Blackpool Pleasure Beach 1979

These photographs were all taken in 1979 but not all on the same day so blue skies may come and go...

Actually most of the photos were taken on black and white film anyway (Ilford FP4 in case anyone is interested) so perhaps I should say light skies may give way to darker skies here and there. The Derby Racer.

I have quite a few articles already on the Pleasure Beach so forgive me if I inadvertantly repeat a photo that I've already used. This shot shows the Cyclone ride - a compact roller coaster of metal construction. At this time the Pleasure Beach south of Watson Road had quite a few of these more portable fairground rides. This had small two-row, four-person cars and wasn't a bad ride at all.

This shot may have already featured I think, but the Astro Liner gets enough comments on the various Blackpool Facebook pages to warrant this being shown again perhaps. It was a simulator ride with a film of space or underwater travel being shown at the front of the seated passengers whilst the tube twisted and lifted or dipped to make the "journey" seem more believable - as if the various space or sea monster attacks weren't enough! Behind it is the station and track of the Steeplechase.

Another portable ride based on the ever-popular Octopus ride. I can't remember what this particular one was called - if you know, leave a comment!

Recently demolished and much lamented, the Wild Mouse was much-loved and one of the few rides where you could expect to be truly terrified as the little mouse car hurtled towards the first extremely tight U-bend.

Woo-hoo! Colour! The Revolution was a brand new ride in 1979. The first looping roller coaster in the UK was catapult launched off a high platform down a dip slope then around the vertical loop, up a second loop/rise to a second platform before repeating the ride backwards. The way up to the starting platform was up a long series of stairs, no lift or ramps. To the disappointment of many riders who came to a sudden realisation that the ride was going to propel them once again around the loop but backwards, there was no exit from the ride on the second platform!

The Revolution's first dip leading to the loop. Under it is the dome of Cinema USA which, whilst it didn't move, was a similar idea to the Astro Liner. In this dome you stood up to watch a film that was filled with motion shots from helicopters, roller coasters, fast boats and a New York fire engine with a long ladder requiring steering at both front and back wheels. The film was projected on the inside of the dome, filling your vision and requiring you to tilt your head up at an angle. All of which made it very difficult to keep your balance as your body tried to make sense of all the movement.

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