While I’m in the Blackpool Pleasure Beach thread, I thought it might be interesting to ask all of your opinions on the park’s classic wooden rollercoasters and general heritage. Do you think that the park should value preservation or evolution in the long term?
I’ve noticed that Blackpool’s heritage has become a very contentious topic as of late, with some believing that the park’s old rides should be removed or have major work done to them (RMCing the woodies is mentioned an awful lot in any discussion about Blackpool Pleasure Beach), while others believe that they shouldn’t be touched, and every element of them should be kept as it is now.
My personal belief is that the park should aim to strike a balance between the two, and I think there are numerous ways they could do this.
Now I love a modern coaster, but I would not personally like it at all if the Pleasure Beach’s wooden coasters were removed in favour of a modern coaster or RMC’d. They give the park a very unique charm, in my opinion, and while they may not necessarily have the ambitious layouts and elements of modern rides, they are extremely novel, and make Pleasure Beach what it is.
However, I do feel that with a bit of tweaking, the rides could appeal to a far wider audience than they currently do. I’m not suggesting that the rides get turned into RMC IBox coasters or even have major changes to their layouts by any means, but I think there are ways that the park could refurbish or tweak the rides to appeal to a wider audience; please the preservationists and maintain the classic charm of the rides, but also make them more palatable for modern tastes, that are perhaps more accustomed to smoother wooden coasters. There are quite a few foreign examples that prove that this can be done.
For example, the Coney Island Cyclone was recently retracked by GCI. Built in 1927, it’s arguably one of the world’s most iconic coasters. But since this overhaul, a far wider demographic seems to enjoy and rate the ride; the charm of the ride has been retained to a good enough degree to please fans of older coasters, while the ride has also become smooth and comfortable enough for fans of modern coasters to enjoy. Before, I’d heard many people say it was far too rough, but now, those voices have been muted, and the appeal of the ride is arguably far more unanimous. I feel like similar treatment could do wonders for Big Dipper and/or Grand National for relatively little cost.
I also notice many talk about how the trains, fitted in 2006 (I think?), allegedly ruin Grand National, and make it a shadow of its former self. Well, new rolling stock can be fitted to these heritage rides without necessarily taking away from the old feel. Sticking with GCI, I know that they manufactured custom trains especially for Roller Coaster at Lagoon, a similar style of wooden coaster to the rides at Blackpool, a few years back, and they apparently really improve the ride experience without necessarily wrecking the charm. I’m also assuming that this change would be relatively low cost.
So my point is; I don’t think modernisation necessarily has to remove the charm of these older wooden coasters, and I think striking a balance between heritage and evolution, instead of leaning too heavily towards one or the other, would be both very easy to pull off and also great for the park in the long run. While I do think the park’s wooden coasters would really benefit from a bit of work being done to them, I also think that Pleasure Beach’s heritage is one of its most special and positive attributes, and should ideally be kept intact where possible.
But what are your thoughts?
P.S. Apologies for long post!
At Brean, Somerset en route to Cornwall. No way was I going that close on the M5 and not riding it. Now called Astro Storm. In a glorified tin shed, doesn’t look as good as it did in the Blackpool mountain. Queue under cover of station roof a bit like W&G. Improvement on original sweaty claustrophobic one. Whole shed reeks though! 
