Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

[shakey]

So it looked and felt like a deathtrap then?

Yes to some, but it obviously wasn't or it wouldn't have been running safely for as long as it did.

The fact that the ride was so extreme and can never be recreated in today's Molly coddled society is the main reason that it should have been saved.



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[Benzin]

The ride was completely safe provided you were sat in the expected way, to say it was a "death trap" or unsafe is factually incorrect.

Is it though?

Death Trap: "a place, structure, or vehicle that is potentially very dangerous."

By very definition, all rides are death traps (because there is the POTENTIAL for thing to go horribly wrong), some moreso than others, but to say people calling it as such is an offense to its apparent memory shows that there's a few rose tinted glasses out and about...

Tomb Blaster was a death trap, which is why the park had to get it redone...


I'm not going to go into the comments about society being 'molly coddled' as no doubt I'll be called a liberal millenial snowflake...

 

[Rob]

I've not read all of the posts here, but it cannot be denied that Wild Mouse was a very violent ride. That is why many people loved it, but I am sure that an equal amout of people went on it no knowing this, and quite simply hated it.

 

[Spin-Ride-Lover]

I get that they had their reasons for taking it out but let's not kid ourselves here. Future developments was not the reason Wild Mouse was taken out. We're not getting a new coaster in that spot any time soon.

Icon is their first new coaster in 24 years, I can't imagine they'll be rushing to install another one anytime soon.

The main reason it took 24 years for a new coaster was they had huge debt to clear the GT had left behind that had to be cleared, There is a chance PB will build a new coaster on the old boladrome/ FY4 site.

 

[Coaster]

Is it though?



By very definition, all rides are death traps (because there is the POTENTIAL for thing to go horribly wrong), some moreso than others, but to say people calling it as such is an offense to its apparent memory shows that there's a few rose tinted glasses out and about...

Tomb Blaster was a death trap, which is why the park had to get it redone...


I'm not going to go into the comments about society being 'molly coddled' as no doubt I'll be called a liberal millenial snowflake...

There was no potential danger apart from people not sitting in the way the ride is designed for (rider actions), for which I would suggest a ban from the park is the most suitable solution.

The ride was kept structurally sound, had a functioning block system, seatbelt, it was safe. I do feel it would have benefitted from a more clear warning about the intensity (similar to the sign outside Nash), but that was the how the ride was designed and it was running exactly as it should be.

I didn't even find it violent, sure it threw you around a bit but without an overly-restrictive restraint it was great fun. There are plenty of more unpleasantly rough rides still running, Colossus comes to mind.

 

[rob666]

I hang out of the side of most coasters, especially the big one and oblivion on the end seats.
Clearances being what they are, the newer the ride, the more you can hang out.
Wild Mouse could take off both arms if you messed about.
When insurance companies decide you are a high risk, premiums can go up by a hundred percent a year.
The last incident...that shakey spotted on trip advisor, was simply that, the last on a long line.
People complain more these days, and people are more likely to run to a litigation solicitor if they suffer a minor injury.
Badly managed on the way out, but it is a business, for the entertainment of the masses.

Would be lovely if it got rebuilt that little bit bigger to get those clearances though.

 

[shakey]

Would be lovely if it got rebuilt that little bit bigger to get those clearances though.

"Wild Mouse 2" would be a great idea. As long as it's a woodie.



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[Dipper_Dave]

By very definition, all rides are death traps (because there is the POTENTIAL for thing to go horribly wrong), some moreso than others, but to say people calling it as such is an offense to its apparent memory shows that there's a few rose tinted glasses out and about...QUOTE]

I didn't say it was "an offense to the ride's memory", I said calling it a 'death trap' was offensive to the staff who built, maintained and performed daily checks on the ride right up to the last day people rode it. Track was checked, the ride structure itself and the ride cars were checked and parts replaced as necessary. So, it was perfectly safe. By your logic though, even Icon is a death trap as it has the 'POTENTIAL for things to go horribly wrong' even though it is brand new, is no doubt subject to a phenomenal amount more safety regulations than when Wild Mouse was built in 1958, and has had hundreds of hours of testing, not to mentions thousands of hours of planning going back several years. Put yourself in the place of a Mouse staff member who has just spent countless hours over the closed season maintaining the ride, and performing all the necessary daily safety checks, only for someone to look down their nose at them and declare the ride to be 'dangerous' and a 'death trap', I don't think you'd be best pleased.

