere
Tianjin Eye	120	2008	China	Tianjin	Tallest built over a bridge
Changsha Ferris Wheel [citation needed]	120	2004	China	Changsha
Zhengzhou Ferris Wheel [citation needed]	120	2003	China	Zhengzhou
Sky Dream Fukuoka	120	2002	Japan	Fukuoka
Diamonds and Flowers Wheel [citation needed]	117	2001	Japan	Kasai Rinkai Park, Tokyo	Picture
Daikanransha [citation needed]	115	1999	Japan	Palette Town, Odaiba	World's tallest at time of construction Pictures
Star of Tai Lake [citation needed]	115	2008	China	Wuxi, Jiangsu
Cosmo Clock 21 [13]	112.5	1999	Japan	Yokohama	Pictures
Tempozan Harbor Village Ferris wheel	112.5	1997	Japan	Osaka	World's tallest at time of construction
Harbin Ferris Wheel [citation needed]	110	2003	China	Harbin
Jinjiang Park Ferris Wheel [citation needed]	108	2002	China	Shanghai
Grande Roue de Paris	100	1900	France	Paris	World's tallest 1900-1920 Demolished 1920 [6]
Space Eye [citation needed]	100	?	Japan	Kita-Kyushu
Great Wheel [9]	94	1895	UK	London	World's tallest at time of construction Demolished 1907
Aurora Wheel [14]	90	?	Japan	Nagashima Spa Land, Mie
Eurowheel [15]	90	1999	Italy	Mirabilandia, Ravenna	Currently Europe's second tallest
Janfusun FancyWorld [citation needed]	88	?	Taiwan	Yunlin
Technocosmos	85 [16]	1985	Japan	Expo '85, Tsukuba	World's tallest extant wheel at time of construction
Mashhad Fun Fair [citation needed]	80	2001 ?	Iran	Mashhad
Chicago Wheel	80	1893	USA	Chicago (1893-1903) St. Louis (1904-1906)	First-ever Ferris wheel Demolished 1906
HEP Five [17]	75	1998	Japan	Osaka	106 m tall including the building it stands on
Moscow-850 [18]	73 [19] or 75 [20]	1995 [20] or 1997[21]	Russia	All-Russia Exhibition Centre, Moscow	Tallest extant wheel in Europe at time of construction [20]
Polaris Tower [citation needed]	72	1993	South Korea	Daejon
Miramar Entertainment Park	70	2002	Taiwan	Taipei	100 m tall including the building it stands on
Riesenrad Vienna	64.75	1897	Austria	Prater, Vienna	World's tallest extant wheel 1920-1985
Texas Star [22]	64.6	1985	USA	Fair Park, Dallas	Currently tallest in North America
Kobe wheel [citation needed]	63.5	1981	Japan	Portopia, Port Island, Kobe	Dismantled Aug.2006? Picture
Shining Flower Wheel [23]	61.4	?	Japan	Inagi

Proposed, delayed, or not yet completed:

• The 208-metre (682 ft) Beijing Great Wheel, originally planned to open in 2008, has been delayed until 2010.^[24]

• The 198-metre (650 ft) Baghdad Eye has been proposed for an as yet undetermined site in Baghdad, Iraq.^[25]

• The 185-metre (607 ft) Great Dubai Wheel has been proposed for Dubailand, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.^[26]

• The 180-metre (591 ft) Voyager^[27] has been proposed several times for Las Vegas, Nevada.^[28]

• The 175-metre (574 ft) Great Berlin Wheel, originally planned to open in 2008, has been delayed until 2009.^[29]

• The 150-metre (492 ft) Jeddah Eye has been proposed for Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.^[30]

• The 122-metre (400 ft) Great Orlando Wheel for Orlando, Florida was announced in June 2008^[31] but then suspended in early 2009 after losing its funding.^[32]

• The 87-metre (285 ft) Pepsi Globe has been proposed for Meadowlands Xanadu in New Jersey.^[33]

The Shanghai Star, initially planned as a 200-metre (656 ft) tall wheel to be built by 2005, was revised to 170 metres (560 ft), with a completion date set in 2007, but then cancelled in 2006 due to "political incorrectness"^[34].

