• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

Status
This topic has been locked. No further replies can be posted.
So I've stumbled across a rather random article about the engineering of thrill rides that uses a few examples from Blackpool, amongst other places. I'm not sure when it was written, but it refers to the park as having three coasters.... and also calls the 'Nash a "Scenic Railway"... So I'm guessing it's pretty smegging old. 1930's at a guess?

One ride description caught my eye:
The electric boats work on a similar principle. One pool, 180 feet long, has thirty boats, each containing an electric motor of 6-1/4 horse-power and running at 1,200 revolutions a minute, fitted in the same way as an inboard petrol motor for small boats. A forward or reverse movement is effected simply by giving the steering wheel one complete turn. The boats, which travel at about six miles an hour, cannot capsize. Contrary to past practice, the power does not come from overhead wire netting earthed to the water. The process is reversed. The wire netting is the negative pole and the system is thus made safer than ever. Spectators can stand round the pool, placing their hands in the water, and feel nothing. Fresh water is used with four tons of salt dissolved in it.

The electric apparatus is larger than might be suspected. A three-phase rectifier and transformer convert 400 volts alternating current to 100 volts direct current, there being two valves to each phase. On some outdoor pools, however, petrol motors are used.
Click to expand...

Passing live current through the water? Yup, sounds safe to me.

Anyway, here's the full article, with some pics I've not seen before:
http://www.engwonders.byethost9.com/e090.html
 
Last edited:
Cheers skyscraper, you just made me feel very old, I remember it being built.
To be honest, it was a bit of a disappointment to me at the time, all that soil being shifted and all that steel for little more than a monorail.
Time changes things, love it now, especially playing no hands!
Last ride I got my mum to join me on as well.
Even remember Red Rum opening it and the Red Arrows fly past.
 
I haven't been to BPPB in several years. Are the river caves still there? I heard some rumours that it was possibly closing.
 
Hairobics said:
I haven't been to BPPB in several years. Are the river caves still there? I heard some rumours that it was possibly closing.
Click to expand...

River Caves is most certainly still there. Still remains to my mind one of the gems of the park, some really great (if very old theming) still in some of those rooms!
 
Good! I adore that ride. It's got to be the oldest dark ride in Britain now. Would be a real shame to see it go.
 
Everything was working when I rode the first week of March. I think it depends if stuff has tripped out prior to your ride... It's almost always working fine first thing.
 
I found river caves in Feb working brilliantly considering it's age! I love river caves a brilliant ride personally. Valhalla had every effect working other then fire ring at the final drop! However when I went big one and grand national was shut all weekend! However overall Blackpool is becoming much better then a good few years ago!
 
That's good to hear. The general consensus is that blackpool pleasure beach isn't a real theme park, but I'm more impressed by it than most of the Merlin tosh.
 
I'll never forget a few years ago, meself and DeRp were leaning on the wall of the prom, looking out to the inky black void of the Irish Sea at about 3am. A pair of young couples ran along the beach drunkenly shouting about going for a swim.

The ladies spotted us and waved,
"Hey! We're going skinny dipping, d'you wanna join us?"

I waved back, and replied,
"Nah, we're good thanks. Someone's got to call the coastguard when you drown!"

This seemed to at least make the lads realise it was a bad idea, even if the girls were too pissed to get it.
 
DiogoJ42 said:
I tend to stick to the main prom as much as possible after dark in Blackpool. Though saying that, it's nowhere near as bad up there as is used to be.
Click to expand...
It has got much worse around Osborne Rd etc. It is grim... as the front has improved, anything further back has declined bar the areas where they have flattened and built from scratch.
 
Status
This topic has been locked. No further replies can be posted.
Top