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Big Dipper derailment at Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Dosn't look good at all. Gonna be a hefty fix job. Along with all the karen's kicking off in the press about "how deadly these death machines" are
 
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Foxstar1387 said:
Dosn't look good at all. Gonna be a hefty fix job. Along with all the karen's kicking off in the press about "how deadly these death machines" are
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To defend the (and I loathe the rather sexist term) "Karens", this isn't just a breakdown. A derailment is a serious incident that should not occur ever, and suggests maintenance issues. They are lucky no-one is hurt, as a derailment in another location could be lethal.
 
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Very serious indeed and this type of thing obviously shouldn't be happening. Im amazed but somewhat relieved no one was seriously injured.

If i were a betting man I'd guess the back car flung itself to the right atop the 3rd drop casuing the initial detrailment and the primary coupling between cars 2 and 3 failed, and as the front half of the train made it's way up star hill they have been hanging between cars 2-3 and smashed the structure. Clearly it didn't get up far enough to engage the anti roll back so the entire thing rested in the valley.

Very worrying as that arch wobbles a lot on a good day, being built into the sand it had no foundations either, its not beyond possibility its questioned the structural integrity of the whole arch.

I'd expect the Streak to be down while this is investigated, it uses identical hardware. The Grand National might get away with it due to the newer trains is has.
 
Not sure if this was a "warning" but on my last visit to the park in June. Dipper did feel rather lumpy and it did feel like the train and or the structure was flexing and shimmying more than just that old woodie built on the beach feel it used to have.
 
I saw an account from someone who was on this very train. He said that it rolled back and that he didn't even realize the train had derailed until it had come to a stop. However, the park themselves are saying that the ride simply valleyed so we don't know for certain that this was a derailment. To be fair, the photos aren't super-clear.
 
Fair point. Gotta admit, I didn't feel good when I saw the news yesterday, I was on it around two weeks ago and in the back car as well. It was not running well, I'll say that much. I hadn't been on it for several years and did not remember it being quite that rough.
 
Robster said:
I saw an account from someone who was on this very train. He said that it rolled back and that he didn't even realize the train had derailed until it had come to a stop. However, the park themselves are saying that the ride simply valleyed so we don't know for certain that this was a derailment. To be fair, the photos aren't super-clear.
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Rear car is literally side ways
 
It absolutely derailed:

1784899397374.png

Also, part of the track was smoking:

1784899845379.png

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/rollercoas...=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Pleasure Beach's statement is, putting it politely, quite the understatement.

Foxstar1387 said:
Not sure if this was a "warning" but on my last visit to the park in June. Dipper did feel rather lumpy and it did feel like the train and or the structure was flexing and shimmying more than just that old woodie built on the beach feel it used to have.
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Likewise. I usually love the wooden coasters but 3 weeks ago, Dipper was awful. The train literally moved side-to-side over that part of track.
 
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The media silence on this seems strange?

I mean it’s a good thing as normally the media can blow incidents way out of proportion, Hyperia for example has had a routine lift hill evacuation and it has made the news, this has gone completely under the radar.

Still not complaining about it, just seems bizarre. This is potentially the biggest coaster incident since The Smiler and nothing mentioned in the mainstream media?
 
I mean, I'm glad. More than ten years later, I still have to educate people about rollercoaster safety because of that endless, incessant coverage written by morons who don't know the 100th thing about rollercoasters. Seriously, every single time I went online there was something about the Smiler crash. Of course, a couple of years later a little girl drowned at Drayton Manor and no-one cared about that. People in the news don't know what they're talking about, that much has always been clear and it's best if they just leave well alone until Pleasure Beach Resort has completed its investigation.
 
Pure speculation, but I have to imagine this was an issue with track gauge versus something with the train.

I'd love for GG to get their hands on Big Dipper with some of their pre-cut track. Would add strength and stiffness to the structure. And it's perfect for an out-and-back layout without complex curves.

Hoping above all they can keep running the 4-bench PTC trains. They are becoming a rare breed. But they must be hell on the track.
 
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