It's October, and Great Yarmouth is winding down for the season. Pleasure Beach will close its gates at the end of half-term week. Despite the cold, damp air and grey skies, like every other day the park is open to the public, each ride must be checked against a list of criteria to ensure it is safe to operate and open to the public. This blog takes a look at what this involves for the Scenic Railway.
The Scenic Railway in 2021. Credit: Pleasure & Leisure Corporation Ltd.
Pleasure Beach's full-time maintenance staff start their day at 9am in the large workshop in the middle of the Scenic. This building was constructed in 1982 to house a walk-through show. It's now the park's main workshop. It's home to various engineering machines, tools and electronic equipment, as well as bits of ride - wheels, castings and other unrecognisable components. As the engineers leave to collect the keys for the various rides they need to inspect, I catch up with Mark and Ray, who will be inspecting the Scenic Railway.
Both the track and car need to be inspected before the ride opens. This requires Mark and Ray to walk the ride's 3223ft of track, which takes them up to a height of 70ft above the sand and dunes below. We head up the queuing ramp on to the platform and into the hut, which is a small store room in the station which also houses the electrical switches for the ride. Mark collects a hammer and pockets a dozen or so nails, whilst Ray moves some fire extinguishers onto the platform. The risk of fire is very real and numerous fire extinguishers are positioned around the ride, as well as fire hoses. We head out onto the track, walking the opposite way to that which the car travels. Although it hasn't rained since yesterday evening, the timber hasn't had a chance to dry in the cold air. It's easier to walk up the drops when the track is wet, as they are steeper than the climb outs.
The track is made up of two 2x4" running rails set 27 1/2" apart. Each is topped by a flat strip of steel which the car's flanged wheels run on. The rails are fastened to track boards which support the rails and keep them the correct distance apart, like railway sleepers. The track boards are supported by joists of 4x8" which run under each rail. Firring strips placed on top of the joists where necessary provide the profile of the track. The joists rest on collars of 4x12" at each end. The collars in turn are supported by the 6x6" upright posts. The posts are supported by various horizontal and diagonal braces (called scissors), which are made up of 2x6". The whole lot is bolted together by around 8000 1x10" bolts.
Outside of the running rails is the side friction, which is built up of strips of 2x2", typically to a height of 10". Walkway boards either side of the track are supported by the side friction on one side and additional joists between the upright posts on the other. This means the track is in a trough - a design characteristic of all scenic railways. This ensures the car cannot fall from the structure should it derail. The upstop mechanism supersedes this arrangement on virtually every roller coaster built since the 1920s, which is why this ride was one of the last of its type to be built.
Underneath the structure. The track is supported by upright posts, collars, joists and a web of horizontal and diagonal braces called scissors.
The track on a chilly October morning. The rails have a coating of orange iron oxide from the damp air. This is the view from the station over the bridge to the last two drops. The small block of wood near the rail is a sensor which detects the car passing over to control the traffic lights.
Aside from making sure the track is clear from obstructions, the most important thing to check is the rails. We have to make sure the steel rail is securely fastened to the timber beneath, and that each rail is securely fixed to the structure along their entire length. This morning the steel rails have an orange coloured iron oxide coating. This will quickly be removed by the wheels of the car after the ride has opened, but right now, along with the green timber, it adds to the organic feel of the ride.
Just outside the station is the bridge. This is a section of track about 15ft long which is removable with the use of a forklift, and allows vehicles to access the workshop. A section of plan track - just joists, boards and rails, can be dropped in here and this is used for lifting the cars on and off the ride. Beyond the bridge in the direction we are walking today are the last two drops - the smallest on the ride. Scuffs in the middle of the track give our feet something to brace against. I'm feeling rather sure-footed by the time we reach the bottom bend of the southern turnarounds, but as the track banks, my feet slip without the scuffs to brace against. Here, it's best to use the inside rail in a similar way.
The gap left when the bridge is removed Gates, instead of the usual cladding, allow vehicles to access the workshop in the middle of the Scenic.
The bridge has steel joists with the usual timber track arrangement, although the side friction and walkways are steel antislip plates. Keys hold the joists in place but the steel rails need screwing down onto the adjacent pieces.
Cars can be removed at the bridge section. Credit: Emma Cruickshank
We pay particular attention to the outside rail here, which is wider than the straight sections of track. The outside rails have to exert a lot of force on the car as it passes to move it round the bend, and the wider rail, generally 6" but sometimes right up to the side friction, allows more fixings into the track boards and joists beneath. The southern turnarounds were the focus of intensive maintenance over the winter of 2014/2015. All of the upright posts were replaced, along with the collars, and associated scissors and horizontals. Extensive scaffolding is not essential in carrying out the construction work, although it certainly makes things easier, but it is essential for replacing and painting the new cladding. Such scaffolding jobs are extremely expensive. Like all wooden roller coasters, this ride is expensive and labour-intensive to maintain.