Rus-3000, a 170-metre (558 ft) wheel planned to open in 2004^[35] in Moscow,^[36] has since been reported cancelled.^[37] More recently, an approximately 180-metre (591 ft) ^[38] wheel has been considered for Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure,^[39][40] and a 150-metre (492 ft) wheel proposed for location near Sparrow Hills.^[41]

Observation wheels

Southern Star

Some operators prefer the term observation wheel to Ferris wheel and large Ferris wheels are sometimes marketed as observation wheels, to differentiate them from smaller Ferris wheels; however, the two are actually the same and any distinction between the two names is at the discretion of the wheel operator. Ironically, many of the wheels whose owners reject the term Ferris wheel, actually have more in common with the original Chicago Ferris wheel of 1893, particularly in terms of being an iconic landmark for a city or event.

The world's tallest wheel, the Singapore Flyer, is described as an observation wheel by its operators.^[42]

The London Eye (world's tallest, 2000-2006) is also described as an observation wheel by its operators.^[43]

The Star of Nanchang (world's tallest, 2006-2008) is usually referred to as a Ferris wheel, and less commonly as an observation wheel.

The Southern Star is described by its operators as "the only observation wheel in the southern hemisphere"^[44] but also as a Ferris wheel by the media.^[45][46]

Double and triple wheels

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2009)

Illustration of a Ferris wheel with sliding gondolas, built at Coney Island in the 1920. It still operates at Deno's Wonder Wheel Park. A replica can be found in Disney's California Adventure Park.

In the mid to late 1970s, coaster company Intamin AG invented a twist on the Ferris wheel. Using long arms to hold the wheels, they created a way to load and unload Ferris wheels more quickly. In 1976, two Sky Whirls opened, one at each of two Marriott's Great America theme parks (Illinois and California), and were the first triple wheels. Triple wheels contained three separate "wheels," each attached to one of three long boom arms which radiated from a spinning point on top of a central tower. When loading/unloading passengers, the 3 arms would rotate until one arm was above the loading area (while the other two wheels were still spinning in the air) 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 at Hersheypark in Pennsylvania, 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 it closed there in 2004.

All models featured cages, holding eight to ten passengers. 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 four 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 "Astrowheel." It was also similar to the Zodiac model, but had the shorter tower/"V" arm configuration of the Galaxy.

The Pike in Long Beach, CA had a double Ferris wheel that was one wheel atop another wheel of equal size. The two moved on an axis making a large circle as big as the two wheels combined, while each wheel turned on its own axis at the same time as they were both moving on the larger axis. Each wheel was the size of a regular style Ferris wheel.^{[citation needed]}

Manufacturers

Texas Star

Ferris wheel on the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey, USA

Drive-in Ferris wheel

Ferris wheel on Bürkliplatz in Zürich, Switzerland

Ferris wheel at the Canadian National Exhibition, Toronto

• The Great Wheel Corporation
• Allan Herschell Company
  • Seattle Wheel: has 15 cars with up to two people per car.
• Eli Bridge [1]
  • Eagle Wheel: 16 cars with up to three people per car.
  • Hy #5 Big Eli Wheel: some are cable driven, others are rim driven. Has 12 cars with up to three people per car.
  • Little Wheel: much smaller in dimensions, but it still has 12 cars with up to two people per car.
• Ronald Bussink Professional Rides (formerly Nauta Bussink) [2]
  • R60: 60 meter wheel with 42 enclosed capsules with air conditioning. The largest transportable Ferris wheel in the world. Seen in Germany (Dresden), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Spain (Seville), UK (Belfast, Birmingham, London, Manchester, York) and elsewhere. It requires at least twenty 40 ft (12 m) containers to transport it and is ballasted with water.
• Chance Morgan
  • Astro Wheel: 16 cars (eight facing one way, eight facing the other way) with up to two people per car.
  • Century Wheel: 15 cars with up to four people per car.
  • Giant Wheel: 20 cars with up to six people per car. This is one of the biggest production Ferris wheels, and requires at least two 18-wheelers to transport it.
  • Sky Wheel: 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.
• Intamin AG
  • Mickey's Fun 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 eight 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 car can hold up to six people.
• Roger Wadkins (formerly Bob Childress—Expo Wheels LLC)
  • Expo Wheel: 16 cars with up to two people per car. The seating on this wheel is much like the Eli Bridge Hy #5, or Chance's Astro Wheel.

