[/quote], as memery serves i did a bit of modeling of this ride in the late nineties and all i can think of is one of the wheels had burst as, ''holy crap lead wasps''. It was themed around space.The Black Hole Was Replaced By The Smiler In 2013Alton Towers - The Corkscrew If you are a fan of Alton Towers Resort, then no doubt you will know about the iconic Corkscrew rollercoaster. In 1998, the opening of Oblivion in the area brought about the redevelopment of Fantasy Land into X-Sector; the Black Hole was integrated into the new themed area with another refurbishment. There was a lot of info about this on one of the other threads. The Smiler is a steel roller coaster located at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, United Kingdom. It is located in the X-Sector area of the park. The Black Hole accident happened in 1984, not very long after opening. And thus the coaster reopened in 1988, variously known as the New Black Hole and Black Hole II, although the look and feel of the ride remained similar to the original ride experience. Riders would be taken on a journey through outer space with various theming objects and special affects. In its earlier years the ride suffered from through put problems due to its single car trains, which resulted in long queue times for the popular attraction. Black Hole, briefly known as Black Hole II (1988) and New Black Hole (1989), was an enclosed steel roller coaster located at Alton Towers theme park near Alton in the English shire county of Staffordshire, United Kingdom. Posts: 1. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. So let's take a look back at some of the rides which no longer set our pulses racing after being confined to the history books. [2] The reconstructed roller coaster reopened, and was briefly named Black Hole II in 1988, and then New Black Hole in 1989, before reverting to its original name.[2]. The rollercoaster itself was refurbished by Gerstlauer, and can now be found operating as Rocket at Furuvik in Sweden. It is conveniently placed on our doorstep in North Staffordshire - and just so happens to boast some of the UK's best rollercoasters. Black Hole was one of Alton Towers' classic rides. The last car hit support structures before crashing into a concrete pillar in front of a packed audience watching a concert. Alton Towers Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. It was previously named the Wave Swinger, and then the Ug Swinger, before its closure in 2016. Privacy Policy. So why in 2005 would the Black Hole roller coaster be removed and the tent left abandon many years later? The roller coaster was given a space theme and debuted at the park in 1983. This rocket simulator ride had a multi-car centrifuge that whirled inside a domed screen showing movies about space. Nearly all of us have enjoyed a day out at Alton Towers over the years. The advert can be found on the Disney VHS releases of Dumbo (1996 Re-release), The Fox and The Hound, The Lion King, Pocahontas, D2: The Mighty Ducks, White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf, Angels in The Outfield and Leon. As you can read, minor injuries all around. The Cine 2000 (back when 2000 seemed a long way away) came to the park in 1980 - it offered visitors an unusual viewing experience, and the predecessor to 3D, by surrounding them with the film. When did the Black Hole had the accident? The horrific accident on the 18m attraction will make others questioning their addiction to amusement park rides and wonder just how safe they can be. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. "When Alton Towers decided to remove the ride the manufacturer Gerstlauer bought it back and restored. Its name reverted back to Action Park last year. Black Hole. ''keep low and keep your eyes peeled boys were goin in guns blazing''. Manufactured by Gerstlauer, it opened in 2013 as the world's first Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster. However, this does take the anticipation and tension out of what originally was so scary. The coaster's continued popularity, saw its queue line expand in 1993 to swallow the neighbouring Vintage Cars site, and for its remaining years in operation, the Black Hole's extended outdoor queue-line was actually sited on the former track of the Vintage Cars as it snaked through the bushes at the top of Fantasy World. Following The Black Hole, Enterprise and Energizer, Oblivion was designed to surpass its neighboring thrill rides. It was originally brought to Alton Towers as the Black hole in 1983 before going through a couple of name changes, New Black Hole, Black Hole 2 and finally back to Black hole again. For more information, please see our The Black Hole was built on the site of the former Dinosaur Land in 1984, becoming the park's second major coaster and quickly establishing itself as a perennial favourite with park guests. We know how irritating it is to find your inbox filling up with emails you don't want. Six Flags Over Georgia Park, Georgia, USA. By the mid-2000s, however, it was becoming unreliable and costly to both maintain and keep in line with modern safety standards. The worst theme park accident ever happened on May 11 1984 at the traditional and seemingly-safe haunted house. From here, the layout comprised mainly a set of clockwise and anti-clockwise helixes. Eco-Adventure Valley Space Journey at Overseas Chinese Town East, Shenzhen, China. Originally titled Energizer, it opened in March 1995 in what was formerly known as 1001 Nights, and was a flat ride aimed at thrill-seekers. It closed to make way for Rita: Queen of Speed in 2003. What rides and attractions do you miss? No, the newsletters are absolutely free. New Black Hole (1989) Black Hole II (1988) Black Hole (1983 to 1987) Former status: SBNO from 3/6/2005 to 2006 Operated from 1983 to 3/5/2005: Relocations: Alton Towers as Black Hole Furuvik as Rocket: Capacity: 900 riders per hour: Dimensions: 82.0 ft x 152.6 ft: Designer: Ing.