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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

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D4n said:
As much as people like to complain about them, Blackpool would be nothing without classics like Grand National, Flying Machines and Big Dipper (I very much consider Wild Mouse part of this equation too).

The main problem with the park is that their more modern additions have been, for the most part, extremely poor. Rides like Infusion, Steeplechase, Ice Blast and Sky Force are not good. In fact they're the kind of thing somebody would expect from any old tacky seaside amusement park (and we have plenty of those in this country). Icon and Valhalla were the exceptions to this (and of course The Big One has a solid reputation). As much as the park might be aiming to emulate Liseberg, the park just doesn't have the quality attractions of its Swedish counterpart.

So what really makes Blackpool stand out from the likes of Adventure Island, Fantasy Island and Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach is its abundance of classic, historic attractions. These are rides that generation after generation have enjoyed and they have real heritage value.

The second you remove these rides from Blackpool, even if you replace them with something decent (and historically the odds are not good that they will), you lose one of the main appeals of the park. Furthermore, as I have outlined above, some of the more modern additions are utter dross and should be earmarked for removal a long time before replacing any of the heritage attractions is even considered.
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I'm confused you've highlighted the need for the park to keep their unique rides (which I agree with) yet you've said Steeplechase is something you could find in any theme park? It's literally one of the rarest coasters in the world and something you can only find at PB!
 
As much as I’m not personally a fan of Steeplechase, I agree with @Coaster that it falls into the “unique and worth keeping” category. As much as there are a fair few coasters at Pleasure Beach I don’t personally rate that highly, the only one I would want them to remove is Infusion, because it’s a layout that can be found at tons of other parks and I actually enjoy it the least out of Blackpool’s coasters, despite its lovely visuals.

I think the park’s heritage will always be a difficult topic, because as much as the park has many older, more unique attractions, I don’t think it exists to be an amusement park museum in the same way that some other amusement parks do (Knoebels is a notable example here). The park does need to develop and progress in order to stay relevant due to how it presents itself and the type of park it tries to be, and unfortunately, that does sometimes necessitate the removal of old favourites. There was a time where these classics were the cutting edge of rollercoaster technology, and replaced older rides themselves that some at the time were likely wanting to preserve; Big Dipper replaced the Switchback Railway, Grand National replaced the Scenic Railway, Nickelodeon Streak replaced the Velvet Coaster, and I could probably think of more.
 
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Coaster said:
I'm confused you've highlighted the need for the park to keep their unique rides (which I agree with) yet you've said Steeplechase is something you could find in any theme park? It's literally one of the rarest coasters in the world and something you can only find at PB!
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Steeplechase I consider to be an exception because
a) It's utterly, utterly rubbish (and painful)
b) It is a (relatively) modern ride when compared with most of the park's other unique attractions
c) Although it's rare as a coaster type, the riding position is fairly common at seaside amusement parks (albeit on a flat layout) - Fantasy Island and Great Yarmouth both have an example of this attraction type.

For me, Steeplechase is more a case of a coaster concept that there were never many of (and for good reason), rather than a classic ride type that is now a dying breed. I can see why others would disagree with that though.
 
Steeplechase is an odd one. They basically took a carousel horse and tried to put it on a coaster and it doesn't really work. The ride doesn't really do very much but because the track design is fairly primitive (it's just a bunch of straight lines and circles of different sizes) it can be pretty uncomfortable, especially if you just sit passively in the seat. The trick is to lean into the corners and take your weight on your legs to absorb the sudden jolts.

I'm generally a bit less enthusiastic about riding it than I used to be, in part due to how slow the queue can be now it's only 3 horses per lane. Aside from Blue Flyer, it's easily the least interesting coaster in the park for me.
 
Steeplechase was the first coaster I watched go up, over a series of visits.
All that steel.
All that track.
It looked high...pre landscaping it was.
I remember my first sight of it at opening...
"Sh!t...that looks slow."
It was my first new coaster let down, without a doubt.
Still like it, though only because I ride it no handed, and rip the leaves out of the trees...and I like dislocating my hips.
Racing mates still makes it fun though.
 
