Work starting on scenic railway

[SuburbanHomeboy]

Some nice work being done by David Littleboys and is always worth a look on Facebook.

Roger that! David is a regular hero when it comes to restoring vintage rides!

[Phillerz]

I keep checking here, Facebook etc has gone silent. Dont want the excitement to go =]

Really hope they get a tv program to follow the whole process, itll make great tv and would act as a giant long advert that will help raise awareness =D A bit like 'restoration man' or 'grand designs' but for a theme park. Be good to get something like that now, Before any work begins.

[SuburbanHomeboy]

I'm not a Facebook member. Shame, as I have apparently missed two fundraising events as a result - events that I could have come along to.

I hope "they" remember that people don't all use Facebook. There was nothing on here and nothing on Twitter (although there was a link to a Facebook report on the events via Twitter after the events had taken place...).

[Jim Douglas Jr.]

It's never too late to send in a donation.

[Nick]

Things are starting to happen...

http://www.joylandbooks.com/scenicrailw ... rs_on_site

[vann98]

Fantastic!

[timj]

great news!

[sullee]

Is there any news as to when work is supposed to be starting? I've been silently watching the progress made by the team for ages and came to margate to see family last weekend. To my horror, what's left of the poor old scenic, really looks like it's about to collapse. It's a crying shame to see it in this state, had many happy memories in the park from when I was a kid and from doing a season working there during the early godden years. I hope this crap with mtcrc isn't just a time tactic on their part, with them hoping that the old girl does actually collapse before work can begin. They've drawn it out that long now and that's my fear! And what's with the god ugly block of flats being built just off eaton road? Seriously, who would want to live there and how the hell did that get planning?

On the positive side though, it was nice to see some cash has been spent on reinvigorating the area, by giving the prom a much needed make over!

[vann98]

No news that I know of but quite an interesting article regarding some of the rides that will hopefully be gracing Dreamland soon.

EDIT: My apologies. I didn't even include the link!
http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update ... des-again/

[dave771]

Contractors have been appointed for the Scenic Railway and have been on site to see what work is required on parts of the ride, see latest news page !

[blue]

A good bit on local news tonight about the rides being restored. Congrats to everybody involved. Its going to be one hell of a day when they open up Dreamland again and Margate comes to life again.

[Jim Douglas Jr.]

Va-room!

[EAS]

The purge of course happened following the dreadful accident at Battersea in 1972.

http://londonist.com/2014/03/londons-fo ... -crash.php

Here's that coaster on its test runs

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/big-dipper-on-test

Looking forward to the Scenic being ready to "roll" . Can't rush this, safety concerns must ensure all done properly. (I'm certain all safety concerns are being addressed of course!)

[Vince, Charlie and Sam]

The purge of course happened following the dreadful accident at Battersea in 1972.

http://londonist.com/2014/03/londons-fo ... -crash.php

I remember that very well, I grew up in south-east London, and rode the Battersea Big Dipper for the first and only time just a week before the accident. I believe that the train set involved was on loan from Dreamland, and I remember reading at the time that the accident happened because the rear cable grip failed to engage the cable, so when the front cable grip was released at the top of the pull-up, there was nothing holding the train to the track.

I also remember reading that further injuries were caused when a member of the rescue team fell through the wooden planking running alongside the track, and I believe it was this accident which caused ADIPS to be introduced.

[Coaster Scenery]

I've been a reader of this forum for many years but have never posted before. It's great to see the project at this stage and look forward to construction work starting in earnest. I have never been to Margate; all my experience of scenic railways comes from working with the Yarmouth ride. I've a few questions regarding the rebuilding work (actually I have many questions but I'll start with these few!) that some of you may be able to answer, but all replies gratefully recieved

Most figures say the amount of structure damaged by the fire was around 25%. Unfortunately it was the middle part comprising the lifts and drops. I say unfortunately because the profile of the hills has been lost whereas on the turnarounds at least the gradient is (I expect) generally constant. How will the rebuild overcome that issue?

In addition to that 25%, how much more of the superstructure will need replacing before opening? I know large parts of the Yarmouth Scenic are over 30 years old and imagining the conditions at Margate to be similar I'd expect the same kind of lifespan but I don't know when the last major work was carried out before the fire. And how much deterioration has occurred since closure. The trackwork I imagine would be in a worse state. And I wouldn't be surprised if it became necessary to replace it entirely before opening.

Regarding the trains, I would hope they will be built as close to the originals as possible. Although I can see how HSG rules might force new builds to incorporate certain features which is unfortunate if unavoidable. How many trains did there used to be and how many operated on a general busy August bank holiday? I'm guessing there are no engineering drawings for the bogies and braking assembly. So how are the contractors going to build the new trains? Would it be by researching those currently in operation that are mechanically similar, or by consultation with those who have operated the ride, or a mixture or none of those and their own interpretation?