In 1892, bridge-building engineer George Washington Ferris conceived a giant observation wheel for the upcoming Chicago Columbian Exposition that would lift passengers high above the city and return them smoothly to the ground. Five trains, each thirty cars long, brought the materials to Chicago, and after months of construction the project was completed on time. During the 19-week Exposition, the wheel operated 15 hours a day, and nearly 1.5 million people rode Ferris's giant wheel. The Giant Gondola Wheel was manufactured by Chance Rides, Inc. in Wichita, Kansas, and is the largest open gondola wheel manufactured in America since Ferris built the original in 1893. It is the largest trailer-mounted gondola wheel in the world and can be erected without cranes in one working day. It stands 27 meters, nearly 100 feet tall, weighs more than 100 tons, carries 120 adult passengers or 160 children, is powered by eight 7.5-horsepower variable-speed electric motors, and is illuminated by 6,000 10-watt incandescent light bulbs controlled by a computer to create lighting effects.