I hang out of the side of most coasters, especially the big one and oblivion on the end seats.
Clearances being what they are, the newer the ride, the more you can hang out.
Wild Mouse could take off both arms if you messed about.
When insurance companies decide you are a high risk, premiums can go up by a hundred percent a year.
.

Well folks, here you go. The mystery is solved. The man who readily confesses to 'hanging out the side of most coasters' and with his head plays chicken with The Big One's supports on the helix, is solely responsible for BPB deciding to close Wild Mouse. Anyone want his address?

 

[Benzin]

I literally say that in my post that by definition all rides can be considered death traps... Like, that's kinda just a fact? Because anything mechanical (especially at the scale of a ride) has such potential for catastrophic failure... You can test and check and test and check every single day but something could still fail (whether it be the system crying or basic human error)...

As someone who has worked on rides, it does not surprise me that some are considered dangerous by those who do not have the background knowledge... If people did Towers wouldn't have needed their videos stating why a lift hill breakdown isn't a big deal would we? The amount of times I had to tell people "No, Fury's lift hill IS meant to wobble" would probably make me a millionaire...

The engineers did a fine job maintaining it, no-one can dispute it; but it's quite amusing to see such offence being taken on their behalf (given the SNOWFLAKES comparison on a recent page) over a really trivial comment? Is there much can be done when the ride is refused insurance or the HSE come in and say "No, sorry, it cannot operate like this."? From those perspectives it's up for the park to decide, and has little to do with someone thinking that a ride looks somewhat dangerous...

WE (i.e. enthusiasts) know that the charm of the ride was the unhinged nature of it...

GP often don't know their arse from their elbow...

 

[Coaster]

I literally say that in my post that by definition all rides can be considered death traps... Like, that's kinda just a fact? Because anything mechanical (especially at the scale of a ride) has such potential for catastrophic failure... You can test and check and test and check every single day but something could still fail (whether it be the system crying or basic human error)...

Of course, but on the basis of this being used to justify Mouse going, surely all rides anywhere need to be demolished immediately?

 

[Benzin]

I would suggest that there was a darn sight more going on that involved, given there was some major incident that happened and resulted in the closure and eventual removal...

Like, we say there were no incidents ever yet apparently one happened last year and there were numerous complaints about the ride in general? Perhaps there were a few out of court settlements that have never seen the light of day...

Some rides are bigger deathtraps than others, I doubt the old diesel cred at Camelot would've lasted long...

 

[Coaster]

I would suggest that there was a darn sight more going on that involved, given there was some major incident that happened and resulted in the closure and eventual removal...

Like, we say there were no incidents ever yet apparently one happened last year and there were numerous complaints about the ride in general? Perhaps there were a few out of court settlements that have never seen the light of day...

Some rides are bigger deathtraps than others, I doubt the old diesel cred at Camelot would've lasted long...

There was a near-miss, not a major incident. To my knowledge, there were never any major accidents on the ride, there may have been some low-level injuries, however I would suggest this could be the case on any ride. I have been injured on rides before, one comes to mind when my arm hit a tree part-way around the layout... does that mean the ride should close? Of course not, it means I was a fool for having my arm too near the tree (and they need to get the gardeners out!)

I do not accept that the Wild Mouse was unsafe provided you were riding in the way it was intended.

 

[Dar]

I think it was probably unsafe in a number of little ways, that added up to it becoming un-insurable. Things like someone too tall going on (ops not checking, or there not being a limit), looking to wave at their family and not noticing the lift gets a bit close to the switchbacks and gets a scrape. Not enough to warrant an overreaction, just a sincere apology and free wristbands. But a number of those incidents and you start wondering if it's worth the wristbands and potential bad press in this information age.

