What was the Black Hole like?

[Jammydodger]

I've always hated myself for not leaving myself enough time to ride it when I visited during the Summer of '04.
But now that its finally leaving forever, its always going to be something that will bug me, not knowing what the ride was like.

I've looked everywhere for comprehensive videos and pictures, but all I can find is a shaky video with the lights on, for its last day open, and various photos that have no continuity in them at all. I've been so curious for so long, even so that I managed to walk into an actor during the Boiler House, because I was too busy looking up and around the tent.

So here I ask, what was the Black Hole like? I've heard it was the poor mans Space mountain, how true is this?
Most recreations seems to imply it had some lighting effects, maybe even projections? And on the lift hill there were sheets dangling down in some pics, were they just to block out the light? Was it as dark as No Way out, or was there some ambient lighting? Also did the ride have block breaks or did it only dispatch one train at a time? Whilst looking up during the Boiler house, I notice there seemed to be some kind of rigging scaffolding right in the center of the ceiling, what was up there? Also was there much more indoor queue line when the ride was open? Was the ride audio good quality?

Sorry about all the questions, but I've always wanted to know, this type of stuff fascinates me.
Also feel free to add anything you might know about the ride, I'd really like to know.

[Stelios7]

The ride left in 2005, it's just the tent that
is going now, the ride is still operating today, as mentioned on a topic here somewhere, it was a Jet Star 2 coaster, and was improved in 1988 if I'm not mistaken. I didn't ride it, so that's all tha I can help you with, there is a POV with the lights on online. Good luck with your search, I'm sure you will get a vast response, look around TT and the interweb for some more info.

[Shockadelica]

When it first opened, it had the same impact as, say, Oblivion did when it opened.

There was nothing like it in the UK (Space Invader at Blackpool opened later the same year), it gave an incredible kick on that first drop and was a remarkably intense ride for its day.  The initial themeing had two giant spacemen floating in the higher reaches of the spiral-lift, as well as a few asteroids.  Then the rest of the ride seemed a blur special effect lighting.
The introduction of a two-car train kind of spoilt the ride as the front of the car was pretty much at the bottom of the drop before the ride hit full speed.  The only way to ride it from 1988 onwards was at the back.

It went through a couple of major themeing changes, the finest in 1996 when it looked akin to Space Mountain DLP in the station and had a mist effect running inside the whole ride.  Sadly, the mist didn't last and the effects never seemed quite as good without it.

When riding The Beast, which was a similar but bigger outdoor ride, it really made you see how enclosing the relatively small Jet Star II coaster in the dark embellished the ride experience.

One of my all time AT greats, and even though as the park started building rides like Nemesis, Oblivion and Air making BH seem less important, I still felt the Black Hole had a place in the park and the feeling of infinity riding a coaster in the dark gives you added a unique element to it.

I'd love AT to build a new, larger indoor coaster.

[themealgang]

I never got on it, and I feel like I have missed out on something rather special. I am afraid, I can't help you on telling you what the experience was "like", but from speaking to friends who have ridden the coaster, it really did pack a punch. From the spiral lift, to the intense drops, it really was a special ride.

I would still love to know what the effects were like inside the coaster. One person has told me it was like being inside a disco, then another told me it was just darkness all the way! 

[djtruefitt]

I think I went on the black hole once or twice when I was alot younger. I have really good memories of queing for it outsite round the side of the tent, and I remember the station, it was quite a nice station and you came down the stairs into the station, so you got a good view of the cars and the overall station.

I dont really have any memories of the ride itself apart from the end of if with the breaks, I seem to remember them being really strong with quite a sudden stop, there might have also been a lit up sign warning you about the breaks! I think you got off the ride in a seperate place to the station where you got on the ride. You then left it from the side through an arcade (I think?) and out the side of the tent towards enterprise.

There are quite a few behind the scenes photos of the ride here: http://gallery.towersalmanac.com/thumbn ... ?album=114

[fredward]

I'm afraid all I really remember is that it was a rollercoaster.. in the dark! :P

It was great fun though, If you want to know what the layout was like, the actual rollercoaster was sold and spruced up and is now sold to a foreign park.