Scaffold encloses the structure of the southern turnarounds so that the cladding here can be replaced. The cladding is 4x8' steel sheets hung on battens attached to the main structure. Credit: Peter Middleton
Scaffolding removed and painting nearly complete. Credit: Peter Middleton.
Inside the structure of the southern turnarounds, showing the new timber. The steel braces were added in 1973 after a gale destroyed part of the ride. The yellow steps to the left provide access to the Monorail tunnel which passes through the turnarounds.
We make our way over the double drop towards the middle north bend. This section of track bridges over the Snails ride and track below. It is the most changed part of the ride since it opened in 1932. Between the station and bridge was originally a double drop, to provide a triple drop along this run. This was altered to the current layout in 1957. The section above the station was renewed in 2017. This brings us onto middle bend of the northern turnaround, and offers us our first good views of the park's rides and attractions, the beach and North Sea and glimpses of the sea front attractions and town, as we walk past the giant Pleasure Beach Great Yarmouth letters, which can be seen from the parks entrance and beyond.
Overview of the new track and support structure installed in 2017.
The next drop we come to is the second largest and we walk down the long pull out into the lowest part of the ride, called the gradient. This section of the track is below the level of the ground around us, and enclosed on one side by a retaining wall supporting the Snails track and the other by the wall at the back of the workshop. This is the second fastest part of the the ride, and it certainly feels fast too, because of how enclosed this section is and the noise reverberation.
The track dropping down into the gradient and its support structure were destroyed, along with a section of the southern turnarounds, by a gale in April 1973. This is the single most destructive events in the ride history. This the first steep climb we come to. It certainly feels steeper walking it than riding it. The 35ft climb brings us to the middle south bend. This is enclosed by the structure and cladding on both sides. The arches here are not original features, but first appeared in 1967 when the original plaster cladding was replaced by the steel sheet cladding.
The gradient. Some of the concrete columns and the steel beams supporting the structure over the bridge can be seen here.
Sequence of images showing the aftermath of storm damage in April 1973, and the process of clearing the debris and rebuilding the ride.
Drop down into the gradient in 2020. Lots of new track boards are telltale signs of maintenance, including replacement of the left hand rail (new shiny screws are visible near to the end of the workshop wall).
The track of the double dip is the exception to the rest. For most of its length, the side friction forms a 10" high barrier either side of the rails. Here though, it is built up to 18" high in places to provide additional protection. The double dip offer the most airtime to not just the riders, but the car too. The wheels of the train can leave the rails momentarily if it's going fast enough. Over time, cracks can form in a steel rail and there's a possibility this could lead to a piece of the rail breaking off as the train passes over. The wheels pound this part of the track especially heavy and Mark is on the lookout for any signs of cracks. Thankfully, today there are no problems. Any problems that are found though are dealt with straight away. Safety is always the number one priority.
The double dip. The high side friction can be seen at the bottom of the image. You may notice the different handrails. A pair at specific heights are required to satisfy working at heights regulations. The tubular steel handrails are easier to install and maintain and don't drop off on their own, as the timber rails sometimes do.
Emergency track repairs in action. A collar here, on the top north bend, had dropped and needed replacing. In this location, it can only be accessed from track level, which meant the walkways had to be taken out. Collar replaced, Ray is in the process of putting new walkway boards in. The collar which has been removed is laying on the track behind.
There's a tight left bend before the double dip - the tightest bend on the track. Wedged shims between the rails and side friction ensure the outside rail stays in place here. The top bend offer an excellent view of Great Yarmouth. Atlantis Tower, situated on the Golden Mile, draws my eye along the promenade to Britannia Pier and the sands of north beach beyond. 30 wind turbines at Scroby Sands in the North Sea silently provide their power to the town. St Nicholas Church near the market place can be seen, as well as the industry around the River Yare, and beyond, to Breydon Water and The Broads.
We follow the top bend round and down into the largest drop on the ride, passing beneath some of the support structure which creates the brilliant head chopper effect. The track comes right down to ground level here. The air is noticeably cooler and the track more damp. When we reach the bottom, we step off the track and walk underneath the structure. The ground here is just the sand dunes of the beach. Even the promenade was built after the ride opened. The track at the big dip and double dip require extra support, particularly at the bottom of the big dip, which as has to cope with the car changing direction at around 40mph. There are double joists and collar arrangements along these parts of the track, and trestles to support the midpoints of the joists at the bottom of the big dip. Mark visually checks everything is in order before we climb back up onto the track to make our way up the 52ft drop.
