Dreamland's Scenic Railway closes for good after more than a century

Scenics are no longer considered thrill machines but it breaks my heart when one closes. They’re every bit an important part of amusement park history.

Looks like a fun classic ride.

That looks like a ton more fun than what I was expecting.

Does it have a dude with a handbrake, like the one in Tivoli Gardens? I rode that a few years ago, and it was a bit unnerving.

Quite a bit speedier than Leap the Dips

15 mph can be terrifying when the track is buckling and sagging from lack of maintenance.

Jeff:

Does it have a dude with a handbrake, like the one in Tivoli Gardens? I rode that a few years ago, and it was a bit unnerving.

It does, yes.

There's a long history here. The ride was damaged by fire in 2008 and the original trains were destroyed. It reopened in 2015 after what was to all intents and purposes a ground up rebuild. Unfortunately a derailment in August 2024 caused track damage and it never reopened after that.

I'm saddened to see it go. It wasn't big, it wasn't fast, but it was historical.

This is an interesting example of where you have a ride that is Grade II* listed by Historic England.

Therefore, the park are in a slightly odd position where they are opting not to operate the ride, but can't really remove the structure or change it, even if they wanted to.

The whole Dreamland Project has been a complete mess from start to finish. There were a lot of good intentions to create a heritage park using rides removed primarily from Pleasureland and also some from Blackpool Pleasure Beach. The website detailing this plan is here.

Irrespective, that didn't happen and the park went into council ownership. There were efforts towards a refurbishment and a lot was achieved - with a focus on a select few rides and a concert venue. This was coupled with a bizarre financing arrangement and an operator that lasted 6 months before entering administration with some of the better/larger rides being sold.

It's been a struggle ... fair play to them for trying but seaside parks in the UK have taken an absolute hammering over the past few years - so for them to succeed always felt like a long shot.

And likely not helped by it being in Margate. It's not exactly the traditional seaside wonderland it used to be, despite a huge seafront refurbishment program that unfortunately largely ignored the town itself. Enjoy the promenade, but woe betide anyone who turns up a side road away from the shore.

Just to add that the Deputy Leader of the local council (who have a stake in the site anyhow) has provided an update, they're keen to not SBNO it if at all possible by the sounds of it

I think it goes without saying how very disappointed I am that Dreamland have declared the functioning of the Scenic Railway "unviable" due to maintenance requirements, and although as a Council we have no direct control over that decision, there are things that we can do.

So a quick update on what has been done in the last 24 hours.

I have asked our Overview and Scrutiny Committee to call Dreamland in to discuss the decision, the HSE report, and what has led to this decision.

We have asked again for copies of the HSE and relevant structural reports and external agency guidance, as we have not been given sight of these.

I have written directly to central government to ask them to extend the protection of listed assets significant due to their function (such as the Scenic Railway) so that they are protected within their listing not only in terms of their structure, but also in terms of their function and active usage wherever possible.
The Scenic Railway is a huge heritage asset, not only locally but nationally and internationally. It is the only one of its kind in the country.

If the Scenic Railway is genuinely unsafe and not viable as a ride due to that, then it is obviously necessary to ensure that residents are safe.

However, until we have seen the full reports, surveys, and the feedback from funding bodies, I would strongly argue that a single press release closing the ride is a vastly premature action, as residents need to see and understand exactly what advice has been given, and what makes the ride "unviable" in terms of the checks required.

I don't believe that extra maintenance means that something becomes unviable; and the Council and residents need to see everything that has led to that judgement, and with the involvement of Overview and Scrutiny, I fully expect Dreamland to attend the meeting to enable that.

This is part of our culture as well as our history, and as a Grade II* listed structure it is of huge national importance; and we need more information on its condition and future than a press release.

(For the non-UK folks, "HSE" is an abbreviation of Health & Safety Executive, the national safety regulator)

Barry Wellington:

Enjoy the promenade, but woe betide anyone who turns up a side road away from the shore.

So - Atlantic City.

"Overview and Scrutiny Committee" is the most American thing I've heard from that side of the ocean.

find it interesting they did a fairly good job in 2015, but then got hammered because the opening of the SR was delayed a whole year but then once it opened and the bankruptcy and other management issues, they got rid of most of the good rides they added. Then Gorillaz had demonstrated days there and it overwhelmingly became a concert venue with rides. Also most of the interesting historical rides donated have been installed.

Typical UK mix of bad timing, actual good use of lottery funds, then weird approach and mixed success.

I have a feeling it will not close for good! Somebody, organization or else will step up and make it operational. Too much history here and on top of that the coaster was recently refurbished!