If you are booking one of the short breaks for families with us here at Holidays for AllSeasons and it’s the lure of Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach that appeals to you, then why not discover some more about one of the UK’s best-loved attractions? We thought we would give you some fun facts from the past about the much-loved and internationally renowned Great Yarmouth attraction to enjoy.
So step this way and find out some wholesome roller coaster facts we bet you didn’t know before now!
1. The roller coaster at Great Yarmouth was first seen in Paris, in 1929 at the Colonial exhibition.
2. It was subsequently bought to be used at the Pleasure Beach while it was still at the exhibition. Following the exhibition, it was dismantled and then shipped over to the UK for it to be built up again in time the grand opening in 1932.
3. Erich Heidrich of Hamburg, was the man behind the design and building of the roller coaster, and also re-erected the ride at the Pleasure Beach. He opted to stay and manage the ride until 1939 when the Second World War broke out.
4. The roller coaster’s maximum height is 70ft (21.33m).
5. The approximate length of the ride totals one mile.
6. The ride goes on for a total duration of three minutes.
7. Over the course of the three-minute ride, maximum speeds of 45mph are reached.
8. Great Yarmouth’s roller coaster can take up to 30 riders at any one time.
9. Each carriage weighs three tonnes when not carrying a load.
10. There are 4600 light bulbs that help to illuminate the ride.
11. When a re-painting of the ride is required, it would take 150 x 5 litre drums of paint to complete the job.
12. The main construction consists of Douglas fir, Colombian pine and timber.
13. The main timber is joined by as many as 8000 bolts that are 22.5cm in size.
14. 26 tonnes of steel cladding cover the ride.
15. Unlike modern roller coasters, this traditional roller coaster is gravity driven, once the carriages have been helped through the initial incline, thanks to a 120 metre x 18cm steel chain.
Image: Richard Mills, under Creative Commons.
