Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

[Matt N]

In a word Matt, no!

Which part of my post are you responding to?

 

[rob666]

The park has never really done themed areas.
Always been a bit of a jumble.

 

[Matt N]

The park has never really done themed areas.
Always been a bit of a jumble.

Ah right; I thought as much originally! Thanks for the clarification @rob666!

 

[Rick]

I've never seen that before. I had no idea the Pleasure Beach ever attempted to categorise their rides by area. Must have been very short-lived, possibly limited to this flyer. What the hell is Bourbon Square?!

Edit - @Plastic Person Bourbon Square must be something to do with the area not too far from where Bourbon Street was, perhaps near Alice? 'Fantasy themed rides'... who knows. I have more stuff from this era, will see if there is any reference.

Definitely didn't spend 45 minutes digging through hundreds of bits of paper to find this

What a useless map

@rob666 @Dipper_Dave @shakey - do you remember any reference to those names anywhere? I don't think I do.

 

[rob666]

In a word, no!
Dont remember that map at all.
Festival Park.
That seems to ring a bell!

 

[Dipper_Dave]

@Rick I vaguely recall that ‘map’ with no ride pictures. It looks more like a stall layout map handed out an exhibition than an amusement park map! I thought that round the centenary, Coaster City was just a generic reference to the park having lots of coasters, not really it relating to an actual ‘area’ of the park.

I say that because there was a bit of Coaster City merch. I have a CC eraser and pencil at least, and it’s on postcards I bought at the time too.

Oh, and they missed Gold Mine off it!

Right then, guys and gals. When I put this into storage years ago, I scrawled '1954' on the envelope. Do we think this is correct, looking at the line up?

If it is from '54 - what is the tagline under Big Dipper describing? That would have made sense if it was fresh from the refurb, but it wasn't.

Century of Fun states Sky Ride opened in 1957, so that doesn't square either.

That Tom Purvis artwork is amazing. Love it!

More stuff here

I think Jack and Jill slide, next to the Fun House, went around 1960, so that is the top end of your range Rick.
Before my time, before any tykes start up.

Trying to date the flyer. . . I have a blank in my notes against closure of Jack & Jill slide, but Robs guess of 1960 is fairly accurate probably. Dive Bomber went in 1961 so perhaps late 50s is top end of your range like Rob said.

What is ‘Sky Ride’, is that Cableway? If so that opened in 1960. What is ‘Electric Speedway’? Could that be Turnpike, even though they were petrol cars then, or is it something else?

I still haven’t seen an opening date for Speed Boats anywhere. Just that they closed around the time the Reel did according to Rob. Hang on, Wild Mouse isn’t on the flyer, so I’m gonna guess circa 1955-1957.

Rick, how can you be sure that the Big Dipper ‘more exciting than ever’ tagline doesn’t refer to the station refurbishment after the fire?

 

[shakey]

I think Speed Boats last year was 1978. To make way for the water chute in 1979.

According to a couple of different sources, Haunted Swing opened in either 1954 or 1955 (depending which one you go with) but it isn't mentioned on Ricks map, which could put the map no later than 1954. Or maybe they just didn't bother mentioning it on the map.

I am pretty sure that Sky Ride is not the same as the cable cars but no idea what it was. Anyone know ?

Coaster grotto says that Sky Ride opened in 1957 ( http://www.coastergrotto.co.uk/reviews/features/bpb-timeline.jsp ) so with no mouse mentioned on the map, it could date it to 1957. (if you ignore the Haunted swing evidence)

So I think we can say with some certainty that the map is from the range of 1954 to 1957 ( taking haunted swing and skyway possible dates into account )

I think "Electric Speedway" is probably what I remember as The Speedway from travelling fun fairs. (See pic below of "Harniess Electric Speedway"). No idea what timeframe at pleasure beach though.

They still have one of these type of rides operating at Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre. ( https://www.fairground-heritage.org.uk/ ). Well worth a visit if you happen to be in Devon some time. I went a couple of years ago and the speedway ride was just as intense as I remember it from the fun fares in the 1970s

Anyway that's passed a couple of hours by in lockdown

 

[rob666]

Geekery here of a fine order.
Now somebody work out when they put the drop in on the river caves.
My guess is mid seventies.
Ish.

