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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2024 Discussion

John_P said:
The issue with Revolution is if you do remove it is that it really doesn't actually take up much space for a replacement. Could maybe get a Sky Rocket 2 (or the Zamperla version), or maybe a Vekoma super boomerang.
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The other issue is Sky Rocket IIs are terrible things.
 
Respected architectural campaign The Twentieth Century Society have called for The Big One's station to be listed, alongside nine other buildings from 1994 across the country. They're all now eligible for listing as they're 30 years old. The government often (but not always) follow the advice of the C20 Society when it comes to listing postwar buildings, so there's a chance this might go ahead.

"The tallest and steepest roller coaster in the world at the time of its opening, the Pepsi Max (now known as The Big One) joined the several other architecturally notable structures at Blackpool Pleasure Beach – Joseph Emberton’s Casino (1937-39) and Sir Hiram Maxim’s Captive Flying Machine (1904) among them. Earning the praise of then Sunday Times architecture critic – now C20 Chair – Hugh Pearman, he likened its blue and white latticework structure to ‘some great inverted railway bridge’. Or indeed, a passing resemblance to Grimshaw’s Waterloo Terminal. The ride was engineered by vintage American coaster-designer Ron Toomer, but it was the ingenious station by Philip England that won an RIBA Regional Award. On an extremely constrained site, the station could manage 1,700 passengers per hour, storing and loading the trains vertically (and perhaps appropriately) like the magazine of a gun."​

And here's an amusingly dated-feeling piece from The Independent's architecture critic Jonathan Glancey about the building, from 1996.
 
Not the best weekend for BPB, Big one out of action with the wind, Icon and Rev closed with technical issues. Avalanche picking up a bit more of a queue but with one train, that's easy

Guest services looked busy last night

Meanwhile, slightly more of Grand Prix has been transformed to rubble
 
Steve Minor said:
So demolition of Grand April is really speeding along with most of the helix removed.
Im told that a family coaster will replace it in 2026. I believe the person knew the manufacturer but wasn't giving anything away lol
20241121_134759.jpg
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Hopefully whatever the coaster is, it is more thrilling than Icon, although I can't see a single rail coaster being that unless a mad layout 🤔
 
Steve Minor said:
So demolition of Grand April is really speeding along with most of the helix removed.
Im told that a family coaster will replace it in 2026. I believe the person knew the manufacturer but wasn't giving anything away lol
20241121_134759.jpg
Click to expand...
Hmm... I'm wondering if the thinking is that this will be the ride that fills the void Avalanche will leave when it goes sooner than later.

I do think the park is missing a pure family steel coaster like Flying Fish, Runaway Mine Train etc.- it caters well for Family-Thrill and Thrill but the main family coasters are Nick Streak and Blue Flyer (Steeplechase has very high height requirements for a family coaster and for what it is).

Either way it'd be a fantastic addition to the park.
 
I don't think they need a USP at this point, just another ride. It's definitely just a family coaster so don't get hopes up of anything too big.
The guy I spoke to (seemed to be a project lead as he was instructing the contractors on jobs) said the the gyro was NOT coming now. Its very possible as detailed on Ryan the ride mechanic channel that ice blast has cost more than originally estimated
 
Steve Minor said:
I don't think they need a USP at this point, just another ride. It's definitely just a family coaster so don't get hopes up of anything too big.
The guy I spoke to (seemed to be a project lead as he was instructing the contractors on jobs) said the the gyro was NOT coming now. Its very possible as detailed on Ryan the ride mechanic channel that ice blast has cost more than originally estimated
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I was always under the impression that the Gyro Swing would be on another site other than the GP site. The Bowladrome site had markings on the site.

I'm not debating whether it's coming or not although it could be a Project Horizon style situation where it's been delayed.

2026 could be the year of the family coaster and the Gyro Swing 🤔
 
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