Ferris Wheel

I have been purchasing a few of the Lionel carnival rides (Ferris Wheel, Pirate Ship) over the past last year.  This was to go with the Swing ride that I bought many years ago when Lionel was blowing these rides out for around 99 dollars.  My favorite by far is the Ferris Wheel because it has a nice slow movement, no sound, and lights up in the dark.  My only criticism is that there are no people on the ride unlike the swings and the pirate ship ride.  Footprint is around 14" x 14" and 21" high.  It takes almost a full minute for the wheel to make it around.  There are also separate on/off switches that are easy to access for the lights and the wheel animation.  If you can pick one up for 200 that is a pretty decent deal.  I was looking for this item for over 9 months but kept seeing them in the 325 to 375 range on the auction sites and at shows for NIB.  I finally got mine at the last York from a guy in the purple hall was able to deal down to 125 because it was a used one although it looked NIB.  So far no complaints and it runs for at least 2 hours at a time when I host my train groups.

I should clarify when I say lights up, there are four spot lights at the bottom of the wheel that shine up to it.  The wheel itself does not have any lights on it. 

thanks bryan for the information

i am thinking this is a "go" for me

rdeal

I like it alot.....bought it last year for about $200. Its a bit noisy but alot of Lionel accessories are.  Overall its a nice centerpiece.......i have a Disney monorail that I modded with a faster motor and radio control that pulls up to it.....a real crowd pleaser!

-Pete

thanks, BF166

Here was my amusement area with the Ferris wheel. I had it set up for a month. I was using tubular and a max radius of 36, it was my first stab at a post war layout.  Now I have jump from postwar to the present. New version has a min curve of 72".