The Press over exaggerate anything with coasters, take the Smiler doing routine stops on chainlifts for practice evacs. So why in 2005 would the Black Hole roller coaster be removed and the tent left abandon many years later? The interior was left relatively untouched until the coaster track was dismantled and sold off in 2007. For more information, please see our Did you grow up in the 80s? Rumours began to circulate in 2008 that the Corkscrew's time was running out as the ride's hardware was coming to the end of its serviceable life. However, this does take the anticipation and tension out of what originally was so scary. Black Hole was standing but did not operate. The Black Hole Few rides, either before or since have captured the imagination and affection of park guests quite like The Black Hole. No, the newsletters are absolutely free. This money helps me to carry on running the channel and posting high quality videos for you guys to enjoy! The ride sadly closed in 2016, to make way for the latest wooden rollercoaster, the Wickerman. Black Hole underwent another refurbishment and was integrated into the new themed area. The following season the traditional yellow and green tented was also repainted in Black and Silver, so the older ride blended seamlessly into the X-Sector when it launched. [3] Closed: The ride shut for a year after Hayley Williams death. James, 29, was an Iraq War veteran who had lost both his legs in the conflict. Recent history is littered with catastrophes involving high-adrenaline attractions - and some have claimed lives in the most terrifying circumstances. The car derailed due to undercarriage failure. Opening in 1983, The Black Hole was located inside a large green and yellow tent. There was a lot of info about this on one of the other threads. Since then the park grounds are rumoured to be haunted. It is located in the X-Sector area of the park. 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. 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. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. The coaster was located within a huge silvery black tent (formerly green and yellow) that ensured the ride took place in total darkness. By the mid-2000s, however, it was becoming unreliable and costly to both maintain and keep in line with modern safety standards. Many of the items, including the bathtubs, were auctioned off. You're usually too busy shooting at the various ghouls to actually be scared as obviously you need to try and score a higher number than whoever is sitting next to you. 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. All you need to do is sign up to our daily email alerts, and you'll get them sent straight to your inbox. 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 2013 the new ride to replace the Black hole was announced as "The Smiler", to open on the 31st of May 2013. Not signed up to the newsletter? 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. Six people have died in separate incidents at the notorious Action Park which opening in 1978. The ride opened seven months later with new safety measures, and since then has had an excellent safety record. Seasoned riders knew to bring a raincoat for the ride, as you would get absolutely soaked on the final drop. Mindbender - the world's largest indoor triple loop roller coaster was dubbed one of the "safest rides in the world" when it was built. In the summer of 1997 the waterslide collapsed under the weight of 33 excited end-of-term high school graduates who crowded onto it. Opening in 1983, The Black Hole was located inside a large green and yellow tent. If you want to use any photographs on this blog please get in touch paul@ridemad.com im quite happy to share and have high resolution copies of everything used, to see the complete gallery visit the Ridemad Gallery, Copyright ridemad.com | All Right Reserved. The second happened a year later (approx) on MindBender at West Edmonton Mall, Canada, where poor maintenance and loose bolts caused the undercarriage to fall away from the last car of the coaster, killing 3 people. Just click here and you're ready to go. The ride was an adrenaline rush, although you usually left feeling as though your neck would never be the same again. Black Hole was an enclosed steel roller coaster at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. I don't think AT ever revealed what happened, but obviously it was deemed safe to ride after inspection. 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 roller coaster was given a space theme and debuted at the park in 1983. It caused a chain of cars to hurtle back into the boarding area, smashing into a wall and killing five children and injuring 13 more. Cookie Notice 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. After a few seasons the effect was removed from the park, amid rumours of several unfortunate incidents where the microphone powering the alien's voice was left on accidentally. Opening in 1980, Corkscrew was a landmark investment for the park, and one which literally doubled attendance in a couple of years due to its popularity.In 1979, John Broom, one of the original Directors of Alton Towers, wanted to install a flagship attraction that would be unique to the UK, and set the benchmark for thrills in the theme park industry. 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. 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. The ride was closed for a year after Hayleys death and then renamed Drenched.. Investigators are still probing the cause of the Alton Towers rollercoaster disaster, but some thrill-seekers have have declared their intention to ride its lightning again despite fact four people were seriously injured. At the same time it gained new effects within the tent as well as an updated restraint system. Taking the place of the former Dinosaur Land attraction, which had then been moved into storage, the modular steel track for Black Hole was constructed by Anton Schwarzkopf. The coaster remained SBNO into the following season, during which it was dismantled, though even then it remained on site awaiting its fate. But you can always sign up again whenever you like. All three suffered electric shocks and the rescuers, William Haithcoat and Darrel Robertson, both 20, were killed. Sign up to our newsletter. Try it outhere. In 1985, a number of changes were made. Following a special enthusiast event to say goodbye to the ride, Black Hole was closed in March 2005. The Black Hole accident happened in 1984, not very long after opening. Alton Towers Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Now renamed Duel, the Haunted House was originally quite a different experience. We will also send you breaking news alerts, so you'll get the news when it happens. So how do I sign up? 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. All it'll cost you is the time to input your email address and chose which newsletters you want to receive. On June 29, 2010 one of the cars came loose and lost all power. Three horrific deaths happened on the same day at King's Island in June 1991. This ride, that opened in 1983, was spooky in the fact it took place in total . Here, you're welcome to talk about all things Alton Towers! Thanks For Watching Theme Park Enthusiast#BlackHoleAltonTowers #AltonTowers #1990'sAltonTowersThanks to the following channels for the footage used in this video.CREDITS:GaryH - https://www.youtube.com/user/Garyholccoasterinc - https://www.youtube.com/c/coasterinc1987Attraction Source - https://www.youtube.com/c/AttractionSourceMerlinMedia - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzDcVe7WAVopVvZdhvTdGIgThemeParkCollective - https://www.youtube.com/user/ThemeParkCollectiveJGAdventureZone - https://www.youtube.com/user/JonnieGriffithsBritish Nostalgia - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXq6P-Ek8dVQZHIYkMDyR2gATJakee - https://www.youtube.com/user/ATJakeeThames News - https://www.youtube.com/c/thamesnewsGary Hodgson - https://www.youtube.com/user/pontoon01Theme Park Archive - https://www.youtube.com/user/MrElectricBillTowers Expert - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIyQPx6-ugafjz1U1ZclVcwElliot Mller - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoh24UYnq3wvmM876Xv4G3ATheme Park James - https://www.youtube.com/c/themeparkjamesAdamConlea - https://www.youtube.com/user/AdamConleaBBC - https://www.youtube.com/c/BBCNewsThemeParkFanaticUK - https://www.youtube.com/user/ThemeParkFanaticUKPHOTOS SOURCE/CREDITSWikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_Star_(Casino_Pier)Micheal PamtenbergGreg PearmTheme Park Tourist - https://www.themeparktourist.com/Theme Park Central - https://www.facebook.com/TheThemeParkCentral/Towersalmanac.com - http://www.towersalmanac.com/Rudi Enos Design - http://www.rudienosdesign.com/alton-towers-black-hole-structure.htmlAlton Towers Wiki - https://altontowers.fandom.com/Theme Park Guide - https://themeparkguide.biz/MUSIC:Black Hole Station Earth Soundtrack - Alton Towers Resort Reports say the tragedy was caused by a faulty, loose screw. 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. The ride was closed in 2006. The rope that hauls the cars to the top of the launch hill snapped and then, the anti-rollback mechanism failed. 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. 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.