Cannonball Express (roller coaster) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cannonball Express |
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| Pleasurewood Hills | |
| Location | Pleasurewood Hills |
| Coordinates | 52°30′22″N 1°44′42″E / 52.5062°N 1.7451°E |
| Status | Open |
| Opening date | 1995 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Anton Schwarzkopf |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | Jumbo V |
| Lift/launch system | Tire lift hill |
| Height | 53 ft (16 m) |
| Length | 1,738 ft (530 m) |
| Speed | 34 mph (55 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 2:00 |
| Capacity | 300 riders per hour |
| Cannonball Express at RCDB | |
The Cannonball Express is an exciting roller coaster found at Pleasurewood Hills theme park. This park is located near Lowestoft in Suffolk, England.
This ride is quite special because it's the only one of its kind in the world! It's called a "Jumbo V" model, and it was made by a company named Anton Schwarzkopf.
Contents
The Journey of Cannonball Express
The Cannonball Express has had an interesting past. It was first built in 1983 for a fun fair that traveled around Germany.
Early Adventures
From 1984, the roller coaster operated at Meli Park in Belgium. It was known as "Jumbo 5" back then. Later, it moved to Funland Park in Kent, England.
Arriving at Pleasurewood Hills
In 1995, the ride found its permanent home at Pleasurewood Hills. It was renamed "Cannonball Express." At first, it had a cool mine train theme. The ride was even placed in a special area that looked like a crater!
The roller coaster used to have a canyon theme. The ride cars would zoom through and past canyon-like decorations. This theme was removed in 2004.
New Look and Name Changes
In 2005, the ride got a fresh new paint job. The track became bright red, and the trains were also red with question marks on them. For a while, it was known as "Enigma."
In 2009, one of the older Cannonball Express trains was tested on the track. This was part of a plan to update the ride. Then, in 2017, the ride went back to its original name, Cannonball Express.
How the Ride Works Now
The Cannonball Express is still a popular ride at Pleasurewood Hills. However, because it's an older ride, it has some unique features.
Ride Trains and Capacity
The ride used to have four different colored trains: purple, blue, green, and red. Now, only one train is in use. This train can hold 8 people at a time.
Because there's only one train, the ride can't carry as many people per hour as it used to. This means that sometimes the line for the Cannonball Express can get quite long!
Keeping the Ride Running
The company that made the roller coaster, Schwarzkopf, stopped making roller coasters a while ago. This makes it harder to get new parts for the ride.
To keep the single train running, parts from the other old trains are used. This helps make sure the Cannonball Express can still give riders a fun experience.
