Big One (roller Coaster) - History and Statistics

History and Statistics

The ride was originally manufactured by Arrow Dynamics, a now defunct steel coaster manufacturer. Construction of the ride began in September 1993 and lasted just over 7 months. The tubular track and supports were airlifted from Bolton to Blackpool and stored in nearby Blackpool Airport. During the start of the construction of the ride the south of Blackpool promenade was closed and pieces of the structure were stored on the road adjacent to the Pleasure Beach.

The first pieces of the ride to be fitted were the large foundations that would follow on from the main supports. Once all the supports were fitted the tubular track was fitted followed by additional supports on the turnaround and the mid course brake section.

The ride opened to all the public on 28 May 1994. The finished ride cost £12,000,000 ($19,669,316 USD) to build and is the second biggest ever investment for Pleasure Beach. The ride is the second "Megacoaster" to be built by the Arrow Dynamics company, the first being Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, U.S. At its highest point above ground level, the ride reaches 213 feet (65 m) with the first drop measuring 205 feet (62 m). The first drop has an incline angle of 65 degrees and the usual maximum speed for the ride is 74 miles per hour (119 km/h). The ride lasts approximately three minutes and during this time riders normally experience positive g forces of up to 3.5G and negative g forces of up to 0.5G.

The ride is capable of running 3 trains at any one time but this hasn't been in effect for many years. Normally the park runs the ride on 2 trains only. Each train has five carriages with six passengers to a carriage, enabling each train to carry thirty passengers in total. Riders sit in rows of two. The colour scheme for each train is the same: a blue base with two coloured bands around the side and front (red and white) showing the union jack logo. Each train is numbered at the back of the fifth carriage, and each carriage is numbered according to the back of each section. During testing, sand bags are used to weigh the train down. This is a safety mechanism and is common practice on roller coasters of a certain height. Before the ride was granted a certificate to operate, Pleasure Beach Blackpool had to appeal to Blackpool Airport which is one mile from the park. As the ride is so high, warning beacons had to be installed on the peaks of the first two hills, including the main drop, before the ride was given the all clear to operate.