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| Manufacturer | Spillman Engineering | ||||||||
| Product | Caterpillar | ||||||||
Caterpillar was a Caterpillar built by US manufacturer Spillman Engineering that was previously located at Pleasureland Southport in Southport, Merseyside, England, UK.
History
The ride first opened at Pleasureland Southport in 1949, but it however is believed to date back to either 1914 or 1922 where it is likely to have possibly originated from Coney Island.
The former owner of Pleasureland Southport, Geoffrey Thompson reportively requested more historic information about the ride in the late 1990s.[1]
At some point later during its operation, the ride was built under a dome-like structure in the park. The ride continued to operate until Pleasureland Southport was closed by Blackpool Pleasure Beach on 5 September 2006.
After the park's closure, the ride was purchased and dismantled by The Save Dreamland Campaign in June 2007 along with a few other former rides from the park, being relocated to the site of Dreamland Margate as part of a planned heritage park that was proposed by The Dreamland Trust. The ride's dome built in its later years was also purchased as well.[2] It was subsequently left in storage.
In 2015, an inspection found that the ride was damaged during disassembly when it was being removed from Pleasureland Southport, in addition during the transit en route to Dreamland Margate. It was also discovered that the majority of the ride's key elements, including the center were scrapped. The ride was never restored and was instead planned for upcycling and theming purposes for Dreamland Margate's reopening in 2015.[3][4]
References
- ↑ "Caterpillar". Joyland Books.
- ↑ "SAVE DREAMLAND CAMPAIGN RESCUES VINTAGE RIDES FROM SOUTHPORT FOR MARGATE HERITAGE PROJECT". Joyland Books.
- ↑ Ride Review Final.docx.html "Ride Review Final.docx.html "Trust Ride - Review and Assessment March 2015"". WhatDoTheyKnow.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ↑ "THE NEW RIDE LINE UP". Joyland Books.
External links
- CR9 Images of the ride on NFCA Digital.
Caterpillar in storage at Dreamland Margate in April 2008