-Bro Stengel GmbH Arsonists were believed to have started a blaze which, whipped by winds, became a furnace, melting metal walls and leaving eight trapped teenagers torched beyond recognition. The worst roller coaster tragedy in history happened in May 1972, on the old wooden roller coaster. The space-themed ride had some lights added in 1985, as it turned out that a sudden drop in complete darkness was actually quite unpleasant for the riders. The ride was closed for a year after Hayleys death and then renamed Drenched.. The ride was closed in 2006. The coaster was located within a huge silvery black tent (formerly green and yellow) that ensured the ride took place in total darkness. 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In 1985, a number of changes were made. However, it seems accidents of this have not previously dimmed people's appetite for peak-altitude, maximum-speed adventure. The three other deaths involved an electrocution, a heart. The ride, which closed in 1992, was the resort's first 'dark ride' taking its smaller visitors on a trip based on Phileas Fogg, and the 1873 novel, called - you guessed it - Around the World in 80 Days. Having wound through the ride's outdoor queue-line, guests would enter into the futuristic (by 80's standards) indoor queue, before entering the space-station, which provided riders with their first glimpse of the ride itself. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Enclosed within a giant tent, Black Hole was a rollercoaster which took place in near complete darkness. Following a special enthusiast event to say goodbye to the ride, Black Hole was closed in March 2005. Why would Alton Towers Remove the UK's Space Mountain.Enjoy my content? This new generation rollercoaster was called Corkscrew with Bayerncurve and opened to huge crowds at Holiday Park in Haloch, Germany, and Walibi Belgium in Wavre, Belgium.Did you ride the Black Hole? Some of the original theming still hanging about. The opening of Oblivion in 1998 led to the redevelopment of Fantasy World, which became known as X-Sector. The rope that hauls the cars to the top of the launch hill snapped and then, the anti-rollback mechanism failed. It now features a laser gun shooting game, with a zombie theme. Investigators are still probing the cause of the Alton Towers rollercoaster disaster, but some thrill-seekers have have declared their intention to ride its lightning again despite fact four people were seriously injured. It was also designed to allow a high throughput whilst allowing the cars to travel the ride separately, and at different speeds, to allow the effects to spook visitors. Darien Lake Theme Park, Syracuse, New York. Did you grow up in the 80s? There were no confirmed plans to reuse the site, and the tent remained unused for several years. It was also a UK first, following successful launches in Germany and Belgium. All three suffered electric shocks and the rescuers, William Haithcoat and Darrel Robertson, both 20, were killed. Riders would be taken on a journey through outer space with various theming objects and special affect 10. After a few seasons the effect was removed from the park, amid rumours of several unfortunate incidents where the microphone powering the alien's voice was left on accidentally. The Black Hole took its final voyage on March 5th 2005, much to the dismay of enthusiasts and guests alike, and then not a lot. The colour scheme of the original tent was changed from yellow and green to a dark blue, and the entrance was revamped to reflect the X-Sector theme. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. [3] Opening in 1980, Corkscrew was a landmark investment for the park, and one which literally doubled attendance in a couple of years due to its popularity.In 1979, John Broom, one of the original Directors of Alton Towers, wanted to install a flagship attraction that would be unique to the UK, and set the benchmark for thrills in the theme park industry. It was later found the safety barriers were not designed for amputees and he should never have been allowed on. An investigation showed a broken axle caused the derailment, and none of the rides axles had been replaced for 15 years. The wave pool became known as the "Grave Pool" after a series of deaths in the 1980s. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Thankfully we have what's called "The Freedom of The Press" which means the . Join me as I take a look at the history of one Alton Towers most iconic ride The Black Hole. Something went wrong, please try again later. The ride stood in the X-Sector area of the park. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. The second happened a year later (approx) on MindBender at West Edmonton Mall, Canada, where poor maintenance and loose bolts caused the undercarriage to fall away from the last car of the coaster, killing 3 people. The three other deaths involved an electrocution, a heart attack and a passenger suffered fatal injuries when their face smashed onto a rock during a ride. Share your memories of Alton Towers' extensive past here. In its early years the tent in which the attraction was housed was originally bright green and yellow in stark contrast to its gloomy innards, as well as its space based theme. The Black hole is a Schwarzkopf Jet star 2 coaster with a length of 1919ft, Height of 44'3 and a duration of 1min 50 seconds. In July 1982, a 15-year-old boy drowned, in 1984, a 20-year-old drowned, and in July 1987 an 18-year-old was also killed in the pool. Six Flags Great Adventure park, Jackson Township, New Jersey, USA. Mindbender - the world's largest indoor triple loop roller coaster was dubbed one of the "safest rides in the world" when it was built. The ride was closed in 2006. Sporting a vivid new colour scheme, and no longer hidden within a tent, the ride lives on to hopefully thrill many more Swedish guests in the years to come. The ride featured differentiating (and disorientating) floor levels, and included a dollhouse which moved by itself (which terrified me as a child). The coaster itself was a Jet Star II, designed by Anton Schwarzkopf. Some of the animations experienced technical problems in the first season and were replaced, including one where a phantom flew above the riders on an overhead track. But in June 1986 missing bolts caused the four-car-train to fly from the track. The Black hole is a Schwarzkopf Jet star 2 coaster with a length of 1919ft, Height of 443 and a duration of 1min 50 seconds. However, lights were added to the lift section of the ride, so that riders were able to brace themselves for the first drop. The interior was left relatively untouched until the coaster track was dismantled and sold off in 2007. The Black Hole lift hill music composed by Andy Quin called Encounter which was used in the attraction was also reused for advertising Space Mountain in Disneyland Paris. The dome plunged 35 feet to the ground, on fire, with more than 44 people inside. [2], In late 2021, Furuvik Zoo put the rollercoaster up for sale. Not so much a rollercoaster, but instead purely a product of its time, before 3D was even a thing. In 1996 the Black Hole received a makeover, with a new look inspired by the novels of Jules Verne. The coaster remained SBNO into the following season, during which it was dismantled, though even then it remained on site awaiting its fate. No replacement was ever built inside the tent, although the park considered various ideas including flat ride and rollercoaster concepts. Taking the place of the former Dinosaur Land attraction, which had then been moved into storage, the modular steel track for Black Hole was constructed by Anton Schwarzkopf. All you need to do is follow this link and click which newsletters you want to receive. Initially the Black Hole tent was bright yellow and green, although this was changed to a midnight blue when the area was converted into X-Sector with the arrival of Oblivion in 1998. The Battersea Fun Fair closed two years later due to the accident. The rollercoaster itself was a Jet Star II, designed and manufactured by the legendary Anton Schwarzkopf. But you can always sign up again whenever you like. While riding Hydro, a water roller coaster, she suddenly flew out of her car, falling 100 ft to the ground. Asia Ferguson, 17, had lost his hat while on the ride but ignored warning signs to go and fetch it. The Press over exaggerate anything with coasters, take the Smiler doing routine stops on chainlifts for practice evacs. This situation was somewhat rectified at the end of 1987, when the coaster was dismantled and taken away to be re-profiled in order to accommodate coupled trains, greatly improving the ride's capacity. We take a look back at the rides that have been lost to the sands of time, Want Stoke-on-Trent news emailed to you direct from our journalists? Black Hole was standing but did not operate. They were single cars then and for some reason the car came to a sudden stop and, supposedly, the front of the car was dislodged off the track. It was not until Scarefest 2011 that the tent finally found a new occupier when it housed the two paid mazes, when The Boiler House and Carnival of Screams came on park for the first time. The article above has it about right (according to all the other reports I remember reading at the time). A man was thrown from the ride three days after the park opened in 1999, but escaped with minor injuries. Black Hole. If so, then have I got a throwback for you. The thriving amusement park opened in 1970 with more than 40 rides and attractions. The ride opened in 1981, and at the time was the longest flume attraction in the world. A 17-year-old died from a crushed chest, and all 32 others were taken to hospitals. It was originally brought to Alton Towers as the Black hole in 1983 before going through a couple of name changes, New Black Hole, Black Hole 2 and finally back to Black hole again. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. So finally heres a set of photographs taken in July 2007 from inside the Black Hole Tent at Alton Towers. Have you ever really been to Alton Towers if you don't have a photo of you and your friends or family on the log flume - your faces frozen in an expression of excitement or terror? After a renovation from Gerstlauer, the former Black Hole ride was transported to Sweden and reopened as Rocket at Furuvik Zoo on 21 May 2011. The Black Hole's queue line sported a stage with an animatronic floating alien's head that would interact with passers-by and actually speak with customers waiting in the queue, using what was then a sophisticated set up of cameras and communication devices. It took you on an (initially quite relaxing) winding ride around some of the park, before featuring three drops. Three horrific deaths happened on the same day at King's Island in June 1991. Ive had this set of photographs lying around for some, Ive had a couple of offers from various people to publish them but I suppose ive been a bit