Mark walks up the big dip.
The big dip gradually levels out at the top bend of the southern turnarounds, which we make our way around. The view up here has changed considerably over the years. Nelson's Monument to the south west stands 144ft tall. It's been there since 1844. An oil-fired power station opened slightly further south in 1958. It's imposing chimney could be seen for miles around. It was demolished in 1997. The current power station opened in 2001. Construction of Great Yarmouth's Outer Harbour began in 2007 and two large gantry cranes were installed a few years later, although they were hardly used and have since been removed. It's common to see oil platforms in the Outer Harbour now. The first phase of the long awaited The Edge project was completed in June 2019 when a Premier Inn and Beefeater restaurant opened. A great view of all this is to be had from the Scenic. Further along the coast, past Gorleston's promenade and cliffs, the land juts out into the north sea at Lowestoft, the most easterly town in the UK. A solitary wind turbine there can be seen over the intervening eight miles.
View from the top of the southern turnarounds in 2012. The ride was being repainted at the time. The small scaffold tower made its way slowly along the double dip the following winter.
We head down into the first drop, adjacent to the beach, and up to the highest point of the ride, 70ft above the sand below. The flower bowl, installed in 1967, stands high above the track. From this vantage point, nearly the whole town of Great Yarmouth is laid out before us. I watch the first of today's visitors arriving in the car parks. Hidden from view at the back of the ride is a small set of steps, which lead under this vantage point. This is a the chain house. The chain feeds into the roof through a hole in the track and around a large sprocket, which is attached by four pulley belts to the business end of a 53kW motor. We are checking there are no obstructions. Birds have a habit of making nests up here and we don't want any of their creations affecting anything. It all looks good today so we make our way back up to the track.
Climbing to the highest point. The flower bowl atop has been in place since 1967.
The chain comes in through the roof of the chain house around the top sprocket.
A 3-phase 53kW motor rotates the top sprocket via four pulleys to move the chain.
The lift hill. The chain rides on its own rail in the centre, so it's best to use the walkways here. The steel rail, typically 4" wide, narrows to 2" here to accommodate the anti-rollback racks. This is what makes the classic click-clack noise as the car climbs the lift hill. Anti-rollback racks are also positioned at the top of most of the drops, so if the car does not have quite enough speed to make it to the top, it doesn't 'valley' (roll back and forth at the bottom).
We use the walkways to walk down the lift hill, because of the chain. This ride has always used a chain, despite many scenic railways using a cable. It was last replaced in 2011 at a cost of c. £20,000. It had to be manufactured specially. It's 7" wide and nearly 400ft long. It rides on a rail in the middle of the track and is tensioned by adjustment of the sprocket at the bottom of the lift hill. The chain stretches over time through mechanical wear and links have to be removed to maintain the correct tension. The chain will need to be replaced again once a certain number of links have been removed, although this won't be for a while yet.
For many years the first bend was totally enclosed, forming a tunnel all the way from the station to the bottom of the chain. When the structure here was replaced ahead of the 2008 season, the cladding had to be removed and that forming the tunnel was never replaced, allowing riders to see the structure inside the northern turnarounds as the car makes its way round to the chain. The points are situated just after the station. They operate just like railway points, with four switches to change the direction the car takes through the points. A ring of track, called the depot, runs around the northern turnarounds and this is used for storing the trains not in use. A spur of track off the depot has a pit which can be used to inspect the underside of the cars and is where the brakes are changed.
The points, just outside the station, allow cars to be moved from the main track into the depot for storage. The blue car waits its turn.
The pit is where maintenance on the underside of the cars can be carried out. The brakes are also changed here. The bogies are shaped the way they are so they can pass over the chain. The chain dog (the two prongs which can be seen underneath the train, near the back) locates on the chain to lift the car.
We make our way back into the station and Mark goes to sign the inspection sheet, verifying the track is safe to operate. In addition to these daily checks, weekly checks are also required, and these include checking the structure under load. The car requires a separate inspection, which is carried out by one of the mechanical engineers. I'll talk more about that and what operating the ride is like in a future blog. Youtuber Walk With Me Tim made an excellent video about his experience walking the Scenic Railway, which I highly recommend watching.
When Terminator arrived ahead of the 1994 season, Pleasure Beach’s thrill ride line up was bought bang up to date. At the time, it was the most technologically advanced ride to operate at the park and at a cost of £1 million, one of the most expensive too. The ride entertained riders and spectators alike for ten seasons, from 1994 until 2003.