In popular culture

• The Wiener Riesenrad in Vienna is the stage for a key scene in the 1949 film noir The Third Man. It is also featured in the 1987 James Bond film, The Living Daylights, and appears in the 1995 Richard Linklater film Before Sunrise.
• The hero of Robert Lawson's children's book The Great Wheel is part of the construction crew for the original Chicago Wheel.

See also

Abandoned Ferris wheel in Fort Dodge, Iowa

A transportable Ferris wheel in England

• List of amusement parks

References

1. ^ The Kensington Canal, railways and related developments
2. ^ Ferris wheels - an illustrated history - P.186
3. ^ The Dream City - Axle of the Ferris Wheel
4. ^ George Ferris
5. ^ Wiener Riesenrad - technical data
6. ^ ^{a b c} Ferris wheels - an illustrated history - P.141
7. ^ The Great Wheel, Earl's Court Exhibition Ground
8. ^ The Ferris Wheel's London Rival
9. ^ ^{a b} Great Wheel, Earls Court
10. ^ The Great Wheel, London
11. ^ LeRoy Ashby, "Review of Ferris Whels - An Illustrated History," The Historian 69.3 (Fall, 2007): 603–604
12. ^ The Ferris Wheel to Revolve Hopefully on May Day
13. ^ コスモクロック21
14. ^ Nagashima Resort Guide Book
15. ^ Mirabilandia - Vivi il Divertimento! Novità 2009 - ISpeed, il nuovo Roller Coaster!
16. ^ Ferris wheels - an illustrated history - P.141
17. ^ Hankyu REIT - HEP Five
18. ^ ÂÂÖ - Íîâîñòè
19. ^ В Москве остановилось "колесо обозрения" - Россия - Deutsche Welle - 09.08.2009
20. ^ ^{a b c} Мы на чертовом катались - В мире - GZT.ru
21. ^ Lenta.ru - В России - С колеса обозрения в Москве эвакуировали всех пассажиров
22. ^ The Bigger Ferris Wheels Get, the More Cash Flows
23. ^ Yomiuriland
24. ^ Beijing Great Wheel may face more delays
25. ^ Baghdad plans to build giant Ferris wheel
26. ^ Ferris wheels grow to new heights to attract the daring
27. ^ Voyager Entertainment International, Inc.
28. ^ Voyager Las Vegas
29. ^ Great Berlin Wheel
30. ^ Jeddah Eye
31. ^ Developer to roll out plans for Great Orlando Wheel attraction
32. ^ Planned Great Wheel for I-Drive area of Orlando on hold - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
33. ^ Pepsi Globe delayed
34. ^ Asia Times Online - China Business News - China's ill-conceived image projects
35. ^ World's Tallest Ferris Wheel Proposed In Moscow - Emporis.com
36. ^ Project has Muscovites going 'round and 'round - csmonitor.com
37. ^ Moscow Ferris Wheel, Moscow - Emporis.com
38. ^ Moscow News - Local - Bringing back the big whee
39. ^ Кризис закруглится в ЦПКиО - Мегаполис - GZT.ru
40. ^ Lenta.ru - В России - Для Парка Горького выберут новое колесо обозрения
41. ^ Чертово колесо - разберут в московском ЦПКиО - BN.ru газет
42. ^ We don't use the F-word
43. ^ Is it a Ferris wheel?
44. ^ Welcome to the Southern Star
45. ^ Work to spin Ferris wheel
46. ^ Southern Star Observation Wheel profile

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ferris wheel

• Ferris wheel patents

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