I do remember some asteroids and everything! Saying poor man's space mountain is harsh, I would call it a non rich man's space mountain! Since Disney over does everything! :P

[Shockadelica]

I would still love to know what the effects were like inside the coaster. One person has told me it was like being inside a disco, then another told me it was just darkness all the way! 

Well I certainly remember in the 80s you'd sometimes go on it and someone hadn't turned all the effects on (or they weren't working) so you pretty much had a ride in the pitch dark.  I do remember one time riding it and somebody must have left an emergency door open or something because daylight poured in and it was like taking a rollercoaster ride around a warehouse.

To go into more detail on the effects I remember when it first opened (bear in mind these memories are getting on for 30 years old), after the spacemen and asteroids on the spiral-lift, the rest of the ride seemed to have thin lines of red light running along the track during the fast parts and I think a few of the asteroid effects too.  But because of the all-enclosing darkness, it didn't really matter that there wasn't much else.  I probably didn't notice anyway because of the intensity of the ride for its time was quite a distraction  .

Another quirky fact about Black Hole is when it first opened, the leaflets and guides proudly boasted that the ride, along with the others that opened in 1984, would virtually signal the end of queueing because they'd absorb all the crowds.  This would explain why they were happy to open BH with just the single cars running around, but showed a complete short-sightedness on just how many people would pile through the gates.  The queue for Black Hole was just painfully slow at peak times.

[DannyNewbro]

I wish I could've gone on it!

[Stelios7]

I wish I could've gone on it!

Don't we all, anyone up for a trip to Sweden? But, I would imagine without the tent's atmostphere, it wouldn't be the same. As the POV I saw showed.

[Rowe]

Philip Schofield is probably the best person you can witness riding the Black Hole in the 1980s :P

[Mi-Nigle]

Philip Schofield is probably the best person you can witness riding the Black Hole in the 1980s :P

Haha I've never seen that, I felt those brakes when they hit! They didn't half take your breath away.

[JarethDrakul]

I dont really have any memories of the ride itself apart from the end of if with the breaks, I seem to remember them being really strong with quite a sudden stop, there might have also been a lit up sign warning you about the breaks!

The brakes are one of the few things I remember of the actual ride, the only other thing I remember about the Black Hole is the station.

[RustyRider]

I remember the black hole vividly, as it was my first ever coaster!!

The station was awesome then you climbed into your car and thinking how unsafe those restraints look, the train starts to ascend in a spiral motion, and as your looking around At the stars (fairy lights on the ceiling) you notice the spiral comes to an abrupt end.....pure darkness awaits as you plummet down a 'steep' drop, your body being battered from side to side, up a small hill turning to the right down another drop, then FLASH the orp captures your expression as your thrown into the final helix, before finally slamming on the forceful brakes, all in about 30-40 seconds.

I'm so happy I rode this, but then again I never rode good ol' corky, oh well, you win some you lose some!

[CoasterCrazyChris]

Can anyone remember what the station was like before it's theming was added in 1996?

[QTXAdsy]

Ah Black hole...

This ride, even to this day, is the only ride that has ever laid an impression on me. I've only went on it once in 1996 or '97 I think, prior to it's X-Sector re-theme. My memory is pretty blank, though what I can remember is how smooth it was, almost like it was gilding, some flashes of green light I think and of course that infamous brake run, which really knocked the wind out of me as a kid.

I do regret not going to Alton Towers in 2004 to ride it again, though nevertheless it will always be a ride that will have a place in my heart, just seeing the tent empty is painful to look at, at least pulling the tent down would stop this at least.

Let's Hope Alton will bring a indoor roller coaster in the not to distant future, heck, I'd wouldn't be surprised if that turns out to be SW8, whenever that might be... 

[Guest]

The Black Hole was the first ride I followed the construction of nearly 30 years ago.

Don't forget, this was the winter of 1983/84 so there was no way of following events unlike today.  I was however lucky enough to live in South Cheshire so my parents received the Evening Sentinel local newspaper each day.

This was a great source of info for snippets of progress.  I'd seen the announcement of the Black Holes construction so always kept an eye out each night for any information.  It was with great excitement one evening that I found a story and photo of the newly installed track, complete with a smiling John Broom proudly showing his new project.

I couldn't wait until the gates opened in 1984.  I visited with a friend from school about 2 week after the Black Hole took its first passengers.