Terminator in 1997. Its name and artwork was inspired by the movie franchise.
Terminator is a variation of the Top Spin ride, which was invented by Huss and premiered at Oktoberfest in 1990. Top Spin rides consist of a long gondola, typically holding two rows of seats with shoulder restraints, supported by a pair of vertical arms with counterweights for balance. The arms are rotated in sync by motors and the gondola rotates under its own weight at the end of the arms, although a brake can hold it in any orientation it may find itself. This means the gondola can both gyrate as the arms rotate and tumble while doing so, if the brake is applied and released at just the right time. Riders can also be hung upside down, if the brake is held on as the arms rotate. These rides are available as trailer-mounted models and permanent installations, and they are sometimes paired with a backflash or water fountains.
Italian manufacturer Soriani & Moser, known today as Moser Rides, developed the concept further by allowing each of the arms the ability to move independently. This was achieved by a hinge on the left arm, which means the gondola can be tipped side to side whilst the arms rotate in different directions. They marketed these rides as Super Loop on Top, of which Terminator is an example.
Terminator in 1998. The DC motors and gearboxes can be seen either side of the arm’s vertical support. The gondola pivoted at the end of the arms, although a brake could hold it in any position it found itself, so the gondola could invert or tumble whilst gyrating. Credit: Stuart Moss.
Unlike Top Spin rides, Soriani & Moser’s variation allowed the arms to rotate independently and in different directions. The meant the gondola could be tipped, and even inverted asymmetrically. Credit: Stuart Moss.
Riders on the way to being turned upside down. They are secured by a two piece restraint, which has both a lap bar and over-shoulder component. The gondola seats 30 - 16 in the back row and 14 in the front row. Credit: Stuart Moss.
The trailer-mounted ride arrived at Pleasure Beach from Soriani & Moser’s Italian factory ahead of the 1994 season. The ride cycle was computer controlled, and the computer would operate the motors and apply the gondola brake as required to hold it upside down or cause it to tumble as required during the ride cycle. Although the computer could be overridden, and the ride fully manually operated, it rarely was during its time at Pleasure Beach. The ride was one of two new thrill rides for 1994, the other being a Huss Flipper, and both proved popular with visitors and drew attention from the local media.
The video of the ride below was filmed by Barry Baza Matthews in 2000.
Unfortunately, Terminator’s first season did not go without a hitch. The ride required two people to operate, one acting as operator and one as attendant. The attendant would assist riders getting on and off the 30 seat gondola and making the necessary safety checks, and the operator would remain in the control box to operate the ride. The attendant would have the keys during the time the ride was loading and unloading and only when the ride was ready to go would they hand the keys to the operator, so the ride could run. One day in July 1994, the attendant, having completed loading and safety checks and handing the keys to the operator, was called back to the gondola by a rider. The operator, keys now in the control panel, started the ride unaware. The attendant, who at this point was standing at the end of the gondola, was thrown from the ride as it started, breaking their hip in the fall. Naturally, the operating procedure was changed to prevent a recurrence, but the story would be repeated at staff inductions for many years, to serve as reminder of the importance of diligence.
Fortunately, the ride operated without further incident. It was originally sited in the centre of the park (next to the Caterpillar ride, as the first image shows), although its location and orientated was changed slightly for the 1998 season (as the other images show). It was then moved to the south end of the park for the 2001 season, where it stayed until the end of the 2003 season.
The ride is now located at Jawa Timur Park 1, in Batu, East Java in Indonesia, where it is called Flying Tornado. Soriani & Moser built at least one other ride called Terminator and decorated it in a similar way. It was owned by M & D Taylor from 1993 until 1999, during which it operated at their amusement park in Scotland and toured Britain’s fairs, including Hull, Nottingham, Newcastle, Loughborough and Ilkeston. It then went to Wales’s Tir Prince Fun Park for 2000-2007 seasons. It is now in storage. Top Spin rides also operated at Alton Towers (Ripsaw, 1997-2015) and Chessington World of Adventures (Rameses Revenge, 1995-2019), among others. For now, some can be found at amusement parks across the world, while others tour European fairs. However, there are no rides of this type left in operation in the U.K. and many worldwide were withdrawn around the same time, as the rides neared 20-25 years of age.
London Fun Bus, also known as the Flying Bus, arrived at Pleasure Beach in May 2014 and was set up south of the Dodgems. It was built by Italian company Sartori in 2000 and could carry up to 24 children against the striking backflash, which features several London landmarks and icons.
