Kennywood's ferris wheel

kpjb, long time no hear. Did the powers that be send to AIMS, or was it back to the land of Cleves?

I realize that most parks are taking them out, they did the same thing with their Noah's Ark, Whips, Kangroos, Turtles, etc. but Kennywood kept theirs. Kennywood markets itself as a park where you can experience classic rides, I just cant believe they took out one of the "classics that makes other classics look new" ride.

Not that I dont agree with their decision, Aero looks like a fantastic ride, cant wait to ride when I finally make it back to Kennywooed.

The problem with Wheels are they are such low capacity, that many parks just choose not to staff and operate them.

Ironically, Cedar Fair has a wheel in each of their parks, but they load them relitively quickly.

I guess a park like Kennywood just felt that they could put their limited space to a better use.

I would think that the Eli Aristocrat wheels have been the most reliable (even though I'd like to know which giant is better) since There are wheels from the 40's still operating.

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Kennywood markets itself as a park where you can experience classic rides...

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I wouldn't say that. Maybe "Kennywood is known as a place you can experience classic rides" would be more correct?

I've never seen a KW ad that sold the viewer on the Turtles or the Kangaroo or the Whip.

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Touchdown said:
I realize that most parks are taking them out, they did the same thing with their Noah's Ark, Whips, Kangroos, Turtles, etc. but Kennywood kept theirs... I just cant believe they took out one of the "classics that makes other classics look new" ride...

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The difference? As I mentioned before, no one rode the Wonder Wheel. There are to this day, some 80 years later, long lines for the Turtle, Whip, Kangaroo, and Ark on any half-busy day.

Honestly, I'll let you in on a little secret... it's all about popularity. If you ride it, it'll stick around. Roll-O-Plane anyone?

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Touchdown said:

Not that I dont agree with their decision, Aero looks like a fantastic ride, cant wait to ride when I finally make it back to Kennywooed.

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I realize this is a capacity/popularity thing Im just commenting on how wierd it is to think of Kennywood minus a Ferris Wheel given its image in the industry, thats all.

Also, I dont expect the Ferris Wheel to disapear into obscurity, its popularity may wax and wane (heck even roller coasters have had their down time) but trust me people will still be building Ferris Wheels 25 years from now.

If someone builds a Ferris Wheel 25 years from now, I will personally find you and write you a check for $100. There's no way. They're not exciting, they're low capacity, they're obviously maintenance nightmares. They had their time, and it's now over. There are much better "family" rides out there these days than ferris wheels.

The original thrill of a ferris wheel was getting a bird's-eye view of the surrounding area. These days, most smaller coasters dwarf your typical ferris wheel. The biggest selling point of the ride has been rendered obsolete.

Get the glue off your feet people, it's 2005, not 1905, things change, better get used to it now!

You do realize that Ferris Wheels are over 100 years old, what has changed recently that has killed the wheel (plus I believe the biggest Ferris Wheel is still taller then the tallest coaster)?

RPH is what done them in. They are for the most part slow to load, and have only moderate capacity. I'll bet the M-G-R had better figures than the Wonder Wheel.

Ferris Wheels feasibilty in an amusement park is rather limited for all the reasons listed above, but if you were to go to a major tourist destination, the varation of the ferris wheel works well, especially when it is the tallest thing in the area.

I still want to see the huge theoretical wheel on intamin/ride thrill's website. It's like 300m-350m (that's meters, not feet!)

Also, don't forget that Ferris Wheels aren't completely dead. Just in the US. They love them over in Japan. What was the name of that wheel that's half inside a building and will be opening for 2005? (I forget the name or I'd search and provide a link)

True, but the Japanese are nuts ;) (j/k)

Touchdown I realize they're that old. Record players were invented in 1800s, they're the pioneer of all music replaying systems, are you mad that there aren't many of those left? Do you feel that Best Buy should be selling just as many record players as CD players just because they're the original technology? No one is amazed by the ability to get up high and look at a park these days because they can get that view from a coaster, a drop tower, some flat rides, an observation tower, etc. They're antiquated, unless you build one of those giant ones like the London Eye, and then you're spending millions, and there are much better investments for millions that are actually advertisable and will actually bring in more guests. Just because you respect the past doesn't mean it has any place in the present or future.

Giant Wheel at Cedar Point almost always has people waiting for it. I don't know how often it's down, but I can't say I've ever seen it down for anything other than weather (the tire drive makes it a bit hard to stop when it's wet).

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Impulse-ive said:
If someone builds a Ferris Wheel 25 years from now, I will personally find you and write you a check for $100. There's no way. They're not exciting, they're low capacity, they're obviously maintenance nightmares. They had their time, and it's now over. There are much better "family" rides out there these days than ferris wheels.

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Interesting forecast of the future of the ferris wheel. Should I email you my mailing address? I'll be expecting a check in the future.

Carousels aren't exciting. They're slow and they're low capacity. But you still see those things installed at parks from time to time. Why not ferris wheels? Hasn't a ferris wheel been part of SFA's masterplan since the park was "flagged" in 1999? Why would that kind of ride be on the masterplan... it couldn't be because ferris wheels make great family attractions, could it? I agree that ferris wheels will never be the draw that they used to be but to say that they will never be built again is an idea that is just a little too far "out there" for me to buy into.

