Blackpool Virginia Reel history/pics/demolition

Click here for an interesting article and interview about the last operating Virginia Reel, which was sadly demolished in 1982.

Thanks to Jim "Invy" Hemphill for finding this.

mOOSH

Thanks Moosh but the credit really goes to Colin McWilliam who gave me the link this morning after I spent a fruitless evening searching for it. It's amazing what a hyphen (yes, I said hyphen lol) can do for a web search lol ;)

-Jimvy!

*oops, spelling correction
*** Edited 3/15/2005 7:14:01 PM UTC by invy***

That's a great find for a lot of neat Blackpool info!

I've wanted to ride a virginia reel for years.

The Reel was the ideal start to a day at the park. You didn't spin a great deal but it was pretty nippy around the course and IIRC you could get a pop of airtime coming out of the helix into the tunnel.

It was a sad day on my first visit the year it was removed and replaced by a Huss Ranger which promptly emptied my pockets of every piece of small change lol

-Jimvy!

Same here, Millrace. I have always wanted to ride one of those. :-( Maybe one day they will bring it back, but that's doubtful. Even if they did it would not be the same.

-Tina

I wonder what happened with Arrow's "new" Virginia Reel? The article states that it was supposed to use trains instead of individual cars... I wonder how that would have worked?

Either way, it was a great article. I had no idea that a Virginia Reel operated up until the 80's!

There are already Virginia Reels out there. They are called Reverchon spinning mice and Gerstlauer spinning coasters. Same concept, different ride vehicle... :)

Totally different ride experience too - I wouldn't directly compare them to each other.

-JImvy!