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Why?,
Where?, When?
The Black
Hole is a Schwarzkopf Jetstar II coaster, originally built
for the 1984 season, and became the parks second full size
roller coaster. For the construction, over 250,000 tons of
earth was excavated from the area that in previous seasons
had been home to the Dinosaurs
display. Being housed inside a massive tent, the coaster is
hidden from view, shrouding it in mystery. The track layout
is actually very similar to that used on both the Alton
Beast and the New
Beast, both of which have now been removed. The ride is
very well themed, and uses the darkness well, with added lighting
effects to add to the atmosphere. During the mid-ninties the
whole ride is said to have been removed, and transported to
Europe where it had an overhaul, which then allowed the ride
to use dual car trains. The outside of the tent received a
major paint job when Fantasy World became X-Sector in 1998.
Its original colour scheme was a strange green and yellow,
compared to the black and silver of these days.
But
What Is It Like?
Being shrouded in complete
darkness, the Black Hole is one of the most difficult rides
to describe. The experience begins when you enter the claustrophobic
tunnel that takes you into the loading station. On entering
the station, you take up your position in one of the bays,
indicated by the lights in the floor. When a car arrives,
you can take your seat. Make sure that the person sitting
in the back gets in first, as the front person must sit between
their legs in bob-sleigh style.
Once on your way,
you now have a good few seconds while the cars power themselves
up the winding lift hill. Special lighting effects and sound
help to make the trundle up the hill bearable. Soon, the track
levels out, then suddenly drops sharply, and you plummet into
the unknown. Sweeping bends and sudden drops are now the main
course as you are thrown from one side of the car to the other,
taken through star systems, black holes and nebulae.
Eventually you reach
the brake run. Keep an eye out for the warning sign, as the
brakes can be very sharp, and throw you forward into the person
sitting in front of you. Here you head toward a very bright
light, throwing your fellow passengers into silhouette in
front of you.
Slowly you make
your way into the unloading station, which is separate from
the loading station. Just outside here, you can purchase your
on-ride photo.
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click
image for larger version
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Present
Day
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Pictures
from the past
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Construction
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Submit
your photos
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If
you have photos we can use, especially from the past
or construction periods, then please email them to
us at pictures@towersalmanac.com
(No bigger than 100k please)
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