Blackpool Pleasure Beach (BPB) Discussion Thread

Hey everybody!

 

This thread is simple! Rather than having a million little threads about everything that goes on at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, this thread is designed to consolidate it all into one user-friendly thread. Feel free to use it to post updates, trip reports, questions, comments, and of course, general discussion. For pictures and videos of the park as well as past updates, see TPR's Park Index Page.

 

Official Park Website - http://www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com

 

TPR's Park Index

 

Below are some links to past updates from the park, you may be interested in. Enjoy!

 

2005

September 20, 2005 - New Trains for Grand National (below)

December 6th, 2005 - Changes for the 2006 season

 

2006

August 11th, 2006 - Job cuts on the horizon

October 25th, 2006 - Log Flume Deconstruction

November 1st, 2006 - Infusion Construction

 

2007

January 29th, 2007 - Infusion construction photos

December 3rd, 2007 - Wild Mouse Rehab Pictures

 

2008

February 14th, 2008 - Changes in Admission Policy for 2008 season

March 9th, 2008 - Roller Coaster gets new trains without seatbelts

April 18th, 2008 - The Whip is dismantled

 

2009

January 13th, 2009 - BPB forces fan website to close

August 11th, 2009 - Big Dipper derails

 

2010

June 6th, 2010 - Big Dipper derails again

June 27th, 2010 - Nickelodeon Land announced for 2011

 

2011

February 7th, 2011 - New Trains for Big One

May 5th, 2011 - Nickelodeon Land Grand Opening

November 18th, 2011 - Valhalla getting refurbished

 

2012

March 5th, 2012 - Revolution getting repainted

 

2014

October 23rd, 2014 - Red Arrows Sky Force announced for 2015

 

2015

April 20th, 2015 - Red Arrows Sky Force begins vertical construction

 

2016

September 28th, 2016 - 16 million pound investment announced for 2018, a Mack double launched coaster

 

2018

January 6th, 2018 - Surprise demolition of Wild Mouse

April 19th, 2018 - ICON officially opens on Friday, May 25th, 2018!

May 26th, 2018 - Icon Front Seat POV and Rider Cam!

 

2019

December 20th, 2019 - Valhalla closing in 2020 to reopen refreshed in 2021

 

2025

March 25th, 2025 - Gyro swing attraction announced for 2026!

May 30th, 2025 - Gyro swing name revealed: Aviktas

 

Original Post:

______________________________________________________________________

 

 

I made a trip to BPB today, inspired by news of the cars' arrival this weekend. I didn't expect to get a glimpse of them though, so was pleasantly surprised during my Monorail ride.. which I repeated twice for photos.

 

Much better, close-up detailed photos will surface on or after October 8th. But for now, I just couldn't resist - clicky.

My friend used to have a Grand National, boy was it fast, especially for a 6 cyl. we would eat up the 5.0s all day long.....

 

 

Oh wait :shock:

 

 

 

sorry

not the car huh?

 

P All " I love Donkeys now....yeaaaaay!!"

Too bad that the sheets are still on!

 

Like the new Av

I wonder what the "Nash" would ride like if it had Melemulum (can't spell it right) Flyer trains, like the ones which "Thunderhead" has.

 

I'm going to Blackpool at the end of Oct, so the new trains may be on the tracks. Have to give em loads of grease and oil to fly round the track.

 

More airtime is needed on the "Nash".

They won't be operational until next season. Ride modifications needed, along with magnetic brakes (unless things go over budget perhaps).

 

Millennium Flyers would be awful (well, they ARE awful, to me, but let's just not go there!) on a non twisty coaster like the Nash - the airtime would actually diminish due to leverage related to wheelbase. The better option for that style would be Vekoma trains, but they'd be way too heavy - if you'd be ok with a whole retracking and overzealous structural enhancement to cope with the weight.. Nash ruined!

 

The new cars seem virtually to be the older ones, just with different restraints (individual ratcheting bar and belt). That sameness is a good thing!

YEAY - go to http://www.235club.co.uk and navigate to the news section, for a better look at the cars. The bottom right photo appears to be a little horizontally squashed (the cars are 3" deeper than standard like the old ones, but they're not *that* squashed up).

Wow! That's going to be interesting riding that with brand spanking new PTC trains! I'm so used to those 'older school' ones with the smaller lapbar!

 

The new cars looks lovely for the "Nash", I'll be trying them out at the end of Oct. Hope the weather is ok and not rainning to much.

 

That's the only problem with Blackpool being up north.

..No you won't - I think February 18th is the park's opening day next season, and the new cars won't be in service until then.

 

The new magnetic brakes are being fitted over winter. Good news though regarding that - some of the levers ARE staying, with the station brakes themselves being left as manual. The magnetic brakes will be actuated trims (able to regulate speed to the right degree) before the final drop (as has always been the case, but previously operated or rather "set" by a manual cable winch) and the final slowing brakes, which will be permanent magnets.

 

So, new trains and new brakes, but still no nasty hissing of automatic air brakes on a computer system. The sub-platform manual brake rods will still groan and the levers will still move, and dependant on the skill of the brakemen, the trains will still stop unevenly at the gates (something not desirable in operating terms, but funny and unique regardless).

 

Oh before I forget, have another look here. Some new car photos - http://musical.pete.fotopic.net/c699003.html

 

..Comfy, as before!

I was almost ready to ask why they only were getting 4, 3 car trains thinking that they had to have longer trains. But looking back it already had 3 car trains. The new trains look sharp and I like that they retained the gray material for the interior like the old trains had along with the lights.