The ride’s time at Pleasure Beach was short-lived and it was removed in September the same year. Free Fall arrived in its place the following year. The ride is currently for sale by Savvas Konstantinos Dakanalis, although there are numerous similar rides by Sartori, SBF-Visa and others.
London Fun Bus at Pleasure Beach in May 2014. Credit: Pleasure & Leisure Corporation Ltd.
Following on from last week’s post about UFO, this week’s post features another short-lived ride of the early 1980s - Rock-o-Plane.
Rock-o-Plane at Pleasure Beach in June 1982. Reproduced with permission of the University of Sheffield.
At first glance the ride looks like a big wheel. The ride experience is rather more intense though, as the enclosed caged cars, which can each seat two people, are free to spin. Each car has a brake in the form of a hand wheel, which controls how freely the car moves, so riders can control the intensity of the ride for themselves. If the brake is applied and released at particular points, the car will tumble upside down on it’s way round.
The ride was invented by Lee Eyerley in 1947. His company, Eyerley Aircraft Company, based in Salem, Oregon, USA, manufactured the first rides. Eyerley set up the company in 1930 intent on manufacturing flight simulators, although their first model, later named Orientator, proved so popular as a pay-per-ride amusement attraction that the company shifted its focus to amusement rides. It built rides until 1985.
Rock-o-Planes were first imported to the UK during the 1980s and the ride at Pleasure Beach was one example. It only operated at Pleasure Beach for two seasons, in 1982 and 1983, before it was sold to UK showman Swales Bibby. It is still in the UK with showman Gavin Oates, although it is currently in storage. Other British examples were modified to replace each of the caged gondolas with a pair of forward-facing seats, for a really different ride experience. Many still travel fairs and carnivals in the USA.
UFO was an unusual ride, built by Spanish manufacturer Robles Bouso, that operated at Pleasure Beach for only two seasons in 1982 and 1983. It was located south of the Scenic Railway.
The ride concept developed from the Enterprise, which itself was developed during the 1970s. Eight gondolas, each seating two people, one in front of the other, were arranged in a ring which spun, pinning riders into their seats by centrifugal force, as the cars swung outward on pivots. Enterprise rides use a hydraulic arm to lift the ring of spinning cars nearly vertical. UFO went a step further and the ring of cars was mounted on an arc of track and driven from one side to the other and back again.
UFO ride at Pleasure Beach. This photograph was taken on 15 August 1983. Reproduced by permission of the University of Sheffield.
After it’s time at Pleasure Beach and a season at Hayling Island the following year, the ride toured Britain’s fairs, firstly with Freddie Rose, then with the Rose Brothers. Unfortunately, the ride was not a success. It had a large footprint for the ride it offered, and was heavy to move and expensive to maintain. It was scrapped during the early nineties. The video below shows one in operation, although it's not clear if any survive today.
Barry Island Pleasure Park opened in 1923, although rides had operated on the sands adjacent to the park site since 1897. The White brothers, who held the concession to operate rides on the beach, were the first tenants of the newly established amusement park, which was created when the Council rebuilt the promenade in 1923. Meanwhile, Pat Collins, a showman from the West Midlands, was expanding his empire of travelling fairs and amusements across the region. I expect he was less than impressed when, in 1929, he found out the White brothers had outbid him to operate an amusement park in Evesham, Worcestershire, which offered lucrative trade from West Midlands day-trippers. Pat then outbid the White brothers for the 1930 lease of Barry Island Pleasure Park and subsequently renamed the park New Evesham Pleasure Park, which it would be known as until 1950.
The Collins’ had interests in other amusement parks too, including Great Yarmouth’s Pleasure Beach, the lease for which Pat had acquired ahead of the 1929 season. In 1932, the Collins' installed a large scenic railway at that park, which they had bought from German showman Hugo Haase, who had operated it at the 1931 Paris Colonial Exhibition. Ahead of the 1938 Empire Exhibition, Scotland, Sir Cecil Weir, who was overseeing the project, appointed Lord Inverclyde the task of organising the amusement park, which was to be one of the attractions at the Exhibition. Lord Inverclyde toured Britain's amusement parks in search of attractions. He appointed Billy Butlin the principal amusement caterer and, on visiting Great Yarmouth, settled on a copy of the Collins' Scenic Railway, which had proven extremely popular, as the main attraction.
John Collins tasked Harry and Ted Wadbrook with building a copy of the ride. Harry and Ted had apprenticed their trade at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach and had become experts in the Scenic Railway's construction and operation. Their copy was virtually identical to the ride at Pleasure Beach and decorated in a similar way too, with sculpted plaster resembling mountainous terrain cladding the ride. The ride was built at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, where the Exhibition's amusement park was located, and it opened on 3 May 1938. The ride proved extremely popular and takings exceeded £30,000 by the time the Exhibition closed in December.
