Infusion | |
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Pleasure Beach Resort | |
Status | Operating |
Opening date | 2 May 2007 |
Cost | £8 million |
Infusion at Pleasure Beach Resort at RCDB | |
Pleasureland Southport | |
Name | Traumatizer |
Status | Removed |
Opening date | 1999 |
Closing date | 2006 |
Traumatizer at Pleasureland Southport at RCDB | |
General statistics | |
Type | Steel – Inverted |
Manufacturer | Vekoma |
Designer | Vekoma |
Model | Suspended Looping Coaster |
Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
Height | 109 ft (33 m) |
Length | 2,260 ft (690 m) |
Speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
Inversions | 5 |
Duration | 1:48(running slow) 1:42 (running fast) |
Capacity | 832 riders per hour |
G-force | 3.4 |
Height restriction | 52–78 in (132–198 cm) |
Trains | 2 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 16 riders per train. |
Infusion is an inverted steel roller coaster at Pleasure Beach Resort, Lancashire, England. It is a 689m standard "Mark 3" model Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster (SLC) and the first to be suspended entirely over water. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Infusion was relocated from Pleasureland Southport, Pleasure Beach's sister park, where it was known as "Traumatizer" and sponsored by the soft drink "Tizer". The attraction first opened at its original location in Southport in 1999. When Pleasureland closed in 2006, the ride was moved to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, where it has operated since 2007. The original ride featured a red track with teal supports; however, the track has since been repainted blue. The ride cost a total of £8 million to construct. [1] [3] [5] [6] [7]
Infusion operates two seating trains. Each train has eight cars that seat two passengers, allowing a maximum capacity of 16 people per train. The track is approximately 2,260 feet long and the lift is 109 feet high. Infusion's maximum capacity is 832 passengers per hour. [1] [3] [8]
The ride begins with the train climbing a 109-foot (33 m) lift hill before arching into a steep curved incline. The train rises up into a butterfly loop- two half loops connected by a corkscrew - before pulling upwards into a banked apex. From here the train drops sharply into a sidewinder - a loop that transitions into a corkscrew. A tight helix follows, providing a near miss with the Big Dipper, before the train straightens itself and pulls into a double inline twist. From here the train rolls into a 90 degree turn before pulling downwards and ascending into the brakes. Two 90 degree turns return the train to the station. [ citation needed ]
The ride was the subject of a large marketing campaign and featured on BBC Newsround, the Daily Star and Daily Express newspapers and GMTV.[ citation needed ]
The ride has been used in television shows and advertisements. The ride was featured in a Specsavers advertisement when two elderly people rode the ride after mistaking the ride's seats for a park bench.
A roller coaster is a type of amusement ride employing a form of elevated railroad track that carries passengers on a train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements designed to produce a thrilling experience. Trains consist of open cars connected in a single line, and the rides are often found in theme parks around the world. Roller coasters first appeared in the 17th century, and LaMarcus Adna Thompson obtained one of the first known patents for a roller coaster design in 1885, based on the Switchback Railway which opened a year earlier at Coney Island.
A roller coaster inversion is a roller coaster element in which the track turns riders upside-down and then returns them to an upright position. Early forms of inversions were circular in nature and date back to 1848 on the Centrifugal railway in Paris. These vertical loops produced massive g-force that was often dangerous to riders. As a result, the element eventually became non-existent with the last rides to feature the looping inversions being dismantled during the Great Depression. In 1975, designers from Arrow Development created the corkscrew, reviving interest in the inversion during the modern age of steel roller coasters. Elements have since evolved from simple corkscrews and vertical loops to more complex inversions such as Immelmann loops and cobra rolls. The Smiler at Alton Towers holds the world record for the number of inversions on a roller coaster with 14.
An inverted roller coaster is a type of steel roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. Riders are seated in open cars, letting their feet swing freely. The inverted coaster was pioneered by Swiss roller coaster manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard in the early 1990s with the development of Batman: The Ride, which opened at Six Flags Great America on May 9, 1992.
Arrow Dynamics was an American manufacturing and engineering company that specialized in designing and building amusement park rides, especially roller coasters. Based in Clearfield, Utah, the company was the successor to Arrow Development (1946–1981) and Arrow Huss (1981–1986), which were responsible for several influential advancements in the amusement and theme park industries. Among the most significant was tubular steel track, which provided a smoother ride than the railroad style rails commonly used prior to the 1960s on wooden roller coasters. The Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland, built in 1959, was Arrow's first roller coaster project.
The Big One, formerly known as the Pepsi Max Big One, is a steel roller coaster located at Pleasure Beach Resort in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. Designed by Ron Toomer and manufactured by Arrow Dynamics, the ride opened to the public on 28 May 1994 as the tallest and steepest roller coaster in the world, featuring a height of 213 feet (65 m) and a drop angle of 65 degrees. It held the title as the tallest until 1996 when Fujiyama opened in Japan. Construction of the ride cost £12 million. The ride was sponsored by Pepsi until 2011, at which time Pepsi Max was removed from the name.
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The Suspended Looping Coaster is a model of steel inverted roller coaster built by Vekoma. There are at least 39 different installations across the world. The minimum rider height requirement is 130 centimetres. Vekoma is now marketing a Suspended Thrill Coaster as a successor to the Suspended Looping Coaster. The Odyssey is the largest, fastest and tallest SLC ever built at Fantasy Island in the UK.
Revolution, formerly Irn Bru Revolution, is an Arrow Development shuttle roller coaster at Pleasure Beach Resort. It was Europe's first fully looping roller coaster. The ride consists of two raised sections of track with a vertical loop in the centre. The train is launched off the first raised platform, into the loop, and up onto the second platform, where it repeats the process in reverse. As a result of the design, riders are required to climb a series of stairs to get to the loading station. Until the introduction of Infusion, it was the park's only looping coaster.
Big Dipper is a wooden out and back roller coaster at Pleasure Beach Resort, Blackpool, England. Originally built in 1923, it was extended in 1936 and was designated as a Grade II listed building on 19 April 2017. It operates with two trains, each containing three four-bench cars, seating two people per bench. After Scenic Railway, Big Dipper is the second-oldest in-use rollercoaster in Britain. The ride has 1 lapbar per row.
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Pleasure Beach Resort, formerly known as Blackpool Pleasure Beach, is an amusement park situated on Blackpool's South Shore, in the county of Lancashire, North West England. The park was founded in 1896 by A. W. G. Bean and his partner John Outhwaite. The current managing director is Amanda Thompson.
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