Icon (roller coaster)

Icon
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Status Operating
Opening date 25 May 2018
Cost £16,250,000
General statistics
Type Steel – Launched
Manufacturer Mack Rides
Designer Werner Stengel
Model Launch Coaster (Custom)
Lift/launch system LSM-launch (x2)
Height 88.5 ft (27.0 m)
Drop 82 ft (25 m)
Length 3,750 ft (1,140 m)
Speed 52.8 mph (85.0 km/h)
Inversions 1
Duration 2:41
Capacity 1070 riders per hour
Acceleration 0-50mph in 2 seconds
G-force 4.3 g
Height restriction 51.2 in (130 cm)
Trains 3 trains with 4 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 16 riders per train.
Icon at RCDB
Pictures of Icon at RCDB

Icon (stylized in all caps) is a launched roller coaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. Manufactured by Mack Rides of Germany, the ride opened on 25 May 2018 at a total cost of £16.25 million.[1] The ride is the first multi-launch roller coaster in the United Kingdom, using linear magnetic synchronous motors to propel the train along the track. Icon serves as the park's sixth steel roller coaster and tenth roller coaster overall. The name "Icon" was announced on 10 April 2017 with the tagline, "Dare To Ride”.

History

On 28 September 2016, Blackpool Pleasure Beach released plans for a new steel roller coaster entitled "Construction 2018" that would be constructed by Mack Rides at the cost of £16,250,000 for the 2018 season; in addition, they released a simulated POV of the ride.[2][3] Soon after on 1 December 2016, construction on the ride began,[4] and on 30 March 2017 the foundations for the ride were around 80 percent completed with 282 concrete cylinders driven for main pilings.[5] On 10 April 2017, the park announced the official name of the ride, Icon.[6][7] Around the time of announcement, 8,000 metres of steel tubes and pre-casted concrete piles had been placed 12 metres into the ground and 5,500 tonnes of soil had been dug out.[8][9]

The first pieces of track for Icon arrived at Blackpool Pleasure Beach on 19 October 2017, a few weeks after the arrival of the first supports which arrived on 29 September 2017. The final piece of track for the ride was installed on 14 February 2018, with both Amanda Thompson and Nick Thompson signing the interior of the steelwork.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach announced on 19 April 2018 that Icon would open to the public on 25 May 2018.

Ride experience

The generic height restriction for Icon is 130 centimetres (51.2 in), in order to be able to experience the ride from the back row, guests must be at least 150 centimetres (59.1 in) tall. This is due to the back row seats being designed for larger guests. A "Speedy Pass" is available for the ride, being accessible from the bottom of the big dipper steps. Speedy Pass riders embark from a queue parallel to the main queue inside of the station and are generally boarded on the back row of the ride unless the rider is under 150 centimetres (59.1 in).

The ride begins by slowly rolling out of the station to the launch area. Riders can hear an intense buildup with the voiceover saying "Icon" to mark the 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) LSM launch, through a tunnel into a 82 feet (25 m) tall top hat element. The top hat then passes under the Big One's lift hill. This is followed by a tall non-inverting inclined loop before a series of banked turns, intertwining with the Big Dipper and Steeplechase, followed by a heartline roll. After diving into another tunnel, a second LSM launch follows 53 miles per hour (85 km/h), which goes into an 88.5 feet (27.0 m) tall Junior Immelmann loop (the tallest part of the layout). A series of highly banked turns, airtime hills and s-curves follows, before the train hits the final brake run and re-enters the station.[10]

The on-ride photo is taken prior to the train entering the tunnel on the first launch.

References

  1. ↑ "Pleasure Beach's new coaster consolidates relationship between two amusement industry stalwarts". Park World. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  2. ↑ Mallinson, Harriet (29 September 2016). "Watch virtual footage of Blackpool's new $16m 50mph rollercoaster". Daily Mail. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  3. ↑ "Blackpool Pleasure Beach unveils details of new rollercoaster". BT Group. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  4. ↑ Read, Rachel (5 December 2016). "Work Begins on Blackpool Pleasure Beach's new Thrill Ride". Blooloop. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  5. ↑ Stocks, Rob (30 March 2017). "Landmark moment reached in £16.25m new Pleasure Beach ride project". The Gazette. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  6. ↑ Stocks, Rob (11 April 2017). "Name revealed for Blackpool Pleasure Beach's new £16.25m rollercoaster". The Gazette. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  7. ↑ "Blackpool Pleasure Beach introduces new rollercoaster". ITV News. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  8. ↑ "New Blackpool Pleasure Beach rollercoaster named Icon". Daily Mail. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  9. ↑ Cryer, Anna (4 May 2017). "Digging deep for Icon-ic new Pleasure Beach ride". The Gazette. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  10. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 27 May 2017.

Coordinates: 53°47′25″N 3°3′20″W / 53.79028°N 3.05556°W / 53.79028; -3.05556


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