The Scenic Railway at Bellahouston Park, home of the amusement park of the Empire Exhibition, Scotland, 1938.
Harry (right) and Ted (Centre) Wadbrook. Credit: Glyn Wadbrook
The following videos feature the Scenic Railway at Bellahouston Park. The first is an overview of the Exhibition site. The second features Prince Henry and Princess Alice, Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, riding the Scenic Railway. The third is an overview of the amusement park, featuring the various rides and attractions at the Exhibition.
The ride was dismantled and later shipped to Belgium, where it featured in the 1939 International Water Exhibition, held in Liège. The Exhibition opened on 20 May 1939, but it closed earlier than planned, following the outbreak of World War II. The ride was dismantled and brought back to Britain. It was subsequently constructed at the Collins' Barry Island park and opened in 1940.
Barry Island Pleasure Park, I expect taken some time during the early to mid 1950s. The Scenic Railway totally dominated the park, taking up nearly half of the site.
The Collins marketed this ride as the largest roller coaster in the work. In fact, this is a credit they also gave their Great Yarmouth Scenic Railway, although the two rides were more similar than different. The image above shows the slight differences between the two rides - principally the profile of the long drop running diagonally across the ride, and the last two drops before the station, in particular the first part. Relatively few changes were made to the ride after it opened, although the triple drop, running diagonally across the ride from above the station area was modified to a double drop, in the same way the Scenic Railway at Great Yarmouth later was.
The video below, from 1962, shows the Scenic Railway and Barry Island Pleasure Park and features an interview with John Collins.
The ride suffered extensive damage on 17 December 1963. A gale destroyed the lift hill and adjoining track between the turnarounds. A monumental effort by the operators saw the ride rebuilt and reopened for the 1964 season, sans cladding. Steel sheets were eventually used to clad the ride as replacement for the plaster. This method was later used on the Scenic Railway at Great Yarmouth.
Close up of the damage caused by high winds in 1963. Credit: Glyn Wadbrook.
The lift hill and centre section collapsed in the high winds. This is the gap left in the ride after the debris had been cleared away. Credit: Glyn Wadbrook.
New trestles for rebuilding the damaged centre section are stacked, waiting installation. Credit: Glyn Wadbrook.
Part of the turnaround was also damaged. Credit: Glyn Wadbrook.
New trestles to rebuild the ride are being installed in this image. Credit: Glyn Wadbrook.
The Collins’ family involvement with Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach had come to an end in 1958, and the Scenic Railway there was sold to Botton Brothers, who had been operating the park since 1954. The Collins family was still very much in control at Barry Island though, and John’s sons, named in the family tradition John and Patrick, purchased the freehold of the site in 1969. The video below features musician Acker Bilk riding the Scenic Railway, and interviews with Patrick Collins Junior. You will also see the ride has been repainted following its rebuild and reclad after its partial collapse in 1963.
A financial assessment of the park was undertaken in the early 1970s. The Scenic Railway was deemed to take up too much space for the money it made and it closed at the end of the 1973 season. It was demolished in two stages - the lift hill and centre section first, followed by the turnarounds - over the winter periods of the 1973 and 1974 seasons. Many were sad to see the Scenic Railway go. Pat himself later remarked that in hindsight the ride should not have been dismantled, as with new technology, different rides could have been incorporated over and under the structure to gain more income from the space available. Nevertheless, the Collins' ran the park successfully into the nineties. It is now owned and operated by Henry Danter.
Demolition of the Scenic Railway in 1973. The end of an era for Barry Island Pleasure Park.
Patrick Collins (1859 – 1943) was one of five children of Irish parentage who had come to England in the nineteenth century. When he was ten, he and his younger brother John travelled fairs with their father, and he would go on to establish his own fairs in adulthood. By 1882, he ran many of the fairs around Birmingham and the Black Country, where he had settled with his wife, Flora (née) Ross and their children, named in the family tradition, Patrick, and John. He had an interest in cinematography and included bioscopes at his fairs. He later he went on to own 13 cinemas. He was an accomplished and respected showman and served as president of the Showman’s Guild of Great Britain from 1920 until 1929. Later in his life he was involved in politics, firstly as a local councillor for Walsall, before going on to serve as an MP for two years from 1922. He was elected Mayor of Walsall in 1938.
Pat Collins, front left, and his son John, centre in light suit, at the Nottingham Goose Fair of 1936.
