Location - X
Sector
Opened - March 1988
Closed - March 2005
Manufacturer - Schwarzkopf
Ride Type - Jet Star II
Speed: 45 MPH
G-forces: 2.5 G
Track Length- 560 Metres
Height Drop- 44ft
Weight: 175 tonnes
Ride Duration- 3mins 42 secs
Capacity per train- 12
Capacity per hour- 1022
The Black
Hole was a mysterious ride that was hidden away from the prying eyes
of riders and spectators alike as the he six hundred metre long ride took place in almost total darkness
with the only illumination came from stars and asteroids. It was a
vast undercover roller coaster, where you
travelled through helixes upwards until you were completely disorientated and then suddenly
you were dropped straight down a fifteen metre drop into the Black Hole itself.
To build this ride, the rail framework had to be covered completely with a canopy, but not before a quarter of a million tonnes of soil had been dug away from the hillside. The ride was originally green and yellow, but in 1998 when Oblivion was installed it was rethemed and painted blue.
Because the ride was totally hidden from view it means
guests didn't know what to expect until they had ridden it and so for first time riders the queue was quite intimidating not knowing what you were
queuing for. Once in the station it was the first time you could see the trains
with passengers sitting in twos, one behind the other rather like sitting on a sledge.
Spiralling upwards the train climbed fairly high, before you heard a voice say 'sit back-hold tight', you were then plunged down large drops and tight corners before a quick return into the brakes. The ride had a very poor through-put, because of this queues often built up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Were the Beast and
the Black Hole the same ride?
The simply answer is no.
This misunderstanding
comes from the fact the two rides are very similar in design, and at
a casual glance it would be fair to assume they are identical,
though they are not. The similarities came about because the two
rides come from the same series of rides from Schwarzkopf, the
Jetstar series.
The Black Hole, the
older of the two was also the smaller of the two models, being a
Jetstar II. The Beast on the other hand was a Jetstar III, the main
difference being a extra tier on the spiral lift hill, which made
the ride taller then the earlier model and also allowed for an extra
drop in the ride.
As the rides were
similar models they shared many similar parts, such as the coaster
trains, which were near identical. When the Beast arrived at Alton
Towers it was second hand and came with no trains. It's arrival also
coincided with the upgrade of the Black Hole for 1988, and because
of this the park decided to run the old Black Hole cars on the Beast
and purchase brand new trains for the more high profile Black Hole.
If more proof were
needed that the two rides were not the same the footprint taken up
by the Beast was significantly larger then that of the Black Hole.
This, combined with the addition height means that it would be
impossible for the Beast to fit into the tent which contained the
Black Hole for the duration of its life in the park and still exists
today.
