CP's double Ferris wheel
Shawn Trueman
main gate of Cedar Point? It was taken down in, I believe, the early 1980s. I
thought it was a great ride. You boarded the ride on the lower Ferris wheel and
during the ride the two wheels would switch positions (i.e. the upper wheel
would swing around and downward while the lower wheel would swing around and
upward). Each wheel also turned on its own axis like a regular Ferris wheel.
This ride would have been great to ride during CP's annual Physics Day in May,
when the park invites high school physics students to ride and perform
experiments on some of the rides. My physics class from St. Mary Central
Catholic High School in Sandusky went in 1988.
--Shawn Trueman
Dave Althoff
Chance. But I think the ride itself pre-dates Chance, and actually
belonged to one of the earlier companies, probably Herschell. (that's a
guess).
I was mad when they took out the Satellite Jets (most recently located
about where Calypso is now, next to the Blue Streak). But when I visited
CP on Labor Day 1993, I encountered probably a dozen people who complained
about the removal of the Sky Wheel. No, their comments weren't
prompted...they unloaded on me (since we were talking about the park)...in
the Magnum line, in the Town Hall Museum, in the Gemini line, under the
nearest shelter...It was the most incredible thing I've ever witnessed in
that park. It was almost like my tee shirt read, "Tell me your Sky Wheel
story!" (instead of "American Coaster Enthusiasts").
For whatever reason, I missed out on riding it. I do have the IHC
HO-scale model sitting on my bookshelf, though... 8-)
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
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Jerel Wohl
stru...@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Shawn Trueman) wrote:
>
> Does anyone remember the double Ferris wheel that used to be just inside the
> main gate of Cedar Point? It was taken down in, I believe, the early 1980s. I
> thought it was a great ride. You boarded the ride on the lower Ferris wheel and
> during the ride the two wheels would switch positions (i.e. the upper wheel
> would swing around and downward while the lower wheel would swing around and
> upward). Each wheel also turned on its own axis like a regular Ferris wheel.
There's a ride very similar to this at HersheyPark. However, I think that
wheel has been there for over 15 years.
Happy Fun Ball
Jerel Wohl <wo...@pobox.upenn.edu> wrote:
>In article <3jbi3q$7...@charm.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>,
>stru...@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Shawn Trueman) wrote:
>>
>> Does anyone remember the double Ferris wheel that used to be just inside the
>> main gate of Cedar Point? It was taken down in, I believe, the early 1980s. I
I don't remember this ride ever being at CP, but I do remember one
(the Zodiac) at King's Island last time I was there.
betsey
Adam S. Miller
bet...@salsa.columbia.edu (Happy Fun Ball) wrote:
> I don't remember this ride ever being at CP, but I do remember one
> (the Zodiac) at King's Island last time I was there.
>
> betsey
Betsey, the Zodiac is actually a triple-wheel configuration, isn't it? The
double-wheel, which disappeared sometime around 1980 from CP, did not have
closed cars like the CP Giant Wheel or KI Zodiac, but had bench seats like
ferris wheels at State Fairs (and, for you movie buffs, like the one shown
in "Sleeping with the Enemy"). I was only 10, and that thing made quick
transitions from wheel to wheel (which one was on top) so I never got the
nerve up to ride it before they took it down.
--
Adam Stephen Miller
asmi...@umich.edu
Steven Wilson
>
>In article <3jv0oh$e...@apakabar.cc.columbia.edu>,
>bet...@salsa.columbia.edu (Happy Fun Ball) wrote:
>
>> (the Zodiac) at King's Island last time I was there.
>>
>> betsey
>
The
>double-wheel, which disappeared sometime around 1980 from CP, did not
have
>closed cars like the CP Giant Wheel or KI Zodiac, but had bench seats
like
>ferris wheels at State Fairs
The giant wheel at Kings Island was a double-wheel configuration. The
only triple-wheel configurations in the US are at the two Great Americas
(former sister parks in Santa Clara and Gurnee). Gurnee's retains the
original name of "Sky Whirl". Santa Clara's was renamed to the "Triple
Wheel". There is another one of these Intamin "triple tree wheels" at
Lotte World, Seoul, Korea. And I think there is another one in Japan.