selfish really and kept them to myself. James, 29, was an Iraq War veteran who had lost both his legs in the conflict. In the summer of 1997 the waterslide collapsed under the weight of 33 excited end-of-term high school graduates who crowded onto it. Now renamed Duel, the Haunted House was originally quite a different experience. Alton Towers is clearly a fan of recycling, as the ride has been reused many times since its initial conception - it was replaced by Toyland Tours in 1994, then Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride in 2006, with the ride track and boats remaining the same, but with new scenes. Morrisons trials loyalty scheme changes after More card axe, The new scheme will once again allow shoppers to collect points, Asylum seeker slams UK hotel as children won't eat the food, The family came from Albania in September, The Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire criminals locked up in April, These are the offenders who've been put behind bars, Recognise anyone? During the park's annual Halloween Scarefest event in October 2011, the former Black Hole tent was used to house two temporary scare maze attractions. All that happened, by reading that article at least, is part of the undercarriage became loose and impacted with the track, causing the train to sharply stop and the track to be lightly damaged. The Black Hole accident happened in 1984, not very long after opening. Galaxyland Amusement Park, Alberta, Canada. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Closed: The ride shut for a year after Hayley Williams death. [quote=""Blaze""]Just to clear it up, it did not 'derail'. You're usually too busy shooting at the various ghouls to actually be scared as obviously you need to try and score a higher number than whoever is sitting next to you. Certainly. It was constructed in what was then known as Fantasy World, which has now been re-dubbed with the more futuristic name of X-Sector. She later died of internal injuries. I legitimately have around eight of them, starting from age five, in my fetching Dalmatian-themed raincoat, to the year before it closed. With 14 inversions, The Smiler holds the world record for most inversions on a roller coaster. A 19-year-old university student was killed, and 19 other people were injured. The park operator Six Flags escaped prosecution for not having sprinklers and smoke detectors as it was deemed a temporary building. The ride wasn't really for those scared of heights as it involved being suspended from an animatronic toadstool on a seat hanging on by chains at quite a height. Click this link and you'll see what you can expect. The ride opened seven months later with new safety measures, and since then has had an excellent safety record. It was removed in 2010 - the iconic double inversion element is now situated at the park's entrance, where those of us who were tall enough to ride before its closure can fondly remember the bone-shuddering experience of Alton Tower's first huge coaster. Indeed for those who had never ridden before, the enigmatic nature of the ride built up tension and upped the fear factor. During the time that the ride operated, the park also operated an outdoor Jet Star III, the Beast. It was a Jet Star 2 (Jet Star I did not have a spiral lift hill i don't think) as far as I know, a smaller (45ft) version of Jet Star 3 (Alton Beast). The park shut in 1996 due to legal action, but reopened under a new name in 1998 following a safety-led refit. The ride sadly closed in 2016, to make way for the latest wooden rollercoaster, the Wickerman. Our newsletters are sent out in the morning, afternoon and evening. r/altontowers is not associated with Merlin Entertainments or Alton Towers Resort, Scan this QR code to download the app now. The colour scheme of the original tent was changed from yellow and green to solid deep blue, with a new entrance in the style of X Sector. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Few rides, either before or since have captured the imagination and affection of park guests quite like The Black Hole. Recent history is littered with catastrophes involving high-adrenaline attractions - and some have claimed lives in the most terrifying circumstances. This proved to be the tent's final use, as 2012 saw it demolished to make way for construction of The Smiler. In 1988, the ride was dismantled and went on holiday to Europe, where it had an overhaul to hold dual-car trains. Roller coaster disasters: The 11 worst the world has seen, Fun on the Big Dipper at Battersea Funfair, London, 1966. Links. Situated next to Corkscrew, it attracted long wait times. A planning application for the Black Hole site was submitted in early 2012 and approved by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. Six people have died in separate incidents at the notorious Action Park which opening in 1978. The Black Hole was constructed in Fantasy Land for the 1984 season taking the place of the "Dinosaur Land" attraction which was then moved into storage. Once upon a star field you could journey into deep space and explore a powerful natural phenomenon. An oil-based smoke machine was added, but it was found that this sped the ride up too much. For more pictures of the Black Hole and Alton Towers, check out this website:http://orchardoo.com/school/altontowers.htmlBuy Defunctland T-Shirts:https://teespring.com/stores/defunctlandDonate on Patreon:https://patreon.com/defunctlandIn Defunctland's first international addition, Kevin explores the history of Alton Towers and its Space Mountain rip-off coaster, the Black Hole.
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