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Pleasurewood Place Message Board -> General Discussion -> The Rattlesnake has closed!
Post Info TOPIC: The Rattlesnake has closed!
Matt


pleasurewoodplace.com

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Date: 08:32 Jul 22, 2016
The Rattlesnake has closed!
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I have just received confirmation that the Rattlesnake roller coaster has closed at Pleasurewood Hills. The ride will be boarded up next week and all references to the attraction have been removed from the official website.

What happens next for the ride is unclear at this stage, so keep an eye on Unofficial Pleasurewood for further updates. 

EDIT: On 31/01/17 Pleasurewood Hills officially confirmed that the Rattlesnake is now permanently closed. 



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Martyn


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Date: 08:44 Jul 22, 2016
The Rattlesnake Closes Down
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Is this a wind up?!

Edit: so unfortunately this is true! :(

Apparently the track has worn too thin for it to be considered safe to operate. This sort of makes sense as the same coaster at Plopsaland was completely retracked a couple of years ago.



-- Edited by Martyn on Friday 22nd of July 2016 09:01:44 AM

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Matt


pleasurewoodplace.com

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Date: 09:05 Jul 22, 2016
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Update: Apparently the boarding is not actually in position yet, but is due to be erected next week.

Also, permanent closure may not necessarily be the final outcome. More details soon.

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MattyH


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Date: 09:14 Jul 22, 2016
The Rattlesnake Closes
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Is it still open? or Have they now shut it? One last ride for the enthusiasts would've been nice.



-- Edited by MattyH on Friday 22nd of July 2016 09:15:06 AM

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coolskin


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Date: 09:18 Jul 22, 2016
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such a shame just a main season is starting......

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Martyn


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Date: 09:20 Jul 22, 2016
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It's already closed Matthew, been closed for a couple of weeks apparently.

I really don't understand why they're boarding it up...

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Matt


pleasurewoodplace.com

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Date: 10:35 Jul 22, 2016
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Information is very limited at the moment. I can confirm that the Rattlesnake is definitely closed and will remain closed for the rest of the season.

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Martyn


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Date: 10:59 Jul 22, 2016
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This isn't all as doomy and gloomy as I thought it would be at first, mainly because I completely forgot about that special planning order thing the park has with the Council, meaning they needn't apply for permission to build anything under 25m tall (around 80ft).

If the Snake needs to be completely retracked, then I think it may be worth them getting rid and having a nice new coaster in it's place.

But on the other hand a completely retracked Snake with a refurbed station and nice new tunnels would be pretty cool too.

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Josh


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Date: 13:20 Jul 22, 2016
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There was a really sad song in the radio and Matt posts up a black and white photo of the rattlesnake with "Sleep Tight Rattlesnake" and it all felt a bit emotional!!! 😂

Hopefully a brand new family coaster could replace it, and I'm pleased that they are on the ball with the safety of the rides!

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coolskin


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Date: 13:29 Jul 22, 2016
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lets be honest, it has done really well. its downtime has been minimal , lets hope for a new improved one or something totally different.

this is not bad news, just a shame it has had to come at the start of peak season

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mrbrightside


Exceptionally Expressive

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Date: 17:39 Jul 22, 2016
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It's a shame as its a classic... And definitely will not help park capacity nor people's perceptions over the busy summer season.

What's more concerning though is the reason behind the closure. Something like that doesn't just happen overnight so why wasn't this spotted earlier and then either a replacement ride brought in for this season or whatever so that the park didn't have to go without?

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Martyn


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Date: 18:07 Jul 22, 2016
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To just board it up as well just makes it feel like the guys in charge just don't care anymore.

I think it's time Loopings let someone else take over.

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Bubbles


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Date: 19:32 Jul 22, 2016
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They have to board it up, can't just leave it exposed unattended during peak season, that would be unsafe is inappropriate

They may even start working in it straight away, gives the team something to do when rides aren't breaking down during the summer. I really hope they don't remove replace it, they'll never get a family coaster as good as this one. I hope the dismantle it, sort the ground out/drainage system as it's pretty much a swamp under the snake and then rebuilt. even if it means buying the exact same thing, (or something bigger, and longer) But the two tunnels back in place.. or encose the whole thing, using a tunnel system.

