Menu
What's new
By:
Filters

Fantastic old coaster footage/pics

It's amazing what you can pull up on rcdb's random coaster function!
Here's a properly vintage steel coaster that may have opened all the way back in 1956:
ZcqAIUN.jpg

(More photos at https://rcdb.com/3705.htm)
Looks like a slightly sketchier version of the modern ABC rides tube coaster, or those wacky Bailey Autosleds where you disembark at the base of the lift? Nevertheless it actually looks quite fun - check out that parabolic(ish) airtime hill!

Probably the most interesting thing about this coaster is its opening date. If indeed it did open in 1956, that would make it 3 years older than the tubular steel Matterhorn Bobsleds, although 3 years younger the first Togo and opening 4 years after Little Dipper at Memphis Kiddie Park. Would that make it the first steel coaster in Europe?
 
TilenB said:
Nope, Montana Suiza in Monte Igueldo and Rodelbaan in Waarbeek would still be older than this.
Click to expand...
Montana Suiza is not *really* steel though, it has steel running rails but the structure is all made from masonry and/or rock. I know rcdb is gospel, but I feel that coaster almost needs its own category.
As for Rodelbaan, I never realised such an old steel coaster was still around, it looks great!
 
Seeing the awesome pic of Big Dipper on the beach on page 7 made me want to post some great pics of Big Dipper through the ages. These are mostly postcards from my own collection, and a few scans from books long out of print. Some of the postcards have date stamps on the back, which gives a rough idea of when the pics were taken, the unsent ones I have tried my best to date, based on what else is (or isn’t) in the photo. I have various other old postcards which may be of interest, which I will post at a later date, but for now these are all Big Dipper ones. Amazing to think that almost 95 years on, it is still going strong. It sprang up with virtually nothing around it, had its layout changed, and now has rides all around, over, under and through it. So here we have a celebration of an absolute stalwart of Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Enjoy . . .

First up we have a postcard photo taken from the beach, and sent in 1924. Note the ‘Spectatorium’ Theatre behind the station, where the ramp / Grand Prix station area stand now.



Next a close-up of the first drop, from a card sent in 1925. I love the fact that punters are chilling on the beach right next to it.



Here is an unsent card, showing the original ornate station cage thingy, pic taken from someone near where Wild Mouse entrance stood, and a rare view from before the Watson Road ramps were put in.



Original layout card, sent in 1927, showing the soon to be demolished Star Inn.



Here are three undated cards which must be pre-1928 as the boating lake is not yet there. Check out the queue on the bottom one, stretching as far back as the eye can see. They are probably queuing for the Theatre, but if they are waiting for Big Dipper then I will never complain about a BD queue again!







This is an undated card, which I guess is from 1928/9 as we now have the boating lake in and the Rainbow Wheel in the background.



This is a similar pic to the one above, it is unposted but has been dated 1931 on the back. Note that the Rainbow Wheel has now gone.



First drop & ops cabin, card sent 1934.



Undated card, circa 1934 as ‘Forth railway bridge’ now in place for the Pleasure Beach Express train to pass over. I’m not sure when this bridge was removed but presume it was before Log Flume was put in (1967).



Original layout aerial view, from the book ‘Roller Coasters: Their Amazing History’ by RE Preedy. Look how close the turnaround is to that of Roller Coaster. It must have gone right up to where Space Invader mountain is now.



A couple more original layout pics, from the book ‘Roller Coasters: Shake, Rattle & Roll’ by RE Preedy. Check out the ace double dip. Also it seemed to retain more height coming back than the current bunnyhops do.





I found this great picture online but am unsure of the original source as I have many BPB books and have never seen this picture in print.



Here is a great photo showing the extension in progress. It remains the only one I’ve seen of the ride during the extension works. Also from the book ‘Roller Coasters: Their Amazing History’ by RE Preedy.



The current layout from above. See how much space is still in the middle of the park. Also from the book ‘Roller Coasters: Their Amazing History’ by RE Preedy.



New layout, postcard sent late 1936. Helix cage replaced by weird, seemingly short-lived ‘thimble’.



Card sent 1941, thimble now has ball on top. Don’t think many photos were taken or postcards printed in the 1940s due to WW2.



Fast forward to 1976, cards are now printed in glorious full colour and the thimble has been replaced by the white onion ball. Note also the pre-‘garden shed’ Log Flume drop.



A close up of a similar card showing the bizarre carousel on display above the station



Undated card from late 1970s, current iconic ‘teardrop’ now on helix.



3 of my own photos (excuse the glare, they are photos of photos) showing Big Dipper before & after PMBO. Yes there was a time when Big Dipper actually DID look big, before PMBO came along and made everything else look like a kiddies ride!







Finally, a great shot from the centenary year of 1996 showing a 4-car train, something we’ll probably never see again.


Hope you enjoyed that nostalgia fest. Onwards and upwards for some fun interactions with Icon this season. High five!
 
Last edited:
Not as old as some of this, but a few clips of parks that have ceased to be...

Just realised there's a Pleasure Island, Cleethorpes video on my channel as well, if anyone wants to check that out :) Apparently, it was the kiss of death when I made one of my dodgy videos at a park back then!
 
Last edited:
Friction burns are character building :)

The Fun House at Southport was okay, but couldn't hold a candle to the old Blackpool one.

It's quite scary that Southport has been gone over ten years now. And AA. It's weird to think of the mid/late 2000's as now being a point in history that people can look at as "old stuff we miss, but few remember".
 
I've started scanning in items from my own collection of vintage postcards and pictures I have been collecting for a new project of mine.
Here's a few.

Crystal Palace Rapids.jpg
This odd looking thing was the Rapids at Crystal Palace. At what I believe was called The Fairy Archipelago.

An article in "The Sketch" in 1903 described it as such.
It would be equally inadvisable to fail to take a flying trip down the chute (The longest in the world). Or to valiantly shoot the rapids. The latter is a new sensation, and may be highly recommended for sluggish livers. You descend with the tide - in a boat, of course - on a varying gradient, gathering velocity as you speed. Near the bottom you encounter a sharp curve; here you just leave yourself to Providence and the boat and swish around the corner. When you come out of the trance, you find yourself on level water.

next up are 2 pictures of The Scenic Railway which was located at the various Exhibitions in White City, London between 1908 and 1912.
London Scenic Railway1.jpg
London Scenic Railway2.jpg
Here is a shot of the Mountain Railway also at the Exhibitions in White City around that time. The ride is listed on the RCDB as the same as the ride above. Its possible they were the same ride although I haven't found an image which confirms this yet. Either way its quite an expansive ride and they really went to town on the plaster mountain theme here.Mountain Railway London.jpg
 
Those rapids are fantastic. I also love the amount of decor used on Scenics... It's the reason that's what they were called (and - apart from a lack of upstops - why they aren't really thrilling. Though Yarmouth's is actually pretty good.

Sent from my E6683 using Tapatalk
 
Rode the BelleVue scenic in its last season...just missed the Bobs sadly, just before my time.
The Manchester scenic was a fast and pretty thrilling ride, cable lift, dark sections and a brake man...the job I have wanted to do ever since.
One shilling a ride, rerides sixpence (two and a half of your new pence).
Took a quid, so I was laughing.
Rode it for about an hour non stop, realised I may have a coaster problem.
Excellent topic, thanks for all the effort folks, keep em coming.
 
^ I remember checking out this one back when it was added to rcdb, it looked pretty interesting. Barcelona had some quite intriguing roller coasters and amusement parks back in its day!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top