Virginia Reel (Blackpool Pleasure Beach)

Roller coaster in the United Kingdom
Virginia Reel
The Virginia Reel in 1938
Pleasure Beach Blackpool
Location Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK
Status Defunct
Operated 1922 to 1982
Statistics
Builder William Strickler
Type Wooden - Spinning - Side Friction
Inversions 0
HELP

Virginia Reel was a wooden spinning roller coaster located at Pleasure Beach Blackpool in the United Kingdom.

Design

Virginia Reel had several circular spinning cars that ran along wooden tracks (similar to a side friction roller coaster). There were several switchbacks as well.

Instead of big hills or banks, Virginia Reels featured many unbanked turns and switchbacks to spin the cars as much as possible. Near the end of the ride were a few helices and a relatively steep drop into a tunnel.

Name

The Virginia Reel was not named after the way the cars 'reeled' down the track nor the country dance. It was named after Luna Virginia Riehl, the daughter of the ride's creator - a Mr Henry Elmer Riehl of New York USA who patented the ride on November 26, 1907 (Patent Number 872253).

External links

Articles on Pleasure Beach Resort