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?