Pat was awarded the lease of Pleasure Beach for the 1929 season (take a look at this Blog post for Pleasure Beach History 1909 - 1928 to read how this cam about). His son John went to Great Yarmouth to oversee day-to-day operations, assisted by general manager R. J Minns. John’s first order of business was to obtain a replacement for Iles’ Scenic Railway. In the end, two rides were built at the park; figure-8 roller coaster and a water chute, which both opened in 1929. The figure-8 roller coaster featured single cars which were hauled up a lift-hill to run back down to ground level on track in a figure of eight pattern. It was a side-friction coaster, and the cars had wheels on their sides as well as underneath, and they ran in a trough-shaped wooden track which guided them. These rides were popular at the time, though not in the same league as scenic railways. Only one such ride remains today, and it is the oldest roller coaster in the world – Leap-the-Dips opened in 1902 at Lakemont Park, near Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA. Follow this link for a video of this ride.
The entrance to Pleasure Beach in 1929. This sign was erected at the beginning of the season, and would stand at the entrance for thirty years.
This image, also from 1929, shows a variety of stalls and rides, including The Whip (front centre), Water Chute (background left) and Figure-8 (background right). The general layout of stalls along the left and attractions along the right persists today.
The Figure-8 roller coaster. The shallow drops such rides have are evident in this image. The tall tower to the left is Jack & Jill, which was a slide ride, opened in 1925. This image is from 1930 or 1931.
The Water Chute was rather different to the type which had operated at the park before, for this one featured a large oval track and boats with wheels. The boats were hauled by a chain up an incline, rolled around a bend at the top of the ride, plunged down to ground level through a pool of water to circle back round to the loading area, ready to go again. The concept had been invented by a German showman called Hugo Haase, who premiered it at the International Press Exhibition at Cologne in 1928. In fact, the ride constructed at Pleasure Beach was the same ride that had operated in Cologne, although it would only operate at Pleasure Beach for one season before going to the Collins’ other park at Barry Island for 1930.
View of the park and along the seafront (Winter Gardens and Wellington Pier are in the background at the top of the image) from the top of the Water Chute in 1929.
John installed a miniature railway courtesy of Nigel Parkinson, which opened in 1930. This was a 15” gauge railway, with a rather grand, albeit suitably sized, booking office and two island platforms adjacent to the Jack & Jill ride. The track, just over 500 metres in length, ran south alongside South Beach Parade before looping north near the junction with Main Cross Road, through a short tunnel dug into the sand dunes, and back to the station area. A small steam locomotive called Mighty Atom (later renamed Prince of Wales) was used with coaches based on mainline designs of the era. There was also a diesel-powered train. The railway was short-lived though and it was removed after the 1937 season.
Pleasure Beach during the early 1930s would be recognisable today. A row of stalls along the beach side of the park offered cards, darts and various other games to entice visitors to spend their money. A variety of indoor attractions along the road side of the park provided entertainment, including 'freak shows', which were popular at the time. A Globe of Death, a large spherical cage in which motorcyclists would daringly ride round-and-round, sometimes in pairs, provided a dramatic attraction for visitors, and the development of thrill rides really began to take off during this decade. However, the Collins’ desired something that would really draw crowds. Pat believed the future of amusements lay in, what he called, the big stuff. They looked to the Continent for inspiration and found their answer at the Paris Colonial Exhibition.
Rolling stock on the Miniature Railway.
Crowds gather around one of the 'freak' shows.
A large Scenic Railway had been installed at the Exhibition's amusement park. It was operated by Hugo Haase, who the Collins' had done business with only a few years earlier, when they bought his Water Chute for Pleasure Beach. Pat Collins purchased the ride for Pleasure Beach for £15,000. Whilst the components were being shipped to England, the Figure-8 was dismantled and the site prepared. The park opened for the 1932 season on 14 May, and the Scenic Railway, River Caves, which had come with the Scenic Railway and constructed underneath and around the ride's track, and Water Dodgems, which the Collins had presented at London's Olympia the Christmas before, welcomed their first riders. Unfortunately, the success of the 1932 season was overshadowed by a fire, which destroyed the Noah's Ark ride on 20 September.
The Scenic Railway in 1932, decorated in plaster sculpted to resemble mountainous terrain.
The park opened for the 1939 season on 8 April. The political situation in Europe had been deteriorating for some time, and as the year went on the prospect of war loomed. Visitor numbers declined throughout the summer and in July, Pat asked the Council for permission to open on Sundays during August to boost revenue. The Council declined. Soon after, and until the declaration of war, the town changed to put itself on a war footing. The first evacuees from Thames-side towns arrived from 1 September, on the first leg of their journey into the relative safety of the countryside. Pleasure Beach opened for Easter 1940, but it was soon clear business could not continue. In May, the Council agreed Pat’s offer for 50% takings, and a minimum of £2000 for the duration of the war, in lieu of the usual rent and rates.
