Screamin’ Eagle at Six Flags St. Louis has been in operation since 1976. Park management wanted something special for their fifth anniversary. So they convinced legendary roller coaster designer John Allen to come out of retirement once more. What resulted is what the designer himself considers to be his masterpiece. I won’t disagree with him.
Screamin’ Eagle at Six Flags, a history
Screamin’ Eagle operates with two trains. The red or blue train looks incredible, cresting the hills of this classic wooden roller coaster. Upon its opening, it was the record holder for the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster ever built. It has 110 feet drop with a max speed of 62 mph. Sure, there have been more impressive roller coasters since then. Yet, I still find something remarkable about the Screamin’ Eagle.
The track design forms an L shape, taking riders far from the station. Once you go down the first hill, the Screamin’ Eagle has two tricks up his sleeve. The first is an unrelenting amount of airtime hills. Each of those airtime hills is taken at different angles, ensuring that every time you float or are ejected out of your seat, it feels different. Interspersed are sharp turns that are taken with eye-popping speed!
Originally those sharp turns were not banked. It was causing havoc to the structure and the train wheels by putting that much force on them. So they updated those turns in the nineties to add some banking to the turns.
Screamin’ Eagle at Six Flags, complaints
It pains me even to critique the Screamin’ Eagle enough to imply something could be wrong with it. Yet, I’m trying to be intellectually honest. I wish the Screamin’ Eagle had better restraints. Currently, it has a lap bar that will continually ratchet down as the ride continues. For most rides I have, I am pretty uncomfortably snug by the time the ride is over. Also, for some reason, they have now included seat belts that must buckle to ride. I find them unnecessary sense those seat belts try their hardest to kill your airtime fun.
The Screamin’ Eagle is not the smoothest coaster. I have ridden much rougher types of classic wooden roller coasters. I’m looking at your Great American Scream Machine at Six Flags over Georgia. I do not find it to be uncomfortably rough. I think it adds a little bit to its character. The Screamin’ Eagle is not, nor does it feel like a new roller coaster.
An Ace Landmark
The Screamin’ Eagle was made an ACE Landmark Roller Coaster in 2016. Being proudly displayed in the station is the plague that marks that not only are you going to be riding a great roller coaster but a historically significant one.
Final Verdict
As you can probably tell from my review, I have an unadulterated love for the Screamin’ Eagle. It was my favorite roller coaster growing up. However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve only come to appreciate it more and more.
I no longer think I can call the Screamin’ Eagle my favorite roller coaster. Yet, this is still a must-ride whenever I go to the park. Six Flags St. Louis maintenance crew takes good care of the Screamin’ Eagle. Coasters don’t survive this long if they don’t.
I had a conversation with a manager in 2020 about the Screamin’ Eagle. I asked him if the Screamin’ Eagle had ever been rumored to be removed. That has never been on the table, according to him. Let’s hope that remains to be true. Because of these reasons, Screamin’ Eagle at Six Flags St. Louis gets a ten out of ten.
Pros: Night Rides in the back, Beautiful design, Never slows down
Cons: To rough for some, Restraints are troublesome.
Thanks for Reading!
If you found this review helpful or informative, would you please consider sharing this with your friends, family, and fellow roller coaster enthusiast? Also, if you have questions, thoughts, or memories about Screamin’ Eagle at Six Flags St. Louis, please sound them off in the comments. You can visit the park’s website for more information https://www.sixflags.com/stlouis. Please follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/themeparkcoastercrazy/ and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Themeparkcoastercrazy.
Trivia: In 1994, they turned the trains around, sending you through the track flying backward. Never to be done again because the trains weren’t designed for the forces to be distributed that way. While it was a knockout experience, this classic is better with the trains going forwards.
Roller Coasters at Six Flags St. Louis Ranked