Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

[Matt N]

Wow, I never even knew Six Flags America had a Valhalla-style water ride! I must say, it doesn't look quite as wet nor quite as bumpy as Valhalla, but it definitely looks like a good fun water ride!

 

[DiogoJ42]

No doubt an actual expert will be along to correct me, but I heard that one of the (many) reasons for the insane wettness levels is the limited space. The run-offs at the bottom of the drops should be some 50% longer, but with no room, the only option was to make the water deeper, thus kicking up a much larger volume of water, and the only place for it to go is up, rather than out to the sides. Of course, the boat the passes right through this airborn tsunami...

 

[venny]

No doubt an actual expert will be along to correct me, but I heard that one of the (many) reasons for the insane wettness levels is the limited space. The run-offs at the bottom of the drops should be some 50% longer, but with no room, the only option was to make the water deeper, thus kicking up a much larger volume of water, and the only place for it to go is up, rather than out to the sides. Of course, the boat the passes right through this airborn tsunami...

I’ve heard something very similar. Basically, Valhalla is shoehorned into the space the park had, which left little room for the run-offs which Intamin would usually work to.

Obviously Geoffrey wasn’t about to let physics stand in the way of building his new ride and thus the ride was built with run-offs which are too short of corners which are too tight. We’re now left with that legacy.

 

[Rick]

That rumour definitely did the rounds, but not sure how true it is. Could well be the case, but I don't recall Skull Mountain being that much different. Who knows!

Intamin don't have the best success rates with many of their water rides.

 

[Matt N]

Valhalla was built on the site of the old Funhouse, wasn't it? I don't know any specifics, but judging off the footprint of most funhouses, I'm not imagining that Valhalla had much room to work with at all, especially considering how huge the ride is!

 

[DiogoJ42]

Well, it was a bit bigger than your standard "folds out of a single truck" funhouse, to be fair...

 

[Matt N]

Well, it was a bit bigger than your standard "folds out of a single truck" funhouse, to be fair...

I suppose it probably was bigger than a travelling one, but I still wouldn't imagine it was massive; certainly not as big as the average building for a dark ride of Valhalla's scale!

 

[rob666]

Just to be mister smarty pants...
Bit bigger than the Fun House, I'm pretty sure it took up most of the old motor boats site, and the old maze site, when it was built, and it came forward from the Fun House boundary...up to the original laughing clown, so quite a bit bigger than the Fun House.

 

[Rick]

 

[rob666]

Nice one Rick.
That first photo...oh the memories.
Nice to see three of the old Reel seats.
My mum used to sit in one all afternoon doing her knitting.
One used to go round in small circles.
All afternoon on a rainy day in Blackburn Wakes...a week in Fleetwood.
I still weep for the reel.

 

[DiogoJ42]

I cannot imagine a fun house being anything other than travelling tat.

You were saying...?

 

[Rick]

but I still wouldn't imagine it was massive;

Matt, I typed less characters to come up with those images than you did to tell us that you couldn't imagine what it looked like!

It still baffles me how people don't Google stuff. 'When I wer' a lad' if you didn't know something, you just didn't know - unless it was covered in an encyclopedia and you happened to be at home in reach of the book shelf.

 

[DiogoJ42]

.... Other search engines are available....

 

[rob666]

We had a full set of Encyclopaedia Britannica at our house...all twenty four volumes...And I'm still thick.
Can't stop drooling over the interior shot Rick.
And to get the idea of size Matt, that is roughly half the interior.
Monorail ran through the back, big balcony round three sides, and about a dozen different attractions.
Orange squash 6d a glass from the cafe.

 

[DiogoJ42]

Orange squash 6d a glass from the cafe.

Why do I get the feeling someone is about to ask if you meant "6p"?

 

[shakey]

Many happy days in the fun house. Could easily use up 2 or 3 hours in there. And that was very good news for cash strapped parents.

Loved going through it on the monorail too

Still can't find a decent photo of that big metal 'W' contraption that you could get into but never get out !!!



Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[rob666]

You hero shakey...best playground toy ever.
Two big sheets of steel with a wobbly wooden platform in the middle at a lower height than the edge...a "W" you could run across.
Come on Rick...dig us a picture out of the ether...the indoor photo above is actually taken from the edge of the beast.
You could get stuck in the middle for ages.
Never seen a picture of it, but spent many hours on it.

 

[Rick]

I'll have to dig through the archive when back home. I am sure that thing inspired some of the devices used at Guantanamo Bay.

 

[Matt N]

My, it was certainly a large funhouse! Thanks for the info, guys!

And yes, I suppose I should probably Google these things in future!

 

[Dipper_Dave]

Big One is ‘off’ today. Not sure what that means. Off form? Gone off? Off fishing? Oh, it’s shut. On a still, calm early Autumn day with no reason given.

Newest ride Icon on one train with queue to Big One end of station whilst two trains sit behind a wall doing the square root. Poor stuff.

At least Dipper & Nash are walk on. Oh and the Skyforce restraints stink.