The park gets worse and worse since it's 30th, but maybe something wonderful will come out of this.


But i have a feeling (and we have seen them consider this) they'll eventually close that part of the park, hence they never bothered replacing the dino park, and mini dodgems, in fact all they need to do is relocate the balloon rays to where the kids chair swing once was and they can close it off straight away.

I'm not optimistic because the park as let everyone down over the past 2 years.
So this year means 4 rides are out of action (TOTC, kiddie waveswinger, TTT, Snake) and only two newbies in two years (Waveswinger and Hyper rubbish) Oh dear. not to mention an empty theater. lol Ouch.

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jskinner97


Jolly Talkative

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Date: 20:31 Jul 22, 2016
22/07/16 - The Rattlesnake coaster closes
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The ride was still very popular, so would be a shame to lose it alltogether.

I was speaking to a member of staff, and he said that because the owners are french they aren't spending money on the park any more due to Brexit.

Possibly a load of rubbish, but half makes sense. Either way I can see this park closing soon. It's gone downhill phenomeally there's this overwhelming sense this year of "I can't be bothered". The park is full of broken bits of rides, mainly scattered around the small train track. Paintwork and themeing is suffering badly. Hobbs Pit is now just a track ride, the staff have all been sacked. Add to that, The Tide Traveller just being left in it's semi-operable state. (How it passed inspection i'll never know) and the other problems with the park... Such a shame. There are other smaller family-run local parks, which manage to keep their much older rides maintained and working with good uptime. So beats me why a very large park with a lot of money behind it cannot manage it.

Sad really. It needs to be family-run once again. But that'll never happen.



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Martyn


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Date: 21:24 Jul 22, 2016
The Rattlesnake Closes
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It's not unsafe to not board it up!lol At least people could see that it's being worked on and it's not just another closed ride sitting there doing nowt.

And Loopings not investing in PWH has nowt to do with Brexit which happened like a couple of weeks ago.

And to be fair, they are still investing. It wouldn't have come cheap to demolish Tales of the Coast and create a new landscaped area. Hence why it was such a ridiculous thing to do.

I agree that these Tivoli coasters aren't the best, but the Rattlesnake is such a firm favourite with everyone! At least with new track it could be running how it should! I can't even remember when it was last flying around the track. I've been on so many of these models now and Snake has always been the slowest by far.


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Bubbles


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Date: 22:02 Jul 22, 2016
22/07/16 - The Rattlesnake coaster closes
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Brexit would have the opposite effect, and holidays in Europe will cost more so more people may holiday at home/uk meaning parks like PWH could see the benefits. You can put a negative or a positive spin on things.

It would be unsafe to leave it there in the open, exposed where any member of the public to try to climb in or on. Best to board it up and make sure nobody can go anywhere near it. That's why most building sites are boarded up, to keep the public out, safety first. PWH are doing the right thing, very professional thing in this. so credit where it's due.

Maybe the inspectors did a pre-main season check and decided it needed to be shut down.

It's not been the lack of investments, it's been the lack of focus recently. and Hobs demise was predicted the day it opened, and it didn't help the new manager never liked it.

So many awesome memories with the Snake/ladybird

Hears a picture the side door,   lolDoor.jpg



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mrbrightside


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Date: 00:50 Jul 23, 2016
The Rattlesnake Closes
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It doesn't *have* to be borded up. Do parks board up all their rides when they breakdown and are closed in case someone climbs on it? Nope. They're boarding it up to make it plainly clear it isn't open and won't be open. It's not a safety thing or it would have been boarded up in the past if it ever closed for downtime.

If it failed a pre-season inspection it would never have opened at all this year.

More to the point if the mooted reason for closure is correct then it concerns me moreso. Was it missed on a preseason check? Or was it spotted and ignored?

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Bubbles


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Date: 00:25 Jul 24, 2016
22/07/16 - The Rattlesnake coaster closes
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Well they're not randomly boarding it up for the pleasure of it lol. i suspect it'll be pulled down over the summer or they've been told do board it out for the remainder of the season, When open iv'e seen kids try to get behind it and stuff, it's just better to board it out and remove and possible issues of a guest trying to get on it or nose about.