To be honest, I wonder if the infamous trip advisor review didn't shine a light on things they'd managed to deal with on the quiet before?

 

[AT86]

Ultimately isn’t it all about risk? Things changed for the theme park industry in the UK after June 2015, the press reaction and the onslaught of media attention towards Alton Towers has had a huge impact on their visitor numbers and finances. They had Merlin - a multi billion pound parent company to back them up.

BPB haven’t got anyone, that kind of attention could well see the end of the whole company. Perhaps it re-focused their attention on the risks they were taking with the Wild Mouse and they decided on balance that it just wasn’t worth it anymore. The trip advisor review could easily have spilled into the wider news coverage or future ‘incidents’ could be blown out of proportion. Not worth risking the business on the fate of one ride - no matter how historic it was.

 

[AstroDan]

I've not been to BPB so far this year, which for me is unusual. However, with Mouse gone (which was my favourite), i haven't the desire.

I'll no doubt go once the Mack Wonder opens.

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[Rick]

The key difference with the mouse versus most modern rides is that you have the option of riding it in a non-safe way which itself allows it to be demonstrably more dangerous than a modern ride.

If you ride Nemesis, the crew check your harness and dispatch the train. From that point on a rider has far less opportunity to put themselves in danger than someone who was riding the Mouse, for example.

Although there are different types of restraints by design, there are also a number by function. Firstly, no restraint - as it says.

Secondly, 'this restraint will stop you from falling out, but won't prevent you climbing out' - Mack bobsled, older PTC restraints etc.

Thirdly, 'this restraint will prevent you from climbing out - we'll let you out at the end' - most modern coaster restraints.

I think we will see a gradual shift to the third type over the coming years, in fact we are already seeing it.

 

[Coaster]

The key difference with the mouse versus most modern rides is that you have the option of riding it in a non-safe way which itself allows it to be demonstrably more dangerous than a modern ride

That is all well and good, but when do parks draw a line? Log flumes, rides like Valhalla, enterprises, dingy slides, dodgem tracks, ghost trains etc - these all fall under the first category.

 

[Rick]

That is all well and good, but when do parks draw a line? Log flumes, rides like Valhalla, enterprises, dingy slides, dodgem tracks, ghost trains etc - these all fall under the first category.

They draw lines when they have to or are forced to, or perhaps where they consider the risk is not worth taking as society changes over time.

Time will tell how things change, but you only have to look back to see how things have changed and I don't foresee things will stop evolving - that's just the way things go. If you take water rides, things have come a long way since the original water chutes, they evolved into something far safer. The modern dodgem is quite different to the original Lusse Auto Scooter.

Plus, it goes without saying that every woodie at the Pleasure Beach operated without restraints. Rollercoaster / Streak until not that long ago.

 

[Matt N]

Hi guys. Remember I asked you all for tips about going to BPB for the first time about a month or so ago? Well, my parents have now decided that they want to book a cottage in the Lake District, likely Ambleside, for a week in August and go to BPB for a day from Ambleside. It's apparently only an hour away, and they've said that we can leave early and have a full day at BPB, 10am to 7pm. So I just wanted to ask; how early should I probably leave and how easy is it to get to BPB from the Lake District, if anyone has ever tried?

 

[ringo]

Hi guys. Remember I asked you all for tips about going to BPB for the first time about a month or so ago? Well, my parents have now decided that they want to book a cottage in the Lake District, likely Ambleside, for a week in August and go to BPB for a day from Ambleside. It's apparently only an hour away, and they've said that we can leave early and have a full day at BPB, 10am to 7pm. So I just wanted to ask; how early should I probably leave and how easy is it to get to BPB from the Lake District, if anyone has ever tried?

Current trip time is 1hr17min so allow an hour an half especially as it’s summer.

Make sure you book tickets and have them delivered as that will save a lot of time and hassle on arrival and work out where to park in advance too.