The audience had no means of steady themselves which meant quite a few often fell over, which probably means it wouldn't get past health and safety today. Follow Defunctland on Social Media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/defunctlandFacebook: https://facebook.com/defunctlandDefunctland Subreddit: https://reddit.com/r/defunctlandFor more great content, visit https://defunctland.comGet in touch with Defunctland: contact@defunctland.comBlack Hole Footage: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh2QwD7SoVmAF-_j8Do6Z_gFree HD Stock-Footage and Motion Graphics by CyberWebFX - Top Footage For Free - https://www.youtube.com/c/CyberWebFX*Obligatory Michael Eisner reference* Black Hole was one of Alton Towers' classic rides. An investigation showed a broken axle caused the derailment, and none of the rides axles had been replaced for 15 years. It operated from 1984 until 2005. It was not until Scarefest 2011 that the tent finally found a new occupier when it housed the two paid mazes, when The Boiler House and Carnival of Screams came on park for the first time. The Smiler is a steel roller coaster located at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, United Kingdom. For more pictures of the Black Hole and Alton Towers, check out this website:http://orchardoo.com/school/altontowers.htmlBuy Defunctland T-Shirts:https://teespring.com/stores/defunctlandDonate on Patreon:https://patreon.com/defunctlandIn Defunctland's first international addition, Kevin explores the history of Alton Towers and its Space Mountain rip-off coaster, the Black Hole. Try it outhere. Some of the animations experienced technical problems in the first season and were replaced, including one where a phantom flew above the riders on an overhead track. The Battersea Fun Fair closed two years later due to the accident. Black Hole was an enclosed steel roller coaster at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. A spiral lift hill carried guests up into space before they were dropped 15 metres into the Black Hole, where the darkness was only penetrated by brief glimpses of the stars or occasional laser beams illuminating hidden asteroids or other residents of the void. But on May 5, 2007 the Fujin Raijin II roller coaster was derailed, sending cars flying off the tracks. Since then the park grounds are rumoured to be haunted. The colour scheme of the original tent was changed from yellow and green to solid deep blue, with a new entrance in the style of X Sector. A board celebrating the coaster's twenty years of operation appeared at its entrance, but the ride itself joined a long list of SBNO attractions in the park at that time. Galaxyland Amusement Park, Alberta, Canada. Lights were also added to the lift, so that riders were able to brace themselves for the first drop. Later that month, at the graduation ceremony, 17 students accepted their diplomas in wheelchairs. The worst theme park accident ever happened on May 11 1984 at the traditional and seemingly-safe haunted house. We take a look back at the rides that have been lost to the sands of time, Want Stoke-on-Trent news emailed to you direct from our journalists? The opening of Oblivion in 1998 led to the redevelopment of Fantasy World, which became known as X-Sector. It would not have been a full derailment, a partial one maybe, a wheel may have failed, but it wouldn't have completely left the track. When the ride first opened, the ride was completely dark. However, it did not become a theme park as we know it today until the 1980s. It didn't reopen for the 2017 season, and despite being advertised as closed for refurbishment, it instead deteriorated for the next two years, and Alton Towers confirmed it wouldn't return in 2019. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. The advert can be found on the Disney VHS releases of Dumbo (1996 Re-release), The Fox and The Hound, The Lion King, Pocahontas, D2: The Mighty Ducks, White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf, Angels in The Outfield and Leon. 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The Black hole is a Schwarzkopf Jet star 2 coaster with a length of 1919ft, Height of 443 and a duration of 1min 50 seconds. The park operator Six Flags escaped prosecution for not having sprinklers and smoke detectors as it was deemed a temporary building. You can make donations VIA By Me A Ko-fi.Donation page: https://ko-fi.com/themeparkenthusiastWhat is the Black Hole?Black Hole, briefly known as Black Hole II and New Black Hole, was an enclosed steel roller coaster at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. With 14 inversions, The Smiler holds the world record for most inversions on a roller coaster. I legitimately have around eight of them, starting from age five, in my fetching Dalmatian-themed raincoat, to the year before it closed. The ride was closed in 2006. In July 1982, a 15-year-old boy drowned, in 1984, a 20-year-old drowned, and in July 1987 an 