A thin track might just be what they're saying publicly, could be something else. Maybe it's sunk, it's pretty much a swamp under that tunnel, you hear about theses sink holes appearing in roads over night..well maybe it's something like that... either way it must be serious to close it out of the blue and board it up!!! and something nobody had noticed. I don't believe it's because they track has gotten thin, they would have noticed that.

Inspectors can change the mind year to year.
The panels going up the stairs on the clown slide were added because an inspector decided it was unsafe with just a hand rail, even though the park had already had the slide a few years with out any complaints form inspectors, so it's possible an inspector has only just decided the track is not fit... unlikely though.


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Martyn


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Date: 15:35 Jul 24, 2016
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They haven't mentioned about the thin track publicly, why the hell would they? People could perceive that as negligence.

I've been told the track has worn too thin, in confidence.

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jskinner97


Jolly Talkative

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Date: 19:25 Jul 24, 2016
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So all it leaves now that end is an fast food place, with extrotiante prices and usually closed. The crappy dodgems, and the "fireball"... That's it.



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mrbrightside


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Date: 19:31 Jul 24, 2016
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For the record this post is entirely speculation...

The inspector that recently issued a safety certificate for Tsunami at M&D's has been suspended for negligence and presumably rides they inspected have had to had a reinspection. What if Rattlesnake was safely passed earlier in the season and has since failed because of something like that?

Would at least make some kind of sense rather than just make the park seem negligent.

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Martyn


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Date: 21:29 Jul 24, 2016
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No that does make perfect sense Scott!

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coolskin


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Date: 06:00 Jul 25, 2016
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Are rides checked and issues with their certificates just once a season pre season or more than once ? does anyone know ? Fairly sure it was operating at start of season as heard it, that I am sure. dont quote me.

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Connor M


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Date: 15:36 Jul 25, 2016
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It was operating in April and May, don't know after that though. There's no point in going back for me now. Granted, the chair swing area looks good from photos but everywhere else looked awful and tired. 



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mrbrightside


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Date: 22:35 Jul 25, 2016
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coolskin wrote:

Are rides checked and issues with their certificates just once a season pre season or more than once ? does anyone know ? Fairly sure it was operating at start of season as heard it, that I am sure. dont quote me.

I don't know how the park operates but usually I think rides will be checked over closed season and given a certificate to operate for the year. Don't know what the reasons for re-inspection would be but I guess things are checked through the season too. 

As it was operating at the start of the year it would give some weight to my theory too. The ride could have been passed as safe by a licenced person. If they got struck off their rides would need to be retested which could then have found this fault. The timing may just be coincidental however. 



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coolskin


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Date: 05:56 Jul 26, 2016
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I just wondered if it was a standard rule for any amusement park with attractions when they are tested or is it a park set time if you get me

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Bubbles


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Date: 18:32 Jul 26, 2016
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When i was there inspectors came end of season made a huge list of things that had to be done and then came back prior to easter to check if they had been done and if so everything would be signed off.

I dunno of this is how to goes all the time, but that's what happened during my season.
Some of things were a bit trivial (rust on a queue line) the park wasn't a very happy place at the time.



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Josh


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Date: 11:33 Aug 2, 2016
The Rattlesnake has closed!
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The annoying thing about PWH's planning status which allows them to build up to a certain height is we can't see what's being planned through public access planning portal. The last one on there was the drop tower.

I hope they have something decent planned for the Rattlesnake, it's a great family coaster but at over 30 years old it probably should get an update!

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coolskin


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Date: 21:28 Aug 15, 2016
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There is a sign on the boarding by the rattlesnake that says closed for future development.

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jo


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Date: 23:16 Aug 17, 2016
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Future development is quite obscure although it can hint towards either a completely new ride or just an update/refurbishment.

I'd probably say it hits more towards the former which would be a shame for such a classic ride but then again it depends on what the replacement could be and whether there are noise restrictions own that area of the park.

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