Major fire on the Scenic Railway 7th Apr. Suspected arson.

[cliffc]

Since I was a little kid, I dreamed of riding a Scenic Railway, and I have the miles accumulated to make it to Margate. I eagerly await meeting you all and riding the Scenic Railway.

Love you guys.
Kyle~

Hi Jim

I think we can understand how you how you feel in answer to your astirixed question on how can some one do this I feel the answer is for money, however as this is now officaly arson we will have to await the outcome of the police enquries into that part.

Lets hope that the work to rebuild the ride gets underway as soon as possible and that she will soon be able to give people the pleasusure that she was intended to give.

More good news from Nick is that the Woodie Team from Blackpool Pleasure Beach have offerd there asstiance to rebulid and this team are probley the UK's (if not the world) experts in wooden Coasters and were able to rebulid there own Grand National Ride after a Devistateing fire there a few years ago ( this one was accidental electrical fault I beleve), as well as keeping the parks other woodies in tip top running order and are currently refurbishing that parks Mad Mouse Ride.

And finaly we do have one other Scenic still running in the UK at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach. the trians on this ride can be used as templates to help with the replacement of the distroyed Margate ones.

The most important thing to do now is make the site more secure so that the Arsonists cannot return and distroy any more of the scenic because if that were to happen that realy could make a rebuild impossible.

Cliff C

[eddiegi686]

Apparently a spokesman from 'Probe Security' said "We didn't see anything during the day". Quoted from the Thanet Gazette.

Forgive me if i'm being extremely naive but how on earth do you miss a strange person / persons coming along and setting fire to the thing in broad daylight? - Well it wasn't the sunnyist day we've had but it certainly was not dark as far as the pics show.

I can only assume that they were off duty when this happened and that the site needs a good quality CCTV system setup. Hopefully funds generated will be enough to provide this, although i am aware that CCTV often only captures frames every 4 seconds or something.

[EAS]

Well, a suggestion has been made elsewhere that a timing device could have been used. However, we really don't have any idea at this stage.

Security? There was a massive hole in the fence.

Off duty? What was there to watch left on site?

Maybe having a quiet smoke of course.

There are (whisper) suggestions being bandied about, too, that the fire may not have been any old act of random arson.

But rumours that the owners wanted a clear site for a new development are simply rumours you know.

We couldn't possibly comment. The Scenic was rather getting in the way of making lots of cash, though.

So you have to wonder about site security, don't you?

Will it be stepped up? Do the owners want it stepped up? Will they cough up for CCTV?

I think possibly not.

[cliffc]

Apparently a spokesman from 'Probe Security' said "We didn't see anything during the day". Quoted from the Thanet Gazette.

Forgive me if i'm being extremely naive but how on earth do you miss a strange person / persons coming along and setting fire to the thing in broad daylight? - Well it wasn't the sunnyist day we've had but it certainly was not dark as far as the pics show.

I can only assume that they were off duty when this happened and that the site needs a good quality CCTV system setup. Hopefully funds generated will be enough to provide this, although i am aware that CCTV often only captures frames every 4 seconds or something.

Hi

As i have said in a previous post the securtiy is paid for by intrested parties so i am sure if requred security can not see any one with some accelerant and a box of matches on site even though the only thing on the site is the scenic. So any one walkijng arround would be obvious, As EAS has said the fire(S) could have also been started by some form of timing device in which case this could have been placed there many days before, this would be an obvious way to start the fires for the arsonists, as it means when it goes up thay are well out of the area, thus lessing the chances of them being caught. And also as EAS has said there are rumours that the fire may have been shall we say sanctioned by intrested parties and been entirely random.

On the subject of CCTV I am sure in one of the after fire pics cannot remember wich ones now but i think one those in the set posted by Sarah Vickry there are what look like 2 X CCTV cameras on a pole shown in the pic, thease may have been old ones that were used when the site was open and may now be defunked.

Cliff C

[EAS]

Oh, I'm sure they won't have been working.

Not that anyone is making any allegations against anyone though:


http://www.turneroundmargate.com/scenic ... inguished/

****** strikes again, it such a disgrace that he will get away with this criminal behaviour, again. It was only two years ago that I was on the scenic railway.

At the time the operator said to me (an employee of ******’s) that the ride would burn to the ground, the fire would start where the trains are stored. I think ******’s henchmen have been clever and used the arson at the Tivoli Arcade as a smoke screen. We all know these fires have nothing in common

[eddiegi686]

There are CCTV cameras in lots of the photos yes, so i assume they were not running or didn't catch anything worthwhile.

[cliffc]

There are CCTV cameras in lots of the photos yes, so i assume they were not running or didn't catch anything worthwhile.

Hi

I would agree that thay were not working and if thay had been i would not if a betting man place money on the tapes actually being avilible. Probley say the recording equipment was in the workshop how conveniant.

Cliff C

[EAS]

Poor Mr Godden - how many fires?

An unlucky man.

[strongbow]

Look how close The blue portakabin is in proximity to where the scenic shed was
the blue portakabin was of course the site security office

[EAS]

Hmmmmm.


http://www.joylandbooks.com/scenicrailway/index.htm

[strongbow]

Hmmmmm.


http://www.joylandbooks.com/scenicrailway/index.htm

only 9 parking spaces away
and no one saw a thing
LOL

[eddiegi686]

Well if i ever need a security firm....
This is of course speculation... no idea if they were there or supposed to be there when the fire broke out or what.

It is interesting that the security firm should give that comment though when they are surely aware by now that the fire was deliberate (maybe when they were interviewed they were not?).

[zamfir]

At least they're locking the main gates at night now - I drive past Dreamland at least one night per week, and security wasn't always in their office (adjacent to the Scenic) then.

Not that I'm suggesting security were involved, but it's not unknown for the office to be un-manned for a given period of time.

[cliffc]

At least they're locking the main gates at night now - I drive past Dreamland at least one night per week, and security wasn't always in their office (adjacent to the Scenic) then.

Not that I'm suggesting security were involved, but it's not unknown for the office to be un-manned for a given period of time.

Hi

At night this is understandeble as securtiy would also probly have to walk round the site at night just to check it out more so if there was no CCTV as i would assume securty is also responsable for the cinema building also, one would assume securtiy would have to have a walk round there at night just to make sure all is still secured there as well.

Cliff C

[cliffc]

Poor Mr Godden - how many fires?

An unlucky man.

Hi

Well with luck like that you would not want to visit a Casino with him would you.

Cliff C