Yes, we are back in time once again, this time to the year 1982 for our look at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. In the cinemas were Evil Under The Sun which I watched for the first time just the other night, Blade Runner, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, First Blood our first look at Rambo. Also Fast Times at Ridgemont High, ooh-Phoebe Cates..., The Beastmaster ooh-Tanya Roberts - ok, I'm going to stop this now, it's not good for a man of my age...
Noah's Ark is almost our first sight as we walk into the park at the north entrance. Sadly I never went in it. But hopefully it smelt and still smells better than the real one must have done...
A quick turn to the right gives access to this thoroughfare lined with cafes, amusement arcades, attractions such as the Hall of Mirrors and the Haunted Swing - I never went on that either, I missed out on such a lot in life... Then there were rides like The Whip and The Wild Mouse - I definitely went on that! Then the River Caves.
The River Caves ride had recently added a splash drop at the end of the ride. To avoid passers-by getting splashed,the walkway in front of the ride which led to a flight of steps up to the Watson Road bridge was replaced by a gently sloping ramp.
This meant that passers-by were already above the splash point by the time they reached it and could look down on the hapless riders who expected nothing more than a gentle end to the ride.
If you were paying attention a couple of photos ago instead of drooling over the thought of Tanya Roberts - oh sorry, that was me... - you may have noticed a sign pointing the way to Go Karts. These had taken up residence in a spot right at the front of the Pleasure Beach, visible from the pavement where now Ocean Boulevard blocks the view.
Crossing over the top of Watson Road here is a general view of the south side of the park. The Turnpike/Grand Prix track in the foreground is now crossed by a new footbridge to the Tidal Wave which was a great ride, particularly if you could get yourself on the back row of seats. Under the footbridge on the right is the water of the Tom Sawyer ride whose rafts were attached to a track on the bottom of the channel and the lake under the Log Flume by a loose cable which allowed them to drift a little before being pulled back to their allotted route.
The Tidal Wave at full swing!
The Princess Royal locomotive of the Pleasure Beach Express pulls its string of open carriages and the final closed carriage bringing up the rear. All the kids wanted to go into the closed carriage, which was a challlenge to any adults to enter and prise themselves out of afterwards...
The Monorail ride always looked a good bet for older or more infirm grandparents, but I remember my own Nana looking aghast at the thought of having to lift her foot high enough to get in. This would be a memory from around 1968 and things like ramps and assistance for those with physical challenges were not common.
Under the Monorail track at this point was a small pond with radio-controlled boats, operated from a coin-slot console in front of the pond.
The Steeplechase had three tracks but you seldom saw more than two in use. It had had a rocky start as the horses, when the ride was new, had a nasty habit of stopping dead. Nutting the horse - or even nutting the rider in front - was not good, but thankfully the problem was treated as a priority and got sorted!
The Cyclone was one of the better temporary fairground rides in the south side of the park. Metal construction and a compact foot space yet with a three-storey track that had some good dips and curves and a spiral, it gave a good ride.
Time to make our way back north and a pause to look at the Grand National station. Dating from the 1930s it remains the best ride on the Pleasure Beach. A twin track roller coaster with two trains racing each other and with the added bonus that it is a mobius loop. Each car starts on one track but then peel away from each other before meeting side by side on the lift hill. This means that when they return to the station they are each on the opposite track to that on which they started.
And so we finish as we started, with a view of Noah's Ark, this time from the vantage point of the Monorail. I can now go back to dreaming of Tanya Roberts...
Oh... and yes! I did meet her!
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