We're in lytham for a week next week

Was going to book pleasure beach for thursday but the opening hours are 11-5...short for school holidays especially a bank holiday week
 
shakey said:
Wild Mouse replaced by German sausage stall.... Probably.



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I’m sure a permanent replacement of some kind will arrive eventually! Combined with the Trauma Towers facade area, there’s a fair bit of room to play with there (and correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the Bowl-A-Drome nearby? The arcade that everyone seemingly wants removed?). You could easily fit a flat ride or compact coaster on the Mouse/Trauma Towers area, and in the day and age we live in, there’s arguably more quality compact rides on offer that the park could put in than ever before!

Out of interest, what actually was Trauma Towers? Was it some kind of funhouse or something? Or a scare attraction?
 
It was a haunted house walk through, some of the scenes are now in the ghost train.

Next door to it was the Tagada, they eventually merged the two rides into one (same as 1001 troubles and the haunted swing into Impossible) and enclosed the Tagada building into the trauma towers so the last part of the experience was the Tagada which was now dressed as a giant dining table you were seated at. Worked really well. The first time I did it I had no idea the Tagada was still there so it was a fun surprise.
 
rob666 said:
All the local schools are back midweek I think.
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We've been in previous years on this week though and its usually very busy

Ride the lights is usually on plus the illumination switch on....i'm in blackpool wednesday though to do some of the merlin stuff so will hopefully get an idea how busy the place is
 
With a virtual switch on event and ride the lights cancelled, it’s going to be a weird week. Wouldn’t want to try to predict attendance
 
yoursilentface said:
We've been in previous years on this week though and its usually very busy

Ride the lights is usually on plus the illumination switch on....i'm in blackpool wednesday though to do some of the merlin stuff so will hopefully get an idea how busy the place is
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Normally in the past schools have gone back the week after the bank holiday, however with the bank hol falling on the last day of august this year most schools are back during the week with the bank hol Monday. Last year the bank hol was Monday 26th august, with schools starting the following week.
 
MiserableMonkey said:
With a virtual switch on event and ride the lights cancelled, it’s going to be a weird week. Wouldn’t want to try to predict attendance
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Yes....it's normally a good week to visit

Although we went on pleasure beach a few years ago same day as ride the lights and i've never seen it as busy...was ridiculous

The weather forecast isn't great though...plus the cancellations of both lights events so it could be quiet

I'll find out next week i suppose!
 
All down to the weather really right the way through September, busy if warm and sunny, dead if wet and cold.
Ride the lights... special memories of first date bromance with dippy.
If you have never done it, it is an amazing night.
Free beer in Crevettes on offer tomorrow afternoon, forecast looks lovely!
Come on shakey...throw a sickie.
 
Maelstrom said:
Normally in the past schools have gone back the week after the bank holiday, however with the bank hol falling on the last day of august this year most schools are back during the week with the bank hol Monday. Last year the bank hol was Monday 26th august, with schools starting the following week.
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My kids are back a week on tuesday...we live in yorkshire

My brother still lives in rishton and his are back on a week today
 
D4n said:
Although it's rare as a coaster type, the riding position is fairly common at seaside amusement parks (albeit on a flat layout) - Fantasy Island and Great Yarmouth both have an example of this attraction type. .
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Are you really comparing the kids horse ride at great Yarmouth with steeplechase?

You may as well say the Eddie Stobbart ride is like most roller-coasters because the seating position is the same.

Steeplechase is half of a very good ride. The first part is quick, low to the ground with some tight turns. Unfortunately the 2nd half just seems to be a way to get you back to the station, and it loses reality a bit with the horses in the air!

But overall its a fun ride and the 3 lane racing element adds to the experience.

Great to have a small wager on with your mates.





