7th January 2001
Lost City construction started with the removal of the travelling Enterprise for a complete refurbishment, and the demolition of Dare Devil Drivers.
25th January 2001
Construction continued with the completion of the foundations for Vortex, installation of the now permanent Zodiac, and the creation of a new walkway that leads down in to the area from the dome perimeter pathway, which would provide nice views of the new attractions.
18th March 2001
Work continued on the initial Lost City theming, queue lines for the attractions, and first stages of landscaping.
6th April 2001
Despite being advertised, Vortex was not ready for opening day, which caused a fair amount of negative feedback for the park. This lead to various complaints and the BBC featuring Thorpe Park on Watchdog, focusing on the misleading marketing.
21st April 2001
Vortex finally arrived on site, and awaited the installation of the theming features. The two compass type parts that were shown at the top of the ride in the concept art were never installed.
12th February 2003
Lost City was expanded again with the addition of Quantum and Eclipse. These photos show the concrete foundation for Quantum under construction.
25th February 2003
Continued early construction of the Fabbri ride duo. The surrounding trees and shrubs were kept in place so the queue lines for both rides could wind through them.
30th March 2003
Quantum was installed and originally featured more theming on the ride than what you see today. An ornate piece of theming at either end finished off the gondola nicely, but eventually had to be removed for technical reasons. The ride also featured themed balls hanging off the support structure. The A-frame for Eclipse had arrived, which awaited the installation of the large wheel.
6th April 2003
Eclipse’s wheel was installed on to the A-frame, ready for the addition of its gondolas.
19th October 2003
Deconstruction of the classic Calgary Stampede commenced to make way for Samurai, the mighty warrior from Chessington.
12th March 2004
After its refurbishment at Mondial in Holland, Samurai was installed at Thorpe Park, awaiting its final decals and finishes.
22nd March 2005
Eclipse lasted just two seasons before it was moved to Chessington to better suit their target market. In its place, preparations for Rush were underway, the first S&S Screamin’ Swing outside of the USA.
12th April 2005
Construction of Rush continued, with the installation of the two large pillars which support the swinging gondolas. Either side, huge tanks were installed that use compressed air to power the ride. The view of Lost City from the car park started to become even more impressive.