Evacuation of the town commenced on 2 June 1940 and the first air raid was just over a month later on 11 July. Great Yarmouth suffered extensive damage at the hands of the Luftwaffe, and between 11 July 1940 and 1 June 1944 nearly a thousand bombs were dropped on the town, and ten times as many incendiary devices. These included four high explosive bombs dropped north of the Pleasure Beach on 7 December 1940 and approximately fifty incendiary devices dropped on South Beach Parade on 21 September 1941. Despite this the Pleasure Beach site, which had been reduced to just the entrance gate, stalls, indoor attractions and Scenic Railway, survived intact.
Sadly, Pat Collins, who had returned home to Bloxwich for the war, died on 9 December 1943. Pat’s death was followed in 1945 by the death of Mr Minns, who had been General Manager at Pleasure Beach for over ten years and had overseen the transition from Iles’ to Collins’ lease and installation of the Scenic Railway.
Many of the showmen who had operated their own rides at the site did not return after the war. John, now head of the Collins family empire, filled the spaces with his own rides and park was reopened for August Bank Holiday in 1945, shortly before the War officially ended. Thrill rides were the order of the day. Their installation at amusement parks during the 1930s was curtailed by the war but by the end of the decade, Pleasure Beach was home to rides such as the Flying Fleas, Moonrocket and Tilt-a-Whirl. Rides such as the Juvenile Big Wheel and Helter Skelter (Slip), provided by the Cole brothers, catered for younger visitors. Kiddies Corner was an area of the park dedicated to more sedate rides for children, with miniature rides and novelty bicycles.
Tilt-a-Whirl in 1948. Image reproduced with permission of the University of Sheffield.
Moonrocket 1948. Image reproduced with permission of the University of Sheffield.
Reohorn's Gallopers in 1948. This may be the first Gallopers to operate at Pleasure Beach. Image reproduced with permission of the University of Sheffield.
Juvenile Big Wheel 1948. This ride stood near the entrance to the park (the tower to the left supports the entrance sign).Image reproduced with permission of the University of Sheffield.
Cole's Slip is prominent in this view from 1948, which also includes part of Reohorn's Gallopers, the Sky Flyer, and the Water Dodgems (left, background). Image reproduced with permission of the University of Sheffield.
Aerial view of the park in 1949. Credit: Britainfrom Above.
John sought permission for the park to open on Sundays in 1950, although this was rejected by the Council. He tried again two years later and offered an increase in rent for a new lease of 14 years as well as permission to sell refreshments, sweets and toys. The Council were still not keen on the idea of Sunday opening and when the offer was considered by Council’s Committee, they were so unhappy they recommended Collins be told to remove all attractions from the site when his lease expired on 31 December 1952. Fortunately, relations between John and the Council sweetened, and a revised offer was accepted with only two months left on the lease, although the Council once again declined his request for Sunday opening and for the sale of refreshments. The contentious issue of Sunday opening would rumble on for another year, when finally, in December 1953 permission was granted when the Council bowed to public pressure.
The Strato Globe in 1951. Image reproduced with permission of the University of Sheffield.
This image, also from 1951 shows the Speedway, Flying Fleas, Collins Gallopers and Cole's Slip. Image reproduced with permission of the University of Sheffield.
Collins Gallopers in 1951. Image reproduced with permission of the University of Sheffield.
This is a different set of Collins' Gallopers, at the park in 1953. Image reproduced with permission of the University of Sheffield.
The Rotor in 1953. Image reproduced with permission of the University of Sheffield.
John had recovered the Collins empire following the war, and by this time he also had endeavours at Battersea Fun Fair and Seaburn. His sons John and Patrick had settled in Wales and oversaw the day-to-day operation of their Barry Island amusement park. By the end of 1953 he no longer wanted, or could, commit the time to Pleasure Beach that it needed. He sublet the site to Albert Botton, who was Managing Director of Botton Brothers Ltd, and Albert and his wife Lottie took over day-to-day operation of the park for the 1954 season. This arrangement continued until John's site lease expired at the end of 1958. Botton Brothers was awarded a new lease and John, who had retained ownership of the Scenic Railway, sold it to Botton Brothers and his involvement with Pleasure Beach ended.
Below is brief footage of Pleasure Beach from the early 1950s (it's a compilation of two separate videos) showing various rides and attractions.
