http://www.savedreamland.co.uk/
Friday, 12 September 2014
Work starting on the Scenic Railway
The biggest milestone yet in the project to reopen Dreamland Margate will be achieved on Monday 15 September as repair work starts on the structure of the UK’s oldest roller coaster, the Scenic Railway.
Although initial work to refurbish mechanical components started off-site several months ago, work to rebuild the famous Grade II* listed timber structure, which was seriously damaged in an arson attack in 2008, will for the first time get underway on site.
The work on the 94 year-old structure is being carried out by Kent-based contractors Topbond Plc, using funding sourced by The Dreamland Trust and Thanet District Council.
The work will be undertaken on a phased basis, with parts of the ride removed and rebuilt in sections. Replacement foundations will be inserted underneath the ride onto which newly fabricated timber trusses will be erected. Work will progress in a clockwise direction, starting at the motor house.
The work means that the opening of the world’s first amusement park of thrilling historic rides is on target for 2015.
Chairman of The Dreamland Trust, Nick Laister, explains the importance of this milestone:
“This is an incredible moment in the decade-long battle to secure the future of Dreamland and save its world-renowned historic wooden roller coaster. For me personally, for my fellow directors at The Dreamland Trust, and no doubt for everybody who has helped and supported this project over the years, this is the moment we have all been waiting for.”
“Little did I know back in 2001 when I asked the Government to protect the Scenic Railway by making it the first ever amusement park ride to become a listed building, that our efforts to save this remarkable structure and the historic amusement park in which it sits would be such a mammoth task. We could never have anticipated the public inquiries, legal challenges and arson attacks that we have faced, or the way that so many people in Thanet and around the world would give their time and money to see this genuinely iconic structure thrilling riders again. So to see visible work actually starting on the ride is quite simply the biggest milestone to date in this project. I can't wait to take a ride on it in 2015."