This was the Towers first major thrill ride after the Corkscrew was installed some 4 years previously so it was a big deal at the time.  The only rides in X Sector (or Fantasy World) were the Pirate Ship, Cine 2000 and the fantastic Downhill Bob.  So to walk into the area and see this massive tent appear, hear the deep low rumble of the ride and listen to the riders muffled screams was just so exiting!

There was no external queue line when it first opened, you entered through the enclosed bridge which carried you over the 'moat' that surrounded the ride.  The first thing you saw was a large sign warning of the dangers to those with heart conditions, weak backs etc.  These were probably the first major warning signs for any ride on the park and made the upcoming experience seem even more scary.

Once inside I seem to recall there was just a dimly lit passageway leading into the distance.  The queue lasted about ten minutes with the sound of the cars leaving the station getting louder and louder.  Finally we entered the loading bay, there were black rubbery sheets covering the walls and a light from the control room that sat above the tunnel through which the cars disappeared.

Our car appeared out of the darkness and we climbed in the front two seats, there were no lap belts or restraints to keep you safe.  The electric motor whined and we were off, through the tunnel and into the darkness.

There were no real special effect, just a single spaceman within the spiral lift hill who seemed to be impossibly high up.  We climbed the spiral watching the spaceman get closer and closer until we were actually above it.  This gave you a sense that you were very high and you knew the drop hill was approaching.  The smell at the top of the hill was also something I remember, stale, clean and cold.

With a jolt the track leveled out, the motor cut and I held my breath!  The car dropped, the cold air hit me in the face and we accelerated into the blackness.  Hitting the bottom of the track we were thrown around a left hand curve and then up, slowing so we could regain our breath.

More drops, bends, blackness and excitement until we were thrown forward in our seats, we'd hit the brakes.  The car slowly went though another tunnel and out into an area lit with daylight from the open doors to the exit.  After the car stopped we left our seats and watched as the car was pushed along the track and around the left hand turn to be returned to the station.  The exit doors led us straight out into daylight which hurt our eyes.

A quick look round to find out where we were in relation to the entrance and a quick 10 second sprint saw us joining the queue again.

I rode the Black Hole many times over the years.  Over time the theme changed, the entrance and exit changed, the cars changed, even the track changed.  However, that first ride in the spring of 1984 will stay with me forever.

[davidju71]

I was going to describe how I felt when first riding it in the 80s but 80schild has done it perfectly! Simply amazing!!

[pluk]

Excellent description of the experience, closely matching my own, particularly this

Our car appeared out of the darkness and we climbed in the front two seats, there were no lap belts or restraints to keep you safe.  The electric motor whined and we were off, through the tunnel and into the darkness.

I was sure I remembered there being no restraints at all originally but couldn't believe I was right. Shame things have to 'progress'. 

[barryzola]

Absolutely excellent description there 80's child. I really enjoyed reading that and it brought back some long forgotten memories. Thanks 

[mathmos]

I remember going on the Black hole from the very first year it was open up until it closed, I am amazed that nobody has mentioned the wall of stars that enclosed the track on the left hand side after you had negotiated the first steep drop and then circled back up and around just before the 2nd drop, the car passed down a slight curve and it literally felt like you were flying through a galaxy of stars and the on ride sound effects kicked in at this point (it sounded like a loud shooting star Spangly Crystal type sound, other points I really remember were the haunting almost choir like hums that got louder and louder as you slowly circled towards the top of the spiral, centered in the very top of the middle of the spiral was the spaceman, the train crested the first drop where the on ride sounds suddenly stopped dead and the only sound you heard was the rush of the train down the first drop, into pitch darkness, then circling into the 'wall of stars', all I remember then was mostly darkness with the odd luminous 'asteroid' and the train getting faster and faster until you were totally disorientated.
The train then hit the brake to a dead stop and a huge white floodlight aimed straight at you, almost blinding you and illuminating the path into the station, it was a very harsh and surreal finale to the ride and one that has always stuck in my head.
Can anyone rememer the advertising images for the Black Hole- the illustration showed a corkscrew type train looping upside down through a star lit night sky and heading into the 'Black Hole' I remember seeing this and expected to be turned upside down at some point during the ride naughty trick they pulled with the advertising!!