The only two-wheel configuration of the Intamin giant wheel in the US is
at Hersheypark. The one from Kings Island was shipped off to Australia.
I don't know if it continues in operation there. Another Intamin double
giant wheel can be found at Parque de la Ciudad (ex Parque Interama) in
Buenos Aires, Argentina. There was also one in the middle east -- Kuwait,
I think.
The double wheel at Cedar Point, I believe was a Chance Sky Wheel, which
is a very different ride experience from the Intamin giant wheels. An
early double wheel that was a forerunner of the Intamin wheels was the
Astrowheel in Houston. The Astrowheel was one of Astroworld's original
rides, opening in 1968. After an accident, the ride was removed for a
season or two. I was later reintroduced and operated for many seasons
before eventually being removed.
Best regards,
Steven Wilson
ACE Regional Representative -- DC and MD
Jeffrey L. Seifert
I remeber the Sky Wheel at Cedar Point. It used to sit behind
the Sky ride entrance near the gate, and faced the midway.
Both the wheels and the arms rotated in the same direction.
If you were at the top of the wheel when the arms were in
motion, you could get a nice zero G float all the way down.
Conneaut Lake Park had one too, near the Lake I think.
Last I heard there were two of these wheels still in operation
at Amusement Parks. One is at Lake Winnepesaukah in Georgia,
the other is at Trimpers or Jolly Rogers at Ocean City NJ.
A few may still be doing carnival circuits.
Jeffrey L. Seifert
--
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Claude & Walter ride their coasters - makes a big difference
Don't you think so Ron?
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Dave Althoff
Jeffrey L. Seifert (ap...@cleveland.Freenet.Edu) wrote:
: I remeber the Sky Wheel at Cedar Point. It used to sit behind
: the Sky ride entrance near the gate, and faced the midway.
: Both the wheels and the arms rotated in the same direction.
: If you were at the top of the wheel when the arms were in
: motion, you could get a nice zero G float all the way down.
: Conneaut Lake Park had one too, near the Lake I think.
: Last I heard there were two of these wheels still in operation
: at Amusement Parks. One is at Lake Winnepesaukah in Georgia,
: the other is at Trimpers or Jolly Rogers at Ocean City NJ.
: A few may still be doing carnival circuits.
Don't know about parks wtill running these (would like to hear about them,
though!), but either Amusements of America or Jolly Shows (maybe both) has
(have) a special three-trailer rig with *two* Sky Wheels mounted next to
each other...I believe actually sharing a central support member though
I'll have to check the videotape to be sure. The only thing I rode that
day was their Zyklon coaster, which was running *eight* cars at the time.
This was at the Ohio State Fair last summer. A of A had the midway
contract, but they booked in a number of units from Jolly; and I believe a
couple of pieces (including the Zyklon) are co-owned by the two carnivals.
Anyway, that wheel was an impressive sight with all four wheels going.
Too bad the left-hand unit conked out the day I was taking pictures 8-(
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
(Congratulations to the Capital University Women's Basketball team: NCAA
Division III National Champions for the second straight year!)
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John Downing
>From: ap...@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jeffrey L. Seifert)
>Subject: Re: CP's double Ferris wheel
>Date: 17 Mar 1995 20:40:15 GMT
>I remeber the Sky Wheel at Cedar Point. It used to sit behind
>the Sky ride entrance near the gate, and faced the midway.
>Both the wheels and the arms rotated in the same direction.
>If you were at the top of the wheel when the arms were in
>motion, you could get a nice zero G float all the way down.
>Conneaut Lake Park had one too, near the Lake I think.
>Last I heard there were two of these wheels still in operation
>at Amusement Parks. One is at Lake Winnepesaukah in Georgia,
>the other is at Trimpers or Jolly Rogers at Ocean City NJ.
>A few may still be doing carnival circuits.
I think a lot of carnivals have one of those. Some run two of them side
by side on a common support. I once saw an old photo that four side by side.
Also saw a photo of one that three wheels in a triangle. So while one was
loading, the other two were on top spinning.
