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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

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It still ran those train (albeit with a different livery until around 2008).
I remember my first ever go on it in the early 90s. Back row, no restraints, thought I was going to get thrown out the train. Always remember it fondly as it was the biggest roller coaster we could get my mum on.
 
Would I be right in thinking that the queueing system for Derby Racer has changed in recent years?

Typically I always remember this ride being run with just one operator and people let in through the turnstile in front of the operator’s booth.

By the looks of this video: a different queuing system seems to be being used which I’ve not seen. In recent years though I have noticed the ride has usually had two staff as opposed to just one, however the old queue system has remained.

Can anyone shed some light?
 
They've experimented with several options since speedy pass came in. At first they split the queue in two, with speedy pass going straight to the wristband scanner. More recently, they moved the entrance gate away from the op cabin as shown in that video. This doubled the length of the queue line (but half as wide as before speedy pass). The scanner stayed at the other end, giving space for people to wait after scanning their wristbands, in theory this should reduce loading times when the ride has a queue.
 
Have put something cool on the website tonight, a full res 1978 Pleasure Beach map. Here's a preview, download from here.

Any observations? First person to spot @rob666 gets a pint.

TheCarousel_BlackpoolPleasureBeach_Map1978_resize.jpg
 
Great map! So much that hasn’t changed!

I presume the area labelled “Yellowstone Park” is today buried somewhere in the Big Blue’s foundations? Was this just a bit of a scene that the railway passed through? Would the area beneath Streak and Big One’s final turn be remnants of that today?
 
That's great! Athough I was sure that was the year the Casino building relaunched as Wonderful World. Is it definitely 78 or maybe it's from 77? I guess with the planetarium listed coming the next year but Wonderful World not for some reason. Could anyone who knows more about BPB help work it out?
 
@Rick that map is brilliant! I've managed to spot Big Dipper, Grand National, Tom Sawyer's Raft Ride, Drench Falls Log Flume, Monorail but near the Wild Mouse I noticed the Whip where the dancing fountains are now it's very interesting!
 
Spot on with the years Rick, and pre 1980 for the passing of the Reel.
Which is where I was walking to on the map.
Edit...still got my beloved "speed"boats behind the reel as well, and the old arcade between the flying machines and national station.
 
John said:
They've experimented with several options since speedy pass came in. At first they split the queue in two, with speedy pass going straight to the wristband scanner. More recently, they moved the entrance gate away from the op cabin as shown in that video. This doubled the length of the queue line (but half as wide as before speedy pass). The scanner stayed at the other end, giving space for people to wait after scanning their wristbands, in theory this should reduce loading times when the ride has a queue.
Click to expand...

So if people are going through the scanner and doubling back into the extra line show in the video, does this not mean that the scanner would have had to be moved slightly back. I clearly remember the scanner being directly in front of the op cabin when I last went, meaning that people would not be able to pass through when the ride was in motion as this would block the operator’s view.
 
Matt N said:
Even back then, the park still had so many attractions!
Click to expand...
So much stuff has vanished over the years in my memory.
Rodent alert.
The ticket centre was the american cafe, then to the Ark and double big wheels with the clowns cranking.
There used to be snooker stalls by the national, knock coins out of a ring to win ten cigarettes, and a dart booth freestanding behind the ark and dodgems.
The maze was good behind the derby racer, with a cafe on stilts in the middle.
There were more prize stalls, and less food range.
Monster and funhouse were both pre teen favourites, source of many injuries.
The speedboats were slow, but a way of spending cheap tickets.
Then there were the Calypso ride...a fast teacups, and the Whip around the fountains.
Bazooka air cannons near the deceased rodent, and the big, narrow arcade between the flying machines and National station was shelter for all when it rained.
So much stuff has gone, and it needs some new stuff.
I still weep for the reel.
Nice map Rick.
 
On the earlier topic of Nick Streak/Rollercoaster, I cannot believe that a ride was allowed to operate until the 2000s without any form of restraint!

Did it operate without restraints until the conversion to Nickelodeon Streak in 2011, or did I imagine that?
 
Someone with a clearer memory will know the specifics, I am sure ... but as I recall, around 2006/7 they added seatbelts to the ride, for a season or maybe less and then the following season they replaced the trains entirely with former Dipper trains and these had both a seatbelt and lap bar?
 
Rick said:
Someone with a clearer memory will know the specifics, I am sure ... but as I recall, around 2006/7 they added seatbelts to the ride, for a season or maybe less and then the following season they replaced the trains entirely with former Dipper trains and these had both a seatbelt and lap bar?
Click to expand...

Yeah they added seat belts for a short while and then replaced the trains (in 2008 I believe, mid season) which are the same trains the ride still uses today. Whilst riding without restraints was a scary experience, I think the extra weight from the new trains really improved the ride experience.

Mad looking back how close it came to being removed around that time.
 
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