18-year-old was also killed in the pool. Hidden away from sight, the ride was located in a large tented structure which gave away little about the thrills that could be found within. Some of the original theming still hanging about. During a question-and-answer session in 2010 celebrating the opening of TH13TEEN, it was confirmed by John Wardley and then-marketing director Morwenna Angove that preparation for a new roller coaster in 2013 had begun, and that the former site of Black Hole was being considered for the location. [2] The track layout was enclosed within a large tent to provide a dark ride experience. Originally titled Energizer, it opened in March 1995 in what was formerly known as 1001 Nights, and was a flat ride aimed at thrill-seekers. In the summer of 1997 the waterslide collapsed under the weight of 33 excited end-of-term high school graduates who crowded onto it. Attraction Source Events & Meetup Archive, http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p281 cu0009.jpg. On June 29, 2010 one of the cars came loose and lost all power. r/altontowers is not associated with Merlin Entertainments or Alton Towers Resort, Scan this QR code to download the app now. In April 2004, Hayley Williams, 16, visited Oakwood with her family. The three other deaths involved an electrocution, a heart attack and a passenger suffered fatal injuries when their face smashed onto a rock during a ride. What followed was a disorientating tangle of various steep twists and turns before hitting the brake run and returning to the station. Enclosed within a giant tent, Black Hole was a rollercoaster which took place in near complete darkness. As a result, it was changed to a water-based smoke machine. When did the Black Hole had the accident? Many of the items, including the bathtubs, were auctioned off. However, lights were added to the lift section of the ride, so that riders were able to brace themselves for the first drop. Black Hole. The ride opened in 1981, and at the time was the longest flume attraction in the world. I spotted one residing in the children's section of the Royal Stoke University Hospital. Three people fell to their deaths and the fourth suffered serious neck and chest injuries. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. All that happened, by reading that article at least, is part of the undercarriage became loose and impacted with the track, causing the train to sharply stop and the track to be lightly damaged. The ride stood in the X-Sector area of the park. US Army Sergeant James Hackemer was thrown from the roller coaster and fell to his death in July 2011. The loading bay, still pretty much intact. [quote=""Blaze""]Just to clear it up, it did not 'derail'. It is conveniently placed on our doorstep in North Staffordshire - and just so happens to boast some of the UK's best rollercoasters. Boy, 11, 'pricked by used needle' in Stoke-on-Trent taxi, Yak Yak Land's back as one family find man upside down in their bin, 'Never-ending' roadworks leave Tunstall traders in turmoil, 11 abusive Stoke-on-Trent men who put their partners through hell, Former Dudson worker, 69, died six days after positive Covid test. If you decide you don't want to receive the newsletters any more, just click the unsubscribe box and you won't get them again. Just click here and you're ready to go. It was also designed to allow a high throughput whilst allowing the cars to travel the ride separately, and at different speeds, to allow the effects to spook visitors. Black Hole, briefly known as Black Hole II (1988) and New Black Hole (1989), was an enclosed steel roller coaster located at Alton Towers theme park near Alton in the English shire county of Staffordshire, United Kingdom. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Let me know in the comments down below! So how do I sign up? Black Hole had an outer space theme, with the queueline and station featuring Jules Verne style scenery. The rollercoaster itself was a Jet Star II, designed and manufactured by the legendary Anton Schwarzkopf. Reports say the tragedy was caused by a faulty, loose screw. wait wait wait.. did the black hole not have the under wheel? However, it seems accidents of this have not previously dimmed people's appetite for peak-altitude, maximum-speed adventure. The rope that hauls the cars to the top of the launch hill snapped and then, the anti-rollback mechanism failed. The toadstool would then rotate and the seats would swing outwards, before it lowered back to ground level. The Black Hole's queue line sported a stage with an animatronic floating alien's head that would interact with passers-by and actually speak with customers waiting in the queue, using what was then a sophisticated set up of cameras and communication devices. Search It was a Jet Star 2 (Jet Star I did not have a spiral lift hill i don't think) as far as I know, a smaller (45ft) version of Jet Star 3 (Alton Beast). A 19-year-old university student was killed, and 19 other people were injured. The ride reopened with the new laser quest element at the start of the 2003 season. Our newsletters are sent out in the morning, afternoon and evening. February 2007 saw the coaster finally departed the park to shores unknown, though the tent remained as an empty shell for several more seasons, dominating the X Sector skyline. 