Is there absolutly no way AT can bring back the Blackhole???

[hlack_bole]

black hole AKA jet star II robbed by some Swedes.

I know there's already a large thread in the history part of the forum on blackhole but the last post is form 2 years ago and I'm not sure it would be ok to bump it.

Basically, from what I understand the rockets/cars on the BH were getting sketchy and they couldn't keep up with the maintenance? or some finance problem too? I know it kept breaking down from what I've read.
Also, not sure I believe the stuff about people dying on it. :-k

It was packed up and sent to Germany wasn't it? and got fixed? if so, why couldn't AT have just bought it back? The blackhole is so special to me, it's such a nostalgic trip for me when looking at youtube videos of it and hearing that music. I enjoyed riding Smiler this year BUT, after exiting it, I looked back and was wishing in my head I could still see that yellow/green / dark-blue tent. It really is a loss to my childhood and I hate AT for taking it away.
If they can't bring it back at least have a new dark ride for 2015.

I could be wrong but maybe dark rides are a bit of an 80's thing? so what. 80's is supposed to be back in fashion or something now?

I might just have to get a ticket to Sweden, go to this Furuvik park.
here's the video:

look at those ignorant kids, they don't understand ANY of the history behind it
Nice paint job, but I'm sorry, that is such a lame experience compared to when you're riding it in the dark with music, flashing lights and other fx.

come one AT. do it for us 20somethings/30somethings nostalgia! PLEASE! I know you park managers must be reading these forums. [-o<

[lewis97]

Considering there's now a big mass of metal called The Smiler on the old Black Hole site, they'd do well to bring it back.

[definedancing]

As much as the Black Hole was awesome, it isn't happening my friend. Even if they put it on a different site, you and I both know it just wouldn't be the same. Not to mention that the ride itself was getting past it's time and presumably costing a fortune to maintain; it just wouldn't be a real investment for Merlin and Alton Towers sadly.

[Jared]

I take it you don't know that the Black Hole lives on following a full refurb by Gerstlauer?

[Sr88]

I take it you don't know that the Black Hole lives on following a full refurb by Gerstlauer?

Ooh do you know what they have done / are doing with it now?

[definedancing]

I think Gertslauer did the refurbishments for it as the Rocket in Furuvik, Sweden. I suppose after Schwarzkopf disbanded, they wanted a manufacturer with similar resources maybe? And with them being a German manufacturer also, with a credible repertoire of rides, it does seem like the appropriate fit. It's also a little bit funny, considering that the Black Hole tent would eventually be replaced by none other than a Gertslauer.

[Jared]

Gerstlauer actually is Schwarzkopf... Sigfried Gerstlauer (Founder & Lead Engineer) used to work for Anton, they also use the same facilities.

[Jack]

Towers isn't a travelling fair, they will make massive investments to replace old rides, Black Hole's removal was inevitable.

I don't think that Merlin will spend any money on bringing back a ride that will not bring much attention to the park (made even harder by the fact that the site is filled with an 18 million quid ride that only opened last year) you have to remember that they are a business and don't keep the park running for nothing, they need people to come to the park.

so no, there is absolutely no way Black Hole will return

[stealthsmiler]

Plus as much fun as it looks, it would seriously be overshadowed by the massive monsters the park has now. Back when it opened there wasn't anything like The Smiler, so now it would look a bit rubbish compared to the other rides. Especially to the GP.

Can you imagine if space wasn't an issue and it was back in X Sector. The GP would stand there and be like, hey shall we go on that 30 year old coaster or this 1 year old, record breaking, 14 loop (as the GP will say) coaster?? It is obvious what they would choose.

[RCandrew]

I think the closest thing AT could do is have a new dark coaster that is much better as SW8 Or even just a new family coaster.

[hlack_bole]

"Considering there's now a big mass of metal called The Smiler on the old Black Hole site, they'd do well to bring it back."

haha yeah true that.
I was thinking that, and then I thought if it did come back it could always go somewhere in gloomywood maybe but it's the wrong theme and maybe it's too small there anyway. Plus I have no idea what they've done with the tent!

thanks for the replies guys, I guess I'll just have to accept it won't be coming back but hey, I've still got the memories.

Maybe one nice thing AT could do, is do what they did with the corkscrew, a bit of history at Towers Street. Maybe, just maybe they still have some old props like the astronauts or one of the cars/rockets. That would be great if they did that, with the '1984-2004' type sign too.

@ RCandrew. Yes hopefully 2015 or (more likely) 2016. a new dark ride will be at AT. I was a bit wrong about dark-rides being an 1980s thing cause in America they're still being made.
I always assumed Blackhole was only really there to be something similar to the popular Space mountain in the first place.

[cookiee_munster]

rides go for a reason, the park has to move on. as great as the black hole was, it was old and dated. time to replace it with something new.

now... if only someone could convince disney to replace disney worlds space mountain coaster with an update...

[definedancing]

Gerstlauer actually is Schwarzkopf... Sigfried Gerstlauer (Founder & Lead Engineer) used to work for Anton, they also use the same facilities.

Oh thanks for that info! That's quite interesting actually.

But back to the Black Hole, as cookiee_munster pointed out, it was old and dated. I don't think they took it down because it was necessarily unpopular, but more due to the fact that the maintenance was probably costing an absolute bomb and it not longer fitted within X-Sector anymore. I personally loved the steam-punk design though.

[Kraken]

The ultimate demise of the Black Hole was caused by a change in fire safety rules covering the amount of time allowed to evacuate an enclosed building.

Due to the nature of the spiral lift, there was only one evacuation route for anyone stuck in a car on the spiral. It would not have been possible to get everyone out within the new time limits - without the construction of additional evacuation stairways / routes. Whilst this was not technically impossible, it was going to cost a relatively high amount of money - to give an already ageing ride a couple of years more life. So Alton let the ride lie SBNO, before removing it.

Whilst the decision did mean the park had a reduced ride offering for a number of years, it was understandable from a business viewpoint.

[jon18uk]

Yep it was due to fire safety of getting everyone out of a building as a ride op needs to go up lift hill, release lap bar and get people out the tent before they die of smoke inhalation. Other coasters are fine as they are outside or have shorter lift hills that are easier to evacuate.

[Dom]

I always thought Black Hole was a really great ride. I was gutted when they said is was leaving the park. I honestly would love to see a ride like it again in the park, but i highly doubt that they will do anything like it again.

[lucozade]

I think the smiler will eventually be covered just like the beast/black hole. Its foot print is tiny for such a big rude.... And that site has history. The smiler would be AWESOME in the dark!

I badly miss the black hole too, it was so bad it was good, isn't it in Columbia/Mexico now?

After riding nemesis I knew it wouldn't last. Its a completly different generation of coaster... Funny how things havnt changed so much since nemmy!

[stealthsmiler]

Im sorry, but you keep referring to the beast/black hole but weren't they two completely separate coasters? I know they were similar but was The Black Hole an older version of The Beast?

[Ryan.B]

There were Jet star 2 and Jet star 3, I think black hole was the Jet Star 3 though.

[stealthsmiler]

There were Jet star 2 and Jet star 3, I think black hole was the Jet Star 3 though.

But it says at the top

black hole AKA jet star II

I thought TBH was the JS2 but I could be wrong.