Skyscraper
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- Nemesis
Did it really take 17 years to demolish it? 
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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion
- Thread starter John
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It was built 1974, was shifted to Morecambe in 1992 to make way for the Big One, opening in there in 1995. Closed in 2000. Demolished in 2017.
http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=1362
Stuie
TS Member
Rick
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Crux
@RoyJess I thought it was 1992 as the foundations for the Big One went in way ahead of any vertical construction - but could be wrong, 1993 perhaps. Edit - it's still on the Pleasure Beach map in 1993.
Some nice (re)construction pictures here from 1994 - I think it was largely built in 1994 and opened in 1995. Will check the maps.
It was still standing until 2017 as I said, I watched it come down with some old woman called Doris who wouldn't stop talking to me about how it was "such a shame they couldn't get 'the big Polo' working again".
Some nice (re)construction pictures here from 1994 - I think it was largely built in 1994 and opened in 1995. Will check the maps.
It was still standing until 2017 as I said, I watched it come down with some old woman called Doris who wouldn't stop talking to me about how it was "such a shame they couldn't get 'the big Polo' working again".
It had a Vodafone transmitter on top of it until a few months before demolition, so they were stuck with it.Did it really take 17 years to demolish it?
Benjsh
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
Big One is garbage. First drop is okayish and that's your lot. It's rough, slow for majority of it and offers little to no airtime. A hyper coaster that doesn't have airtime is pointless for me.
I don't even ride it every visit anymore. The operations on it are that bad that's it's not even worth a 30 minute wait anymore.
When it's day comes I hope they can find a way to take the track away and turn it into a proper hyper coaster. Doubt its possible but you never know.
I don't even ride it every visit anymore. The operations on it are that bad that's it's not even worth a 30 minute wait anymore.
When it's day comes I hope they can find a way to take the track away and turn it into a proper hyper coaster. Doubt its possible but you never know.
Dipper_Dave
TS Member
That little corner of the park was absolutely magical back in the day. At least to me it was. You had Big Dipper, Log Flume - always popular and especially great at night with the Tom Sawyer rafts passing underneath, then the Space Tower and old fashioned arcade on the way out - the red base building with bubble windows. Such rich memories, now I don’t venture past the Big Dipper stairs as there is nothing worth going beyond them for in my opinion.
Check out this amazing camcorder footage from October 1991 taken from Space Tower. I love the view of Log Flume at about 1:30 with the log splashing down the last drop. Also you can see the Astro Swirl in full flow, ensconced within the dome (which is now lifeless, boring and appears to be falling to bits), and how much lighting is there all over the park? Happy days
Check out this amazing camcorder footage from October 1991 taken from Space Tower. I love the view of Log Flume at about 1:30 with the log splashing down the last drop. Also you can see the Astro Swirl in full flow, ensconced within the dome (which is now lifeless, boring and appears to be falling to bits), and how much lighting is there all over the park? Happy days
Coaster
TS Member
It's still a very popular ride, the operations need sorting but why would Pleasure Beach pay millions to retrack it into a B&M or whatever when it's already their biggest crowd puller?
Define a "proper" hyper coaster. Big One was one of the first ever hyper coasters and we wouldn't have the rides that have been built since if it wasn't for PMBO, Magnum etc. It is far better and more thrilling than Nitro or Diamondback IMO, they were dull as dishwater.
Zadra looks great.
Plastic Person
TS Member
Because unlike Nitro or Diamondback, it's completely battered and falling to pieces in parts? Because twenty-five years in, pretty much all of its captive market have ridden it, and most without the bizarre queues it earns these days due to bafflingly poor operations on what was once one of the most efficient coasters ever built? It would also kill two-birds with one stone for the cash strapped management.
I really love The Big One. The lift hill and first drop is amazing, and it's a huge part of my youth and the basis of my coaster enthusiasm. But it's a lumbering giant and tough to enjoy these days.
siralgenon
TS Member
Well I never knew that!It was built 1974, was shifted to Morecambe in 1992 to make way for the Big One, opening in there in 1995. Closed in 2000. Demolished in 2017.
ChristmasPud
TS Member
The Big One is far from perfect but removing it would be a really strange decision and self sabotage I think, there'd be a big gap in the park's line up. Even though its extremely weird, Big One is better than Icon for me
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shakey
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Wild Mouse - Blackpool - :(
Well everyone's tastes are different. It's currently my favourite UK coaster .
There did used to be one better coaster though !
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RicketyCricket
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- Favourite Ride
- Taron
Big One is, was and always will be popular because it's unique to the UK.
It's aged terribly though.
@Coaster I'd take Nitro, Diamondback and even Raging Bull over Big One any day. All of those are streets ahead of it IMO.
The first drop is world class, but that's where it ends. The layout is just weird, it doesn't do anything.
Magnum XL 200 however is a different story, I'd take that over most B&M Hypers.
It's aged terribly though.
@Coaster I'd take Nitro, Diamondback and even Raging Bull over Big One any day. All of those are streets ahead of it IMO.
The first drop is world class, but that's where it ends. The layout is just weird, it doesn't do anything.
Magnum XL 200 however is a different story, I'd take that over most B&M Hypers.
Coaster
TS Member
It does need maintenance and/or track replacement, I agree with that. I'd suggest the cost of maintaining the ride in current form is likely to be much lower than completely replacing it with a new or significantly changed coaster.
The Big One is still Pleasure Beach's biggest crowd puller, people will never tire of it. I've seen days where PMBO has a massive queue of people waiting for the ride to open, whereas Icon's was much smaller (10:30am opening for both rides). It's difficult to judge popularity when they're open due to the capacity difference but I'd suggest that PMBO is still the big iconic ride of BPB and the ride most people go for.
I agree wholly about the operations but it has been proven to me that Arrow hyper-coasters can run efficiently, Magnum at CP runs three trains with 30 second dispatch times and it's older! I think that's more of a Pleasure Beach issue than an issue with the ride itself in all honesty, the biggest issue with dispatch times is the utterly dreadful Speedy Pass system.
In my opinion, there is something special about rides from The Big One's era that modern coasters just can't match. The ride still has a massive presence around Blackpool with the huge support structure and I really don't think it would make sense to change that. Icon appears to have shown that PB can invest in the latest technology and not really see a huge difference in crowd levels in the park.
ScottishChris
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- Favourite Ride
- Legend
I was on the Big One on Sunday, and despite the poor weather the ride was smooth-ish. 99.99% of people who ride the Big One do it because it is big - they are not enthusiasts - and they enjoy it for the thrill of it being big. There is so much that could be done to make the ride more thrilling, but would it provide a return for the park?
When I was at Europa Park I was so excited to rise Silver Star - i was slightly disappointed by it. Apart from the drop/ height there isn't much too it. Unfortunately this is the way with so many Hypers/ Giggas - they are focused on the drop.
I would love to see a second Hyper at BPB - and I do feel they have space for it and it could be a massive draw. I always said that I would love to see a B&M Hyper, but recently I have changed my mind - a Mac Inverting Hyper would be a phenomenal addition.
Danny
TS Contributor
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Icon is by far from the best use of that technology; quite a poor example really. Its stats aren't impressive to the general public, nor is it visually striking to make people think "woah, look at that! I HAVE to ride that!". Wicker Man did a far better job of doing that.
Icon should have been the UK's version of Copperhead Strike. Alas, it was not to be.
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