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The ride stood in the X-Sector area of the park. At the time of its closure, there were no plans on what to do with the now redundant area, so the building that once housed the ride was never removed. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. If you have an email address, then you're sorted. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! For the 1988 season, the coaster was dismantled and transported to Europe, where it had an overhaul, which then allowed the ride to use dual car trains. The ride featured differentiating (and disorientating) floor levels, and included a dollhouse which moved by itself (which terrified me as a child). While riding Hydro, a water roller coaster, she suddenly flew out of her car, falling 100 ft to the ground. After a renovation from Gerstlauer, the former Black Hole ride was transported to Sweden and reopened as Rocket at Furuvik Zoo on 21 May 2011. [3], Media related to Black Hole (Alton Towers) at Wikimedia Commons, Last edited on 10 November 2022, at 03:20, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Furuvik zet Schwarzkopf achtbaan Rocket te koop (Furuvik puts Schwarzkopf roller coaster Rocket up for sale)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black_Hole_(roller_coaster)&oldid=1121026397, This page was last edited on 10 November 2022, at 03:20. It was later found the safety barriers were not designed for amputees and he should never have been allowed on. John heard about two similar rides which were opening in Europe by Dutch manufacturer Vekoma. Black Hole was one of Alton Towers' classic rides. Darien Lake Theme Park, Syracuse, New York. Black Hole underwent another refurbishment and was integrated into the new themed area. For a derailment to happen it would take the failure of several seperate wheels. Thunder Looper attracted hoards of visitors during its six-year stint at Alton Towers as it hit a whopping 53 mph. Having wound through the ride's outdoor queue-line, guests would enter into the futuristic (by 80's standards) indoor queue, before entering the space-station, which provided riders with their first glimpse of the ride itself. The ride, which closed in 1992, was the resort's first 'dark ride' taking its smaller visitors on a trip based on Phileas Fogg, and the 1873 novel, called - you guessed it - Around the World in 80 Days. The Corkscrew is what put Alton Towers on the map as we know it today, opening to its first thrill-seekers in 1980. Trains were comprised of two cars, each seating up to six riders in three groups of two, one in front of the other. And thus the coaster reopened in 1988, variously known as the New Black Hole and Black Hole II, although the look and feel of the ride remained similar to the original ride experience. Mindbender rollercoaster at Galaxyland, West Edmonton Mall. They're have been some accidents however nobody has actually died. New Black Hole (1989) Black Hole II (1988) Black Hole (1983 to 1987) Former status: SBNO from 3/6/2005 to 2006 Operated from 1983 to 3/5/2005: Relocations: Alton Towers as Black Hole Furuvik as Rocket: Capacity: 900 riders per hour: Dimensions: 82.0 ft x 152.6 ft: Designer: Ing.-Bro Stengel GmbH All you need to do is follow this link and click which newsletters you want to receive. The coaster's continued popularity, saw its queue line expand in 1993 to swallow the neighbouring Vintage Cars site, and for its remaining years in operation, the Black Hole's extended outdoor queue-line was actually sited on the former track of the Vintage Cars as it snaked through the bushes at the top of Fantasy World. The Black Hole was constructed in Fantasy World for the 1983 season taking the place of the \"Dinosaur Land\" attraction which was then moved into storage. Thu Sep 13, 2012 11:15 pm. The ride was closed for a year after Hayleys death and then renamed Drenched.. In 1998, the opening of Oblivion in the area brought about the redevelopment of Fantasy Land into X-Sector; the Black Hole was integrated into the new themed area with another refurbishment. It opened in 1992 as the longest ghost-train in Europe at the time. Riders would be taken on a journey through outer space with various theming objects and special affect 10. It was removed in 2010 - the iconic double inversion element is now situated at the park's entrance, where those of us who were tall enough to ride before its closure can fondly remember the bone-shuddering experience of Alton Tower's first huge coaster. So why in 2005 would the Black Hole roller coaster be removed and the tent left abandon many years later? It closed to make way for Rita: Queen of Speed in 2003. The large tent which housed the now former Black Hole was eventually dismantled in April 2012 to make way for The Smiler. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. I don't think AT ever revealed what happened, but obviously it was deemed safe to ride after inspection. Riders would be taken on a journey through outer space with various theming objects and special affects. An hour later, Candy Taylor, 32, fell from a ride called Flight Commander and died from the impact. [1] The roller coaster track was dismantled and sold in 2007. Have you ever really been to Alton Towers if you don't have a photo of you and your friends or family on the log flume - your faces frozen in an expression of excitement or terror? 4. I don,t know how or what happened but it happened the day after a bank holiday because we rode it that bank holiday monday prehaps a lot of use the day before. Arsonists were believed to have started a blaze which, whipped by winds, became a furnace, melting metal walls and leaving eight trapped teenagers torched beyond recognition. Cookie Notice [3] It is located in the X-Sector area of the park. Black Hole, briefly known as Black Hole II (1988) and New Black Hole (1989), was an enclosed steel roller coaster located at Alton Towers theme park near Alton in the English shire county of Staffordshire, United Kingdom. Mindbender - the world's largest indoor triple loop roller coaster was dubbed one of the "safest rides in the world" when it was built. But in June 1986 missing bolts caused the four-car-train to fly from the track. The Black hole is a Schwarzkopf Jet star 2 coaster with a length of 1919ft, Height of 44'3 and a duration of 1min 50 seconds. There have been various shakeups over the years but it has remained popular with thrillseekers and families. There were no confirmed plans to reuse the site, and the tent remained unused for several years. As far as I know, it was the first Schwarzkopf coaster to fail in this way. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. In 1985, a number of changes were made. Opening in 1983, The Black Hole was located inside a large green and yellow tent. So let's take a look back at some of the rides which no longer set our pulses racing after being confined to the history books. If so, then have I got a throwback for you. The Cine 2000 (back when 2000 seemed a long way away) came to the park in 1980 - it offered visitors an unusual viewing experience, and the predecessor to 3D, by surrounding them with the film. All it'll cost you is the time to input your email address and chose which newsletters you want to receive. Most recently, the ride system has been reused again as part of the Alton Towers Dungeon. Defunctland: The History of Alton Towers' Black Hole Defunctland 1.58M subscribers 1.2M views 4 years ago For more pictures of the Black Hole and Alton Towers, check out this. Following The Black Hole, Enterprise and Energizer, Oblivion was designed to surpass its neighboring thrill rides. Seasoned riders knew to bring a raincoat for the ride, as you would get absolutely soaked on the final drop. It was loosely themed around space exploration. All that happened, by reading that article at least, is part of the undercarriage became loose and impacted with the track, causing the train to sharply stop and the track to be lightly damaged. However, 1001 Nights was renamed Ug Land, and primarily aimed at families. Here, you're welcome to talk about all things Alton Towers! The interior was left relatively untouched until the coaster track was dismantled and sold off in 2007. All you need to do is sign up to our daily email alerts, and you'll get them sent straight to your inbox. It was previously named the Wave Swinger, and then the Ug Swinger, before its closure in 2016. Manufactured by Gerstlauer, it opened in 2013 as the world's first Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster. The ride wasn't really for those scared of heights as it involved being suspended from an animatronic toadstool on a seat hanging on by chains at quite a height. The park reopened closed down that December. In its early years the tent in which the attraction was housed was originally bright green and yellow in stark contrast to its gloomy innards, as well as its space based theme. And there isn't just the main news email - there are Stoke City and Port Vale newsletters, our Way We Were nostalgia weekly email, and many others that might be of interest. Now renamed Duel, the Haunted House was originally quite a different experience. From here, the layout comprised mainly a set of clockwise and anti-clockwise helixes. This ride, that opened in 1983, was spooky in the fact it took place in total darkness as it was enclosed in a green and yellow tent, which was eventually replaced with a blue one. The worst roller coaster tragedy in history happened in May 1972, on the old wooden roller coaster.