 

But I am a bit worried about some things I'm reading elsewhere about BPB. Apparently the Turtle Chase didn't run last year and it is being put in storage with the site set to be leveled. The Whip and the Black Hole were also SBNO last season. The flume, dodgems and even Noah's Ark appear to be on the endangered list. The Vikingar appears to be doomed and the cableway hasn't operated in a long time. Please correct me if I'm off on any of these rides but that is a disturbing number of endangered classic rides. I'm all for improvements but the classic rides are what make Blackpool special. What's going on?

Individual Ratcheting Lapbars make me cry.

Of the most "important" changes for enthusiasts, is the addition of seatbelts to Rollercoaster (ending its restraintless 72 years) and the Big Dipper (complimenting the lapbars it already has). The new Grand National cars (one being in my avatar, with me as a passenger) were ofcourse manufactured with belts, a matter on which PTC don't deviate. Rider containment is high on the Health & Safety Executive's priorities, with which the PB have no choice. Personally it's a non issue, belts don't alter my love for a ride!

 

Also on the woodie front, the Grand National's new magnetic brakes are currently being installed - the station ones are already in place, with the pre final drop checks currently being worked on.

 

On the non coaster front, Vikingar (water chute), Turtlechase (tumble bug) and the Whip (a whip!) are finally disappearing for future development. Vikingar is now mostly demolished, Turtlechase's station has gone, and the Whip is pretty much sitting in situ unaltered, after the controls and turnstyle were removed some time ago. Don't get pissy at new management for these removals - they were planned while Geoffrey Thompson was alive (his decisions, he was in charge), and had he not died they'd have taken place a year earlier. Some things have to change, and the PB won't stand still. If old rides hadn't made way for new, we'd have had no new rides at the park for several decades, and its popularity would have steadily decreased, to the point of becoming defunct. Think about it!

 

So, no backwards riding on Rollercoaster for you guys next year (behave! ), and some vintage rides disappearing you might've wanted to ride. Still, there's more cosmetic improvements next year (as with this year, to a high standard too) and two new attractions (one thrill, one family). Also, with a watercoaster for 2007 and something BIG for 2010, the future is looking good. I'm certainly looking forward.

Edited March 13, 2011 by larrygator

I'm glad I rode Roller Coaster this year.

A great shame about the addition of seat belts to the Rollercoaster but it is no surprise given the over the top attitude of the H&SE in the UK and the spreading of the lets claim for damages culture. While I don't think that the seat belts will spoil the ride, I will certainly like it just as much as I always have, it was quite an experience to enjoy this coaster with no restraints.

 

I think we will all be sad to see some of the old rides go, especially Vikingar, but if we get some fantastic new rides out of it then I'm sure most people will be happy. It's just a shame that a new home couldn't be found for Vikingar

Yeah, that's a bummer about Roller Coaster, but I can totally see why. I mean, the ride ops would show us the "proper riding positions"

 

--Robb

Seat belts on the National will wreck the ride,one of the best things about it was the way you feel insecure on it.

If those new trains can produce the crazy airtime and wild ride that the old trains did, the seat belts won't matter much to me.

 

--Robb

With it being sad news the some classic rides are going from Blackpool.

It's kind of sad that Rollercoaster is getting seat belts, but I am glad that they are not putting the 'old' Grand National trains on to Rollercoaster.

 

This is what they did before with Cyclone at Pleasureland Southport by using old 'Nash' cars and thus ruining what was a great little woodie :?

...a matter on which PTC don't deviate...

 

They could just take the seatbelts out themselves if they wanted to...

^Cough, Knoebels, Cough

Couldn't you like.. just take the seatbelt off going up the lifthill? It's not liek the ride needs it! Sitting sideways in November was hilarious after lots of rain.

^Good point. But PLEASE put it back on before the brakerun...

It's kind of sad that Rollercoaster is getting seat belts, but I am glad that they are not putting the 'old' Grand National trains on to Rollercoaster.

 

This is what they did before with Cyclone at Pleasureland Southport by using old 'Nash' cars and thus ruining what was a great little woodie :?

And the cars which those replaced on Cyclone, were themselves old Grand National cars. Looky here. . For the record, I love Cyclone as it is!

 

It turns out the Dipper may not be getting belts afterall, but Rollercoaster is. There'll still be freedom with a belt, as it will presumably be a single one since the seats aren't divided (but please, don't abuse the freedom!). I won't be undoing my belt either on Rollercoaster or the Nash. I know they're not personally needed, but I'll respect them, I know what my favourite park faces and I don't want any trouble with them.

 

They can't just take the belts off the new Nash cars - as they were fitted as a standard safety restraint by the manufacturer (speaking offically sounding here I know!), they mustn't remove them. Knoebels don't have to adhere to the same safety body the PB has to. In their eyes, removing the belts would be the same as removing the bars - may sound silly but it makes sense!

 

I'm over the "can't mess with old coasters, adding new trains and restraints" etc. mentality. They have to operate to regulations in today's world, regulations which differ from place to place (in thise case country, and even state) or we can't have them at all. Think about that, and the addition of a seatbelt getting you all annoyed, seems a little trivial!

^ I can only wish for seat belts like on Jack Rabbit at Kennywood.

 

First time on that ride I sat in the back seat all my myself. That seat belt barely even touched me. Was holding on for dear life down that double dip, belt or no belt.

So the record breaking thingy is now scheduled for 2010 ?

 

First 2000, then 2003, then 2006, 2007, now 2010 ????

I hope I live to ride it.