The Scenic Railway
Encyclopedia
The Scenic Railway is a wooden
double out-and-back
scenic railway located at the site of the former Dreamland Amusement Park
, Margate
, UK. It was built at the park in 1919/1920 and opened in March 1920. The ride is now almost unique, as a brakeman is still required to travel with the train to control its speed, as there are no brakes on the track. It is the oldest roller coaster in the UK and one of only eight scenic railways in the world. It is also the only roller coaster to receive listed status; being Grade II* listed in 2002. It currently stands without operating due to a fire which destroyed approximately 25% of the ride in April 2008.
coaster. The train actually makes no contact with the trough walls; their presence simply to provide some lateral protection from derailment as the running wheels are flange
d like those of railway vehicles. The layout of the track consists of a double-loop with two cable lift-hill sections. The drops off both of the lift hills are double-drops.
The trains of the ride were destroyed in the fire; but consisted of three cars mounted on bogie
s. The bodies and much of the chassis of the cars were wooden; and 28 riders could travel on each train. The brakeman rode between the first and second cars on the bogie and operated the brakes by a large lever.
, who had patented the scenic railway design in 1884. Iles was a co-owner of Dreamland and had the Scenic Railway constructed at Dreamland from local timber and had mechanical parts for the ride shipped over from the US. The ride drew on ideas from several other designers, but was constructed by local carpenters within the area specified by Iles.
Fire destroyed part of the ride in 1949 and the structure required major repairs. Replacement timber for the ride was bought from the dismantled pier at Lowestoft
and the ride re-opened in 1950. Fire again destroyed parts of the ride in 1957.
Some of the Margate trains were sold to Battersea fun fair in the 1960s where they were used on the Scenic Railway there (called the 'Big Dipper' at that site). It was one of the ex-Margate trains that was involved in the Battersea Big Dipper disaster of 1972 when 5 children were killed and several injured. It was during the aftermath of this accident that most of the wooden roller coasters in Britain’s amusement parks were removed; as irrespective of the actual standards of safety on the rides public confidence had been dented.
The Scenic Railway was successfully granted Grade II listed status in 2002, making it the first roller coaster to ever be given any form of protection against demolition. It continued operating until 2005 after Dreamland closed to the public in 2003; and on 7 April 2008 it was the target of an arson attack.
to restore the Scenic Railway and to develop the former Dreamland site as necessary for rejuvenation.
Wooden roller coaster
A wooden roller coaster is most often classified as a roller coaster with laminated steel running rails overlaid upon a wooden track. Occasionally, the structure may be made out of a steel lattice or truss, but the ride remains classified as a wooden roller coaster due to the track design...
double out-and-back
Out and Back roller coaster
Out and back refers to the layout of a roller coaster. An out and back coaster is one that climbs a lift hill, races out to the far end of the track, performs a 180 degree turn and then races its way back to the station....
scenic railway located at the site of the former Dreamland Amusement Park
Dreamland Margate
Dreamland Margate is an amusement park located in Margate, Kent, England. It is currently owned by Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company and is closed to the public...
, Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
, UK. It was built at the park in 1919/1920 and opened in March 1920. The ride is now almost unique, as a brakeman is still required to travel with the train to control its speed, as there are no brakes on the track. It is the oldest roller coaster in the UK and one of only eight scenic railways in the world. It is also the only roller coaster to receive listed status; being Grade II* listed in 2002. It currently stands without operating due to a fire which destroyed approximately 25% of the ride in April 2008.
The Ride
The ride consists of a wooden-tracked railway with steel rails supported by a wooden structure. The ride occupies a space approximately 580 ft (176.8 m) and 120 ft (36.6 m). The track is in a trough, and as such is often incorrectly referred to as a side-frictionSide friction roller coaster
A side friction roller coaster is an early roller coaster design that does not have an extra set of wheels under the track to prevent cars from becoming airborne. Before the invention of up-stop wheels, coaster cars were built to run in a trough, with wheels under the car and side plates to help...
coaster. The train actually makes no contact with the trough walls; their presence simply to provide some lateral protection from derailment as the running wheels are flange
Flange
A flange is an external or internal ridge, or rim , for strength, as the flange of an iron beam such as an I-beam or a T-beam; or for attachment to another object, as the flange on the end of a pipe, steam cylinder, etc., or on the lens mount of a camera; or for a flange of a rail car or tram wheel...
d like those of railway vehicles. The layout of the track consists of a double-loop with two cable lift-hill sections. The drops off both of the lift hills are double-drops.
The trains of the ride were destroyed in the fire; but consisted of three cars mounted on bogie
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
s. The bodies and much of the chassis of the cars were wooden; and 28 riders could travel on each train. The brakeman rode between the first and second cars on the bogie and operated the brakes by a large lever.
History
In 1919, John Henry Iles bought the European usage rights to the scenic railway from LaMarcus Adna ThompsonLaMarcus Adna Thompson
LaMarcus Adna Thompson was a US inventor and businessman most famous for developing many highly enjoyable gravity rides.-Early years:...
, who had patented the scenic railway design in 1884. Iles was a co-owner of Dreamland and had the Scenic Railway constructed at Dreamland from local timber and had mechanical parts for the ride shipped over from the US. The ride drew on ideas from several other designers, but was constructed by local carpenters within the area specified by Iles.
Fire destroyed part of the ride in 1949 and the structure required major repairs. Replacement timber for the ride was bought from the dismantled pier at Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
and the ride re-opened in 1950. Fire again destroyed parts of the ride in 1957.
Some of the Margate trains were sold to Battersea fun fair in the 1960s where they were used on the Scenic Railway there (called the 'Big Dipper' at that site). It was one of the ex-Margate trains that was involved in the Battersea Big Dipper disaster of 1972 when 5 children were killed and several injured. It was during the aftermath of this accident that most of the wooden roller coasters in Britain’s amusement parks were removed; as irrespective of the actual standards of safety on the rides public confidence had been dented.
The Scenic Railway was successfully granted Grade II listed status in 2002, making it the first roller coaster to ever be given any form of protection against demolition. It continued operating until 2005 after Dreamland closed to the public in 2003; and on 7 April 2008 it was the target of an arson attack.
Future
The Scenic Railway forms the focus of the rejuvenation of Dreamland as an amusement park of historic rides as overseen by the Dreamland Trust. This will see the Scenic Railway repaired and restored and new trains built or acquired. On 16 November 2009, the Dreamland Trust was awarded a grant by the UK Department for Culture, Media and SportDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
to restore the Scenic Railway and to develop the former Dreamland site as necessary for rejuvenation.