Walking the Scenic Railway

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.