Vikingar Frozen Still

Vikingar started life as Water Chute at Belle Vue Park in Manchester. The ride opened in 1957 and operated until the closure of the park in 1978

Unlike many of the Belle Vue coasters Water Chute found a new home and re-opened at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in 1979. It was renamed and rethemed as Vikingar in 1997 to co-inside with the arrival of Valhalla. The ride first closed in 2001, it then re-opened for the 2003 season before standing dormant until its demolition in ate 2005

The wooden side friction roller coaster track was supported by a steel structure and features a splash down into water pool, Vikingar certainly blurred a few category boundaries making it a steel structured wooden track side friction water coaster! Sort of the forerunner for the contemporary Mack SuperSplash rides

The following photos were taken in 2004 the ride was standing still with its trademark pleasure beach blue shade of water pool drained

It's a shame the ride has been removed while it wasn't as exciting as Valhalla or had as many drops as the Log Flume, it's was a quirky classical attraction the likes of which you rarely get a chance to ride, that little something different that helped to give Blackpool Pleasure Beach its unique charm

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Further Reading:

:: Blackpool Pleasure Beach Guide - blackpool pleasure beach fan site

:: The Magic Eye - many in-depth features on blackpool pleasure beach