How is a ferris wheel a maintenance nightmare? It's a giant wheel driven by cables and/or tires. Seems like a pretty simple concept to me, one of the most simple mechanical rides at a park. I would think that, aside from metal fatigue, there is little that can go wrong with a ferris wheel. It's not the typical spinning ride with a thousand moving parts.

I'm basing my comment on the maintenance from our resident maintenance guy's comments. I surely don't know myself, but if he says they're bad, then I trust that they're bad.

Hey you weren't in on the deal, there's only 1 check being mailed here. If you want to duke it out with him over a 50/50 split, that's between you two ;)

I've rarely seen a line of any significance at the Ferris Wheel at CP. People waiting yes, but it's not like they're waiting because there's no room on the ride for them, they're typically waiting because the ride has to cycle to allow them to get in. There are much more exciting family rides, both modern and "classic" (read: old) that could installed for a fraction of the space and cost of a new ferris wheel. If they're such an amazing family attraction, then why have their numbers been declining, not rising like other family-style attractions?

Maybe the park you work for has a ferris wheel that's a maintenance headache, I dunno... I'll take your guy's word. I'm just willing to bet that your ferris wheel is the exception to the rule because I fail to see how such a simple piece of machinery could be so notorious for having problems. I know that parks occasionally dismantle their wheels for refurbishment but that seems to be something done to most rides- maybe they are maintenance headaches because they are so big and require a lot more when something does go wrong? I'm just having a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that a spinning wheel could be prone to so many problems.

I wasn't aware of the deal being between you and someone else- I thought it was up for grabs for anyone that wanted to dispute it with you. I'll gladly share $100 with someone else if I have to... better than nothing at all, right?

I've never seen a ferris wheel with a huge line but I can't say I've ever seen one with no line either. Maybe a ferris wheel isn't the huge draw it once was (there are now other rides in parks that take people way up high, like drop towers and such) but I still think it's a popular attraction with families... why else would a park like Hershey build a second ferris wheel? If there numbers are declining, I attribute that to 1) market saturation (small demand for new ones) and 2) unwillingness by parks to replace their aging models. I'll agree that ferris wheels will never be installed in huge numbers but I believe there is still a market for that type of ride and I wouldn't say that the market will ever completely disappear.

On a somewhat related note, does anyone know what happened to the plans to put a huge ferris wheel in Vegas?

Impul-sive, Larson Rides International just introduced a 22-meter and a 40-meter hubless ferris wheel. Obviously their research shows there is a market for such a product. Who knows how we'll be communicating in the next 25 years, but if I still have the same email address, I'd like my $100.

As for your comments on record players, you're way off base there too. If you hadn't heard, we now call them turntables. Take a trip out to your local Guitar Center and you'll find all kinds of packages for the starting DJs that have two turntables and a mixer (of course many are belt-driven which sucks, but that's a whole nother can of worms). If you think it has no future in modern music, let me point out to you such bands as the Deftones, Incubus, Limp Bizkit, and Linkin Park. I'd say those bands are doing pretty well for themselves, even though they're using a record player.

Most rap groups/artist have a DJ who scratches records. Many electronic dance music DJs still spin vinyl off of 12-inches, or dubplates.

I believe I have just put the smackdown on Impul-sive.

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Impulse-ive said:
I've rarely seen a line of any significance at the Ferris Wheel at CP. People waiting yes, but it's not like they're waiting because there's no room on the ride for them, they're typically waiting because the ride has to cycle to allow them to get in.

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So what difference does that make? There's rarely a long line for Wicked Twister either, but that doesn't mean no one is riding it. If there are 30 people or 3,000 people in line, the ride still gives [your capacity here] rides per hour.

Alright, whatever, apparently I'm an idiot, happy? All hail the mighty ferris wheel, denezin of amusement parks for all time, may you be fruitful and multiply, as your greatness encompasses all, but may you never be destroyed by the ever-present turntable, soon to be overtaking CD players, MP3 players and radios all across the world as the dominant form of personal musical replay. I'm going to go wallow in my sorrows at my great smackdown from Intamin Fan. Ouch, the pain.

Before I leave:

kpjb said:

"Anyway, no one rode it. The Aero constantly has a line."

Hershey may have added a second ferris wheel, but let's not forget that they recently removed the older one of the two.

I think the turntable/record player analogy is pretty accurate:

record players are pretty much obsolete in "everyday life". If you are a [semi-]professional, you may use it to DJ, but that's a relatively small niche. Not many people have one in their house, and those who do don't use it that often unless they're playing old LPs for which they don't own CDs/cassettes. Likewise with FW's - they're pretty much obsolete in the amusement park business. If you are a small park and/or a park specializing in classic rides, etc., you may use it for the atmosphere, but that's a relatively small niche. Not many parks have one on their land, and those who do don't have lines long enough to fill the ride (read: "less than capacity") unless it's a busy day and the lines are long everywhere.