originally posted on 11/28/2021
Photo: B. Derek Shaw. View full-sized image.
A Ride Where Memories Are Made
Lurking deep within the woods at the back of Six Flags St. Louis, The Screamin’ Eagle, a classic wooden coaster continues to thrill guests and offers a ride like no other. Climbing 110 feet above the trees, the Eagle makes a wide right turn before plunging back toward the station and into the woods. While the first drop is almost always the tallest on any coaster, The Screamin’ Eagle makes use of the park’s hilly terrain, and the third drop is actually the tallest of the ride, giving the train enough speed to power through the woods as it races along the track.
At its debut in 1976 as the world’s tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster, guests routinely stood in line for several hours to experience a one-of-a-kind ride. Wooden coasters deliver different experiences based on a variety of factors including temperature, humidity and time of day. Grabbing a few rides in the morning when the park opens is a great way to begin the day, but by sunset the trains are flying around the track at top speed, making night rides a real treat. The coaster plunges into the dark woods, where it is impossible to see what lies over the next hill.
Photo: ACE Collection. View full-sized image.
In 2006, for The Screamin’ Eagle’s 30th anniversary, the park asked 20 coaster enthusiasts to ride the classic coaster for 30 hours straight. I was one of the riders to successfully complete the marathon, which began at 8 a.m. and ended the next day at 1 p.m. For those who haven't ridden a coaster overnight, let me assure you that an intimate bond forms between the coaster and the rider. With each lap, every inch of track, from the drops and climbs to the sharp turns permeates the rider’s body all the way to the bone. Watching the sun rise from atop the lift hill, after a full night of riding, was sublime.
In 2016 The Screamin’ Eagle was honored by ACE and dedicated as an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark. Being the last coaster designed by the famed John Allen of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, the Eagle stands as a testament to the classic era of wooden coasters. Modern coaster design has drastically changed what a coaster is capable of doing, as riders are routinely subjected to vertical drops and inversions, yet the thrill of a classic wooden coaster has proved to be timeless. As the days grow longer and parks reopen, take a seat, pull down the lap bar and enjoy a ride on The Screamin’ Eagle.
Photo: Harris Lanum. View full-sized image.
Special memories from our members:
This is the ride that made me a coaster enthusiast!
I was a ride operator at Six Flags Over Texas in 1980. When the season began, the biggest coaster I'd ridden was Big Bend. In the full 1979 season, I'd not even ridden the Shockwave.
The Six Flags parks sent employees on bus trips to sister parks in those days. I took one to Six Flags Over Georgia and had so much fun I signed up for another to Six Flags Over Mid America (SFoMA, now St. Louis). We did a one-time first stop at Worlds of Fun, so before getting to SFoMA, I'd added a few big rides to my resume. Everything at the thre other parks. 13 coasters.
The Screamin’ Eagle immediately caught my interest as a great ride. I was also intrigued how the ride used the natural hillside terrain to enhance the ride. The third drop is the biggest one. You rise into the back turnaround with about a 15-foot rise, but the exit of the turn is lower down the hill, creating about a 45-foot drop, and multiple bigger hills on the final leg to the brake run.
On those bus trips, we all brought sleeping bags and spent the night in park theatres. Seems like an idea for a future ACE trip! At SFoMA, five of us got up early and made our way the rest of the way up to the Eagle, just as the ride foreman was getting to it. He graciously allowed us to ride along during the pre-opening warm-up runs on the five-car, three-bench PTCs. Maybe a dozen runs before the public joined us. I found out that at least two of the group were already ACEers, which I'd never heard about at the time.
Right after the trip, another friend noticed that a spark had been lit in me. Turns out that I had a third friend who was an ACEer and that this one was also a regional rep. Don James gave me a membership app, and thanks to The Screamin’ Eagle, more than 40 years of a coaster life ensued.
— Robert Reagan, Fort Worth, Texas
American Coaster Enthusiasts is a nonprofit, volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation, promotion, appreciation and safe enjoyment of roller coasters. With 6,000 members worldwide, ACE is the largest and longest-running enthusiast organization in the world. Members of ACE receive exclusive park benefits, newsletters, magazines and the opportunity to attend national, local and even international tours at parks. You can enjoy the benefits of members today! Join at join.aceonline.org.
Photo: Cheri Armstrong. View full-sized image.
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