Dark Rides
ADVENTUREVILLE Adventure Island, UK
L
ocated about an hour from London in the town of Southend-on-Sea, Adventure
Island has a tradition of building its own attractions, including the high-tech ghost train Over The Hill. New for 2016, the park has
created a unique family-friendly dark ride with a twist. The attraction, which replaces the children's spinning
coaster/dark ride Devil's Creek, takes passengers on a three-minute journey through the mystical and very colourful village of Adventureville. Guests complete two laps of the ride, seeing the village both by day and night. Theming and scenery was designed by Adventure Island creative director Paul Clapp and his brother Martin (an Oscar-nominated animator), who previously masterminded Over The Hill and many other projects within the park. The ride system, which is completely new, features a 9-
car train that travels up and down hills, around tight curves and through a revolving tunnel, giving the illusion of the train turning upside down. There are also a few more surprises along the way.
Adventure Island general manager Robert Roberts,
who fabricated the ride system in the park' workshop using PLC controls and an inverter drive, describes the attraction as “a dark ride with a hint of rollercoaster as it uses coaster-type track. We did not make the ride interactive as I believe there is enough content in the scenes without it, also it can become a maintenance issue as the years roll on.” The ride's sound and light system was designed and
installed by Adam Slevin of TurboFizz Theatrics using LED lighting so as to keep energy costs down. The ride's design review, conformity to design and initial testing were carried out by A&S Inman and Electrical Safety Inspection Services Ltd. “Adventureville is a significant development for us
as it’s a ride you will not be able to experience anywhere else,” highlights Adventure Island managing director Marc Miller. Built over a 12- month period at a cost of £682,000 ($885,000/€785,000), the ride ride was officially opened on August 1. See a sneak preview at
youtu.be/xeR0upXsixg Congratulations to the team at Adventure Island on another interesting attraction!
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