Adam S. Miller
(Steven Wilson) wrote:
> The giant wheel at Kings Island was a double-wheel configuration. The
> only triple-wheel configurations in the US are at the two Great Americas
> (former sister parks in Santa Clara and Gurnee). Gurnee's retains the
> original name of "Sky Whirl". Santa Clara's was renamed to the "Triple
> Wheel". There is another one of these Intamin "triple tree wheels" at
> Lotte World, Seoul, Korea. And I think there is another one in Japan.
When I was at KI (once, and only once, on the year the Bat debuted ... a
long time ago, and I was just barely tall enough to ride the Beastie)
there was indeed a triple-wheel Zodiac. I won't vouch for what has
happened since then.
Steven Wilson
>> only triple-wheel configurations in the US are at the two Great
Americas
>> (former sister parks in Santa Clara and Gurnee). Gurnee's retains the
>> original name of "Sky Whirl". Santa Clara's was renamed to the
"Triple
>> Wheel". There is another one of these Intamin "triple tree wheels" at
>> Lotte World, Seoul, Korea. And I think there is another one in Japan.
>
>When I was at KI (once, and only once, on the year the Bat debuted ...
a
>long time ago, and I was just barely tall enough to ride the Beastie)
>there was indeed a triple-wheel Zodiac. I won't vouch for what has
>happened since then.
Well, maybe what you are thinking of is a spin-n-barf ride sometimes
called a Troika. It is a Huss ride. Great America, Gurnee used to have
one, called the Triple Play. I know there was one at Kings Island back
near the Vortex station. I don't know what the KI name of it was.
Although this ride has three rotating wheels on three arms, it is not
considered to be a form of the Ferris Wheel.
The double giant wheel at KI I was referring to (the one reportedly
shipped off to Australia's Wonderland) is clearly visible on the cover of
RollerCoaster! magazine, Vol. 6, No. 4 with "The Spirit of ACE" on the
cover. In this cover photo, the double giant wheel is located on the
right near where the Racer splits.
Best regards,
Steve
Larry Stone
seen) so here goes:
I was living in the Sandusky area in the early 80s and remember the double
ferris wheel and its removal. What I remember hearing was it was hit by
lightning (summer 81 I think). Despite that, it continued to operate through
the end of the season but was then removed allegedly due to damage incurred in
the lightning strike.
Pure specualtion on my part: Perhaps the problem wasn't actual damage but that
the ride was difficult to unload both quickly and safely as you might want to
do as a storm comes rolling in. The ride needed to be kept balanced: if two
chairs were occupied on one wheel, you needed two occupied on the other
(although it could obviously tolerate minor imbalances - otherwise you could
never load it in the first place). I saw it get unloaded quickly (due to a
storm) once. They unloaded one wheel completely, then tried to bring the full
upper wheel down. Due to the weight imbalance, it swung down quickly and
considerably overshot the lower position swinging back and forth several times
before they got it stopped.
--
Larry Stone
sto...@eisner.decus.org
Adam S. Miller
(Steven Wilson) wrote:
> Well, maybe what you are thinking of is a spin-n-barf ride sometimes
> called a Troika. It is a Huss ride. Great America, Gurnee used to have
> one, called the Triple Play. I know there was one at Kings Island back
> near the Vortex station. I don't know what the KI name of it was.
> Although this ride has three rotating wheels on three arms, it is not
> considered to be a form of the Ferris Wheel.
Not really. I meant a big thing with enclosed capsules that was, indeed,
right near the Racer. If it was a two, then it was a two. I seem to
remember a "triple wheel" though.
Chris Hitchings
I believe the Zodiac had 3 wheels. The other ride at PKI you mentioned is called Shake, Rattle, and Roll. The name says it all! =)
-Chris
Adam S. Miller
Hitchings) wrote:
> I believe the Zodiac had 3 wheels. The other ride at PKI you mentioned
is called Shake, Rattle, and Roll. The name says it all! =)
>
> -Chris
Actually, I was just talking about Zodiac. Shake, Rattle and Roll seems to
me to be CP's Troika on steroids, if I remember right.
