Blaze destroys Dreamland rollercoaster

Margate's famous rollercoaster, the Scenic Railway, has been destroyed by fire.

The blaze broke out late this afternoon and the wooden structure was well alight by 5pm.

The historic ride - which was built in 1920 and was Grade II listed - was the centrepiece of the town's former seafront amusement park, Dreamland.

The Margate scenic railway is believed to be the third oldest example of this kind of rollercoaster left in the world after Melbourne, Australia (1912) and Copenhagen, Denmark (1914).



Quelle: http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kol08/article/default.asp?article_id=39861&slide_id=2

Gruß
Marcel
[small].[/small]

Irgendwie hab ich's kommen sehen. Ich denke das die Brandursache höchst wahrscheinlich nicht auf einen technischen Defekt oder Unfall zurückzuführen sein wird. Traurig, traurig, traurig. Die Welt ist einfach nur schlecht.

CU,
Michael
*It's gonna be legen...wait for it....dary!*
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Fire wrecks listed rollercoaster
The Scenic Railway on fire
The Scenic Railway was the centrepiece of Dreamland

Up to 80 firefighers are battling a blaze which threatens to destroy a listed rollercoaster at the former Dreamland amusement site in Kent.

Police said they were treating the fire, which broke out on Monday afternoon at the Scenic Railway at Margate, as suspicious.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service has 12 appliances at the scene and a pall of smoke is hanging over the town.

Fire investigation officers will enter the site when it is declared safe.

BBC Radio Kent reporter David Linington said the rollercoaster was burning strongly and had collapsed.

"It is devastating," said Thanet District Council leader Sandy Ezekiel.

"It is tragic - I used to go on it when I was a kid.

"To see it like this is heartbreaking."


Quelle: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/7335519.stm

Ich hoffe, Jimmy Godden wird dafür lange, lange weggeschlossen. Warmer Abriss, allez-allez!

FOAD, Godden du W!chser!

Letzte Bearbeitung am 07-Apr-08 um 22:03 Uhr ()
Leider darf man öffentlich nicht aussprechen, was einem in dieser Situation aus dem Mund entwischen möchte - oder wurde die genaue "Brandursache" inzwischen bekannt gegeben? Wohl kaum, einfach unfassbar! x(

Ich bin geschockt und traurig... :(

Wer's sehen will: YouTube

Könnten die England-Insider hier uns bitte auf dem Laufenden halten, was die Brandursache angeht?

Da gewesene, doch leider nicht gefahrene Grüße,
Frank

Es ist wohl noch nichts klar. Auf jeden Fall aber scheinen sie es zu untersuche und schließen noch nichts aus.

-------

Rollercoaster fire investigated

The railway was the centrepiece of Dreamland. Pic by Carolyn Collard

The cause of a fire which severely damaged a Grade II listed rollercoaster at the former Dreamland amusement site in Kent is being investigated.

Up to 60 firefighters tackled the blaze at the Scenic Railway in Margate after it broke out on Monday afternoon.

About 40% of the historic seafront rollercoaster was destroyed, including sheds which stored the rolling stock.

Kent Police said they would be looking to see if the fire was caused by an accelerant or if it was accidental.

Damage assessed

The wooden rollercoaster, believed to be one of the oldest of its kind left in the world, was damaged in another major fire in the 1940s.

It has not operated for the past two years, but a campaign has been under way to boost the town's tourism by reopening the ride.

Dave Collard, of the Save Dreamland Campaign which secured the ride's heritage status in 2002, said he was optimistic the rollercoaster could be rebuilt, although that would depend on the full extent of the damage.

"There are eight other coasters in the world that have similar trains," he said.

"There's no reason why it couldn't be done, but it will take a lot of work and a lot of money to do so"

quelle: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/7335985.stm

Jetzt haben wirs, es war wohl Absicht!
_______________________________________________________


Rollercoaster fire was deliberate
The Scenic Railway on fire

Police investigating a fire which badly damaged a Grade II listed rollercoaster at Kent's former Dreamland amusement park say it was started deliberately.

Samples collected by specialist police and fire officers at the Margate site on Tuesday have been sent off for analysis in the arson investigation.

Up to 60 firefighters tackled the blaze at the Scenic Railway on Monday.

About 40% of the historic rollercoaster was destroyed, including sheds which stored the rolling stock.

