Southport Cyclone destroyed!

It didn't take long for this to happen...

http://www.southportforums.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=50365006

That totally sucks in ways I can't describe with words...

Two Cyclones down, one in serious jeopardy (WG). Not a great time to be an unwanted wooden coaster. :(

That sucks, was it actually vandals? how did they get those pictures and how did the guys with chainsaws happen to get into the structure? In the comments they mentioned the owners were very greedy and what not, which really is a shame and maybe there will be parts up on ebay. A very odd way to "Taer it down" though, those guys would have a blast with Mean Streak... Still unfortunate to see. *** Edited 9/14/2006 4:47:10 PM UTC by P18***

Looks like they were in a hurry to tear out a chunk of the ride to make sure nobody could ever ride it again (and to stymie any effort to save the park). It makes me sick.

That's exactly what happened. They were hired by the owners of Blackpool to get the ride out of there as soon as possible- and without getting the attention of anyone until it was too late. I just lost a TON of respect for the owners of Blackpool that let this happen. Talk about a small family of parks going down the crapper- Vikingar, the Whip, the flume and Tumble Bug are now gone from Blackpool and Southport will soon be only a memory. What a sickening turn of events.

R.I.P

Here are some pics to remember her by.

http://rcdb.com/ig802.htm

Reminds me of how the city of NY rolled into Coney early one morning and knocked down the Thunderbolt before anyone could realize what was going on and stage some sort of protest.

An hour, why couldn't they just give enthusiasts an hour to ride it one last time.

Just goes to show the current ownership of Blackpool doesn't give a crap about what they used to be about.

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P18 said:
That sucks, was it actually vandals? how did they get those pictures and how did the guys with chainsaws happen to get into the structure? In the comments they mentioned the owners were very greedy and what not, which really is a shame and maybe there will be parts up on ebay. A very odd way to "Taer it down" though, those guys would have a blast with Mean Streak... Still unfortunate to see. *** Edited 9/14/2006 4:47:10 PM UTC by P18***

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haha no it wasnt actually vandals. someone clearly missed the sarcasm. the writer was comparing the construction crew to modern day vandals implying that what they were doing was a crime of destruction. In reality, those suited men were hired by the park to demolish the coaster. The writer of that story is just trying to get you on his side.

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Rob Ascough said:
Just goes to show the current ownership of Blackpool doesn't give a crap about what they used to be about.

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So it seems :(

Oh ok, thanks for clearing that up for me. Still a wierd way to demolish a coaster, those pictures are like the "Hostel" of coasters...

Blackpool just wanted the trains IMHO to replace the ones lost on their racer and get ride of the competition.

What a joke.

In all the Disney/Universal/Cedar Fair glitz - and Holiday World/KW/etc friendlyness - everyone forgets the amusement business is at its heart a carny business. This was incredibly carny, but that's the business.

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Rob Ascough said:
Just goes to show the current ownership of Blackpool doesn't give a crap about what they used to be about.

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Sad, but true. All the love and respect I had for Blackpool and Southport is quickly disappearing.

Thankfully, I'll always have the good memories. Too bad the current owner is doing her best to tarnish them.

I think a small part of me died when I saw those pictures of the guys with the chainsaws cutting into the wood. Sad sad day. Another one I'll never get to ride.

Further evidence that the corporate end of the amusement industry is just laughing at those of us who really care about the preservation aspect of what we love so much.

Hey! As long as we keep giving them free advertising, and never say a negative word about their parks in public, they'll continue to be our friends.

I also lost alot of respect for Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Blast! I've wanted to get to Blackpool for 17 years now. By the time I finally do, all of that charm is going to be gone.

Next year, Matt....start planning on it....before any more of the olde-style Pleasure Beach is gone.

At least *we* still have IB, Wildwood, and SCBB.
*** Edited 9/15/2006 5:56:05 AM UTC by rollergator***