Ghost Train (Pleasureland Southport no.2)
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| Manufacturer | H.P. Jackson | ||||||||
| Product | Dark Ride | ||||||||
| Capacity | 2 per car | ||||||||
Ghost Train was a Tracked Dark Ride built by UK manufacturer H.P. Jackson that was previously located at Pleasureland Southport in Southport, Merseyside, England, UK. The ride had unique spinning cars.
History
The ride was originally built in 1978 and opened in 1979 as a space-themed dark ride called Journey Into Space. The ride system was supplied by H.P. Jackson of Congleton and the ride's scenery was produced by Keith Sparks.[1] It replaced the former Trip To The Moon which had burned down in September 1977.[2]
At the end of the 1996 season, the park's Ghost Train was removed and scrapped. For the 1997 season, Journey Into Space was rethemed to a traditional ghost train to replace the previous version, reusing many of the previous effects from the former ride.[3] The new Ghost Train was marketed as a new ride for 1997.[4]
It would continue to operate until Pleasureland Southport was closed by its owner, Blackpool Pleasure Beach on 5 September 2006.
After the park's closure, the ride system and track 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.[5][6] This also included the ride's spinning cars. The plan was to rebuild the ride system in a newly constructed building at the new park. The ride's hardware was subsequently left in storage.
By 2015, the ride's hardware was eventually relocated to the Port of Ramsgate for further storage. It was also determined via inspection that the cost to rebuild the ride would be prohibitive and expensive, making it unlikely to ever be restored and reopened in the reopened Dreamland Margate.[7][8]
References
- ↑ Fourdrinier, Paul (24 March 1979). The World's Fair. Oldham, Lacashire, England, UK: World's Fair Publications. p. 6.
- ↑ Copnall, Stephen (2005). Pleasureland Memories. St. Albans, Herts, England, UK: Skelter Publishing. p. 70. ISBN 0-9544573-3-1.
- ↑ "Ghost Ride". Joyland Books.
- ↑ "Unlimited fun at Pleasureland". Manchester Evening News. 1997-07-31. p. 39. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
- ↑ "SAVE DREAMLAND CAMPAIGN RESCUES VINTAGE RIDES FROM SOUTHPORT FOR MARGATE HERITAGE PROJECT". Joyland Books.
- ↑ "Save Dreamland Campaign Dismantles Rides at Southport Pleasureland". 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
- Images of the ride on NFCA Digital.
- Photographs of Ghost Train at Scream Machine
Ghost Train in storage at Dreamland Margate in April 2008