Kent Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information about the fire, which started about 1645 BST, to come forward.

Damage assessed

The wooden rollercoaster, believed to be one of the oldest of its kind left in the world, was damaged in another major fire in the 1940s.

It has not operated for the past two years, but a campaign has been under way to boost the town's tourism by reopening the ride.

Dave Collard, of the Save Dreamland Campaign which secured the ride's heritage status in 2002, said he was optimistic the rollercoaster could be rebuilt, although that would depend on the full extent of the damage.

"There are eight other coasters in the world that have similar trains," he said.

"There's no reason why it couldn't be done, but it will take a lot of work and a lot of money to do so."

Quelle: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/7335985.stm

>Police investigating a fire which badly damaged a Grade II listed rollercoaster at
>Kent's former Dreamland amusement park say it was started deliberately.
>
>Samples collected by specialist police and fire officers at the Margate site on Tuesday
>have been sent off for analysis in the arson investigation.

Hmm.. irgendwie irritiert mich das jetzt: Man sagt, dass es sich um Brandstiftung (bzw. Absicht) handelte, und hat die Proben bisher erst zur Untersuchung weggeschickt (und scheinbar noch keine Antwort darauf?).
Gut, für mich steht es außer Frage, ob das Feuer Absicht oder Unfall war - Ich bin der festen Überzeugung, dass man sich versucht hat dieses "(Holz-)Klotzes am Bein" zu entledigen.

Schrecklich, dass selbst bei denkmalgeschützten Bauten ("Grade II are of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve them") nicht von irgendwelchen "Geschäftsleuten" davor zurückgeschreckt wird, diese auf einem solchen Weg zu zerstören...
Hoffen wir nur, dass der Verursacher dafür eine gehörige Strafe zahlt (welche natürlich dem Wiederaufbau der zerstörten 40% dient) und erstmal nur noch gesiebtes Tageslicht zu Gesicht bekommt...

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The leader of the Save Dreamland Campaign says that he is certain that Margate’s fire-damaged Scenic Railway roller coaster can be restored.

Nick Laister says: “It is now over 48 hours since the sad events of Monday afternoon and we have a much better picture of the extent of the damage and the prospects for repair. I have spent the last couple of days contacting as many people in the amusement park industry as possible to satisfy myself that the skills and expertise are available to repair the Scenic Railway. Several people who know the Scenic Railway well, and who have maintained the ride over the years, have told me that repairing the structure will not be a major task. They are also willing and able to get involved with the restoration. In addition, companies which are specialists at reconstructing and replicating wooden roller coasters in the UK and overseas have confirmed that, given the extent of damage, plans can be drawn up and the ride rebuilt. I have forwarded these details to Dreamland’s owners. With all this local knowledge, the expertise of wooden coaster specialists and the hundreds of photographs of the ride, I am now convinced that a rebuild is possible and achievable.”

About 25% of the footprint of the Grade II listed roller coaster – the oldest in the UK – was destroyed by fire on Monday. Police have announced that the fire was started deliberately and investigations are continuing.

Representatives from English Heritage today visited the Dreamland site to assess the damage to the Scenic Railway.

"Based on our visit today, the damage is not as significant as was first presented to us," said Peter Kendall, English Heritage Team Leader for Kent and East Sussex. "We are categorically of the view that the ride is repairable. We will work with everyone else to achieve that end."

The blaze has resulted in hundreds of people signing up to the Save Dreamland Campaign. Nick Laister says: “I can’t remember any time since we started the Campaign in January 2003 when there has been such an influx of new members. Our online Forum is busier than it has ever been. I am genuinely heartened by the huge response from the people of Margate - and from around the country - who have all expressed their outrage that this much-loved listed building could have been damaged in this way. I am pleased that Dreamland's owners, the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company Ltd, have acted swiftly in getting people onto the site to assess the damage, and I have personally told the Company Chairman, Toby Hunter, that we will do everything we can to help him with the task of restoring the ride."

Nick adds: "For the time being the most important thing is to stop this from becoming another Brighton West Pier, with a series of further arson attacks. Security at the site must be stepped up immediately to protect this now extremely vulnerable listed building."

Thanet District Council has already called for security at Dreamland to be stepped up following the arson attack. Council Leader, Sandy Ezekiel, who called the ride "the single most important piece of the town’s cultural heritage", has said that the Council expects the owners to rebuild the structure as soon as possible.

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