Steelwork contractor goes on rollercoaster ride

Taziker Industrial has retracked four sections of the Big One rollercoaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach as part of the amusement park’s redevelopment programme.

After over 26 years in operation, the tracks were rebuilt and refitted to give passengers a smoother ride experience.

Taziker undertook this major refurbishment during the 2019/20 offseason; with the track sections being removed from the structure on 6 November 2019 and successfully refitted on 3 February 2020.

The company said that it initially performed a 3D scan using Trimble SX10 scanning equipment, which allowed key components to be modelled. A temporary support frame was then created so the new tracks could be assembled in one 45m length.

Jarrod Hulme, Taziker Managing Director said, “As a local company, we’re so pleased to have been chosen to work on this iconic structure. Blackpool is such a famous seaside resort, visitors flock here in their millions every year. The Big One can be seen for miles around and is known around the globe for being the world’s tallest rollercoaster when it was first erected.”

Alex Payne, Technical Director at Blackpool Pleasure Beach said, “The Big One track replacement is always extremely challenging in terms of matching geometry between existing and new track sections, but thanks to the level of detail involved in the planning and execution of the work, it has been a relatively seamless project.”

The Big One was originally designed by Arrow Dynamics, an American manufacturing and engineering company. When the Big One was opened to the public in 1994, at 71m-high, it was the tallest rollercoaster in the world. Today it is still highest in the UK.