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Even if they wanted to get rid of Steeplechase, I’m not sure if there’s an awful lot they could do with its land coaster-wise; it doesn’t take up a particularly big plot of land, and it also has sections where it goes over (or at least, comes very close to) the likes of Icon, Big Dipper and the Chinese Puzzle Maze. So once the ride’s gone, there isn’t really a huge amount the park can feasibly do with the land.

On a different note, I was thinking; I think BPB may well have one of the most unique coaster lineups in the world, as even some of the more commonplace coaster types at the park are less common examples of the ride type. Just take a look:
  • Big Dipper is the only John A. Miller designed coaster left in Europe, and designer aside, classic woodies like this are a dying breed.
  • Grand National is one of only 3 surviving wooden möbius loop coasters left in operation worldwide (possibly 2 now that the operational status of the one in Mexico is up in the air), and the same clause of it being a classic woodie applies to Nash as it does to Big Dipper.
  • Nickelodeon Streak is perhaps less unique and/or historically significant than the two above it, but I’d personally argue that any classic woodie of this style is pretty unique, personally.
  • Blue Flyer is one of very few junior woodies left that were built pre-2000, as far as I’m aware. That being said, an exact clone of it was apparently built in India.
  • Steeplechase is one of only 2 Arrow Steeplechase models ever built, and the only one left in operation. This one is definitely hugely unique, in my opinion; there’s nothing else I can think of that’s quite like it.
  • Revolution was one of only 8 Arrow Launched Loop models ever built, and one of only 3 left in operation.
  • Avalanche is one of only 6 Mack Bobsled coasters ever built, and one of only 5 left in operation. Even if you extend that to all bobsled coasters by all manufacturers, it’s one of only 8 left in operation; definitely a dying breed.
  • Even though hyper coasters are a relatively common sight at parks today, Big One is one of only 5 Arrow hyper coasters ever built, and arguably one of only 3 left operating in their original Arrow-designed state (while Phantom’s Revenge is still operational, most of the Arrow-designed bits were removed as part of the 2001 refurbishment).
  • Infusion and Icon are the definite exceptions to this rule; the former is one of a model line that has spawned 42 roller coasters over time, including 26 others with the exact same layout, while the latter is part of a model line that has spawned 16 roller coasters so far, and will likely spawn many more in the years to come. But having 80% of your coaster lineup being classed as even somewhat unique is not bad at all for a park with quite a few coasters, in my opinion!
 
D4n said:
Steeplechase I consider to be an exception because
a) It's utterly, utterly rubbish (and painful)
b) It is a (relatively) modern ride when compared with most of the park's other unique attractions
c) Although it's rare as a coaster type, the riding position is fairly common at seaside amusement parks (albeit on a flat layout) - Fantasy Island and Great Yarmouth both have an example of this attraction type.

For me, Steeplechase is more a case of a coaster concept that there were never many of (and for good reason), rather than a classic ride type that is now a dying breed. I can see why others would disagree with that though.
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I respect your opinion but I disagree entirely and to flat-out cast it off as "rubbish" is a massive exaggeration when a lot of people enjoy it. It's very popular with families and a lot of people like the appeal of racing against others.

Whilst I would say that the second half of the layout is the weaker half, the first section of the ride is fantastic and very well landscaped around the hills, small items of theming and interaction with other rides. It's probably the best landscaped coaster at BPB and I can't see anything else fitting in as well in that space. In turn, the second half is still decent and improved more with Icon's interactions.

I'm sorry but comparing Steeplechase to the rides at GYPB and Fantasy Island is ridiculous, they're nothing like each other. That's like me suggesting that Valhalla is the same as Rugrats Lost River because they both use boats!

I found it more comfortable with the old horses (though I can see the need for the changes it had) but even so, it's still a great unique ride and honestly I feel that it should get more recognition from enthusiasts. The majority of non-enthusiasts seem to love it! It's one of those special rides that can't be found elsewhere, and IMO we should appreciate it while it's still there. I mean let's face it, if they remove that and replace it with a bog standard off-the-shelf coaster, we've lost another ride type that only PB had, and gained something that could be found anywhere.
 
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