Joyland Books

Hello does nick or anyone else know when work will be starting on the scenic railway ? If anyone knows anything please post it here of course

Better news than a date is that I have been told that the scenic is going to get a very serious overhaul that will mean it's in top condition for years to come. All the neglect of the last 8 years will be corrected and more!

I think this makes the start date just a matter of timing!

Vince.

It's a shame that it appears that the work is being contracted to a Japanese company.

I have no knowledge of that, but the Trust is probably not rich and probably has to go with the bid that is best value. Note that I didn't say cheapest, because cheap is normally poorer quality.

The biggest shame is that the UK cannot come up with a competitive bid. But when accountants want the world for the lowest price, the result is a loss of skills locally and eventually nobody locally can do the job. That's where the UK's engineering is these days. Swindon used to be a center of engineering, now the whole area is shops. That's probably what has happened to anyone in the UK that could have repaired/rebuilt the scenic on this scale.

Just my opinion and quite probably wrong

Vince.

I'm not sure where you folks get your information from but to the best of my knowledge the tender process for the Scenic has not even been defined let alone put out to tender and therefore no tenders have been received or accepted. As to the Scenic getting some attention, I would have thought the entire structure would need to be totally dismantled, examined in great detail and totally rebuilt given its age, the fact that is has suffered a major fire and that it is expected to be put back into a reliable working condition. How else could anyone have certainty about the state and safety of the structure? Add to this there are no cars following the fire and the entire ride will need to be rebuilt and some parts recreated. This will be hugely expensive and very time consuming. Anyone tendering for this work will need to be brave, foolish or have a large contingency budget but it is definitely not for the faint hearted.

Whilst on this subject, I read peoples opinions on the various rides in store and the future of them. Having seen them I doubt many will ever see the light of day again as many are little more than scrap or patterns. Don't underestimate for a second the amount of work required to restore these rides and don't underestimate the amount of time and money involved. These rides will all require a full and professional rebuild and or reconstruction and this will all take time and money. When you think how recently TDC have overcome the final legal hurdle then you will begin to understand the amount of time this is all going to take. It can and I am sure will be done but even 2015 is optimistic for some of the tasks ahead.

Any ride that has to operate reliably in a park setting will need a full nuts and bolts and back to bare metal restoration. I am delighted that we are working on several rides for this project and as some of you will have seen we are well on with the Jets ride and have two further Adult rides which are also progressing well along with two children's rides details of which will be released early in the New Year.

There are huge challenges ahead but everyone especially the people of Margate seem very keen to ensure the project is a success.

Happy Christmas

David Littleboy

Tender documents are currently out for the first contract of the Scenic Railway restoration, which is the mechanical parts and trains. The second request for tender is happening over the next few days. We hope to have appointed the contractor(s) in January. I can confirm that no Japanese company has been contracted to do this work.

Tender details, for those interested;

Contract Dreamland, Margate Scenic Railway, Track & Trains

January 2014

To register interest/ request tender documentation 6th December 2013

Thanet District Council is seeking tenders for the re-establishment of the track, trains and machinery to the Scenic Railway at Dreamland, Margate.

The contract will be for the design, engineering, manufacture and installation of the track, trains and machinery of the Scenic Railway. The Scenic Railway was built in 1920 and has been renewed on a piecemeal basis ever since. It has run continuously until 2006 when it ceased operation. In 2008 a fire destroyed about 30% of the track (including the two lift hills), the trains, station and train sheds.

The works will include development of design, dynamic analysis, engineering, manufacture and installation of the track, trains and machinery for the Scenic Railway.

A separate contract will be let for the repair of the timber structure, including reconstruction of the destroyed part. The track & trains contractor will need to liaise closely with the timber structure contractor and inform him of any necessary refinements to comply with the results of the dynamic analysis.

The contractor will need to engage in discussions with HSE, the ADIPS Assessor and English Heritage and obtain all necessary approvals to the developed design.

The completed ride will need to be tested and commissioned in accordance with good industry practice, HSG 175 requirements and advice received from the ADIPS Assessor.

As part of the tendering process Contractors will be required to demonstrate that they meet minimum operational, technical and financial criteria, necessary for the satisfactory performance of this Contract.

Tenderers are to include company details with their tender, evidence of experience of undertaking similar works and other information as required by the tender documents. This information will be reviewed as part of the tender evaluation process

The proposed form of contract is the JCT Design & Build Contract 2011.

Please contact Jeremy Webb of Gardiner & Theobald by e-mail, j.webb@gardiner.com to request the tender documents. These will be dispatch after the 6th Dec 2013

Tenders need to be returned

Headed: Tender – Scenic Railway, Track & Trains, Dreamland, Margate

For the attention of Democratic Services Manager

Thanet District Council,

P O Box 9,

Cecil Street,

Margate,

Kent CT9 1XZ

By no later than 5.00pm on 21st January 2014. The envelope/package should not show any markings to identify the name of the tenderer.

Any tenders received after the due time and date will not be accepted.

i take its secure enough to stand any high winds over the winter nick or will it need sheared up anywhere

It should be OK to get through the winter (famous last words). The structure is significantly over-engineered so should be able to withstand high winds and other weather for a few more months. I will just be relieved when work actually starts on it.

i think we all will nick,a structure that hasnt had any maintainance for such a long time has always a risk although a lot of the wind passes through this kind of structure due to their construction so fingers crossed

When is work most likely to start on the scenic ?

Yes i was waiting for somebody to restart this discussion . When i spoke to Nick back in October, he seemed to think mid February.

Has anything changed Nick?

We have a meeting to discuss this tomorrow. We are currently estimating spring start on site, but the contractors will start work off-site first as some items need to be fabricated. More soon...

I can't wait for this huge milestone. The Scenic never should have ended up like this in the first place and I think it is almost time for it to be restored to its crowning glory.

After the purge of wooden coasters in the late 20th century, and then later with the removal of rides like the Texas Tornado, Runaway Train and of course the Cyclone, it is fantastic to see the drive and ambition to get the Scenic up and running again.

Is there any new news on this subject ? Haven't heard anything for over a month now

Yes it has been very quiet on this forum and the news letter front i hope it has nothing to do with the latest from MTCRC? Some nice work being done by David Littleboys and is always worth a look on Facebook.