 

[Dipper_Dave]

Ok, I didn't know that BPB had a Speedway. I too remember them from travelling fairs. Another ride that as a kid I found fascinating to watch but was too terrified to ride. I think I could just about stomach it now, as it least it only goes in one direction. Or did it stop at one point then go backwards? Really can't remember. Its like the Derby Racer on steroids!

I like that Coaster Grotto timeline, not sure I have seen it before. Even if there is stuff missing. A handy resource. I have my own list of dates from bits I've read in books, etc. But sometimes one book contradicts another anyway. Just noticed that site says that Ghost Train was 'relocated and redesigned' in 1936, 6 years after opening. Where was it before that? There is some duff info on that timeline, it says that Scenic Railway was removed in 1939, it was actually 1933 as it made way for Grand National

I guess BPB had quite a few travelling fair type rides over the years. I don't always know the timeframe of them, stuff like the Egg Scrambler (Twister) I really am not sure when that first appeared on park, though I guess it went at end of 1996 to make way for Ice Blast. Wasn't it only in the Monster spot for that one season, having been at South Park previously? The Egg Scrambler though, what a ride name!

This is the sort of nerdy chat we would normally engage in through Winter yet the season should be in full swing by now. So, still nobody knows what Sky Ride was?

 

[rob666]

Think it might have been a ride in the sky dippy.
First name for the Cableway?
The south end of the park was a mix of trains, coasters, kids playground stuff, pony rides, dunes and fairground flats in the gaps.
Even a skatepark...briefly.
More space then with no tom sawyer lake.
Bits changed and moved round every year or so, to make things fresh.

 

[rob666]

One more bit of info.
I would guess that the Jack and Jill slide was almost exactly replaced by the bingo booth next to the funhouse.
That looked about a decade old when I was about ten, so built in the early sixties.
Mum would leave us in the funhouse while she played bingo.
We had to nip upstairs to the balcony and check if it was coming out time every half hour or so.
Halcyon days of youth.

 

[Enter Valhalla]

Ghost Train now appears to have been added to RCDB as a coaster. Words fail me.

 

[Rob]

Wow. Let's just make every dark ride in the world a coaster shall we? Crazy!

 

[Jonathan]

Wow. Let's just make every dark ride in the world a coaster shall we? Crazy!

Yeah, but given this is the same RCDB that has a strange vendetta against Towers, I'm hardly shocked.

 

[Matt N]

To be fair, it apparently has a lift hill and an entirely gravity-fed drop, so some people do count it as a credit. I've never actually been on it, so I can't say whether I'd count it or not. But RCDB classification does certainly add justification for counting something, in my eyes!

Yeah, but given this is the same RCDB that has a strange vendetta against Towers, I'm hardly shocked.

What? The whole site comes across as completely unbiased when you read it, so I'm surprised to hear that Duane or anyone involved with RCDB would have vendettas against certain parks.​

 

[Burbs]

Devil's Den at Conneaut Lake Park has been on RCDB for a while, and AFAIK only has the same amount of "coasting" as Ghost Train. My rule has always been count it if it's on RCDB or Coaster-Count... but does sense sometimes have to prevail?

Edit: @Matt N it does indeed have a lift hill and an uncontrolled drop.

Edit edit: RCDB's definition of "Dark Ride" is: "A coaster that is principally and mainly designed to be a dark ride with a constant sequence of theming and show elements. It does have one or more typical roller coaster elements - mainly gravity dips - which qualify it as a roller coaster."

 

[shakey]

Ghost Train now appears to have been added to RCDB as a coaster. Words fail me.

Ghost train does have a single gravity drop. Which puts it on a par with oblivion at Alton Towers

And it's also one more gravity drop than powered coasters have, which don't actually coast at all !!

So that's 11 coasters at Pleasure Beach then

Why don't log flumes count as coasters ?

 

[Rob]

Devil's Den is on RCDB as well. I have ridden that but do not count it in my coaster count. Yes these rides have a small single gravity drop but common sense tell you that they are not coasters!

What next, log flumes as coasters? They have drops and the boats have wheels.....

 

[John_P]

No issues with them adding it seeing how they list all those butterfly contraptions in Europe, and some playground equipment by London.

Just needs to re add Water Chute/Vikingar now.

 

[rob666]

Ive argued this for years!
When we were kids, if mum was paying for coasters we always counted it.
More if a coaster than the Mine Train at Towers.