Silver mine (Phantasialand)
| Silver mine (Phantasialand) | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Data | |
| Location | Phantasialand (Brühl) |
| Type | Themed ride |
| category | Endless train |
| Manufacturer | Schwarzkopf / Hofmann |
| opening | 1984 |
| closure | 2014 |
| length | 307 m |
| Travel time | approx. 10 min |
| capacity | 3,700 people per hour |
| Trains | 10 trains, locomotive + 7 cars / train, 1 row of seats in the first car, otherwise 2 rows of seats / car, 3 seats / row of seats |
| elements | tunnel |
| Subject area | Western town Silver City / Mexico |
| Theming | Wild west , mine |
The silver mine was a themed ride that opened in the Phantasialand amusement park in Brühl in 1984 and closed at the end of the 2013/2014 winter season. It was located behind an artificial mountain range on the outskirts of the western town of Silver City, now a Mexico themed area , and showed scenes from a Mexican civil war . The 120 animatronics provided ride was from the Schwarzkopf GmbH produces and equipped by Hofmann. At the end of the 2013/2014 winter season, the dismantling of the silver mine began with the dissolution of the “Western town” area.
The Phantasialand jet also drove through the building of the silver mine past scenes in which dinosaurs and Stone Age people were depicted.
history
The attraction had already been planned when the western town was built, but initially under the name "Goldmine". The foundation was laid in 1978. First China Town was built. After the external design was determined in 1981, the building application for the ride was submitted in March 1982. In November 1982, the construction work on the hall construction began, the interior work took place in 1983. A total of 36,000 square meters of space were built. In 2012, the entrance to the silver mine was moved to the approximate middle of the previous waiting area due to a lack of visitors.
Trip description
The station was implemented with a turntable that rotated at the same angular speed as the endless drive system in the station area. The ten trains, each with seven cars and one locomotive, were linked to form an endless train. Platform cars were also coupled between and in the trains as spacers and for easy crossing of the route in the event of an escape. The trains each offered space for 45 passengers. Each car had two rows for three people each, the first car, designed as a locomotive, only had one row of seats.
The journey began with the first scenes of miners who seemed to be mining silver or were enjoying themselves playing cards during their break. A tunnel in which the rail tilted to one side and rotated around the train gave the impression that it was not the tunnel that was turning, but the train itself. Then it went up a driveway in which the tunnel apparently collapsed and boulders fell on the train. After another scene in the mine in which a pit horse was pulling a wagon, the train arrived in a Mexican village where, among other things, a cockfight was taking place as part of a fiesta . You could also see the hustle and bustle in a Mexican pub and a bull riding tournament. The village was then attacked by bandits and the houses set on fire , with the fire brigade trying to fight the fire and a bell ringer in the chapel ringing the fire bell. The law enforcement officers were imprisoned. Under the apparently burning houses it went parallel to the driveway in the tunnel back down to the last and largest scene. Here a Mexican fortress ( fort ) was attacked by militias. Ladders , a Gatling machine gun, cannons , catapults , handguns and dynamite were used in this battle . In addition to light and sound effects, smoke effects were also used here for the “firing” cannons. Gunpowder fragrances were also used here to make the scene even more lively. A hardly discussed tunnel then led back to the station.
criticism
The relatively long waiting area, which contradicted the queues that had become shorter over time, was criticized . For the 2012 season, the entrance was moved and the queue was shortened by more than half. The disadvantage, however, was that the digital measurement and display of the waiting time was no longer possible from this point on. The fact that in 2001, among other things, 26 emergency exit signs had to be hung up and decorative elements that impaired the atmosphere had to be removed because of fire protection regulations was also criticized.
Silver mine station
Dancer in the village tavern
The trains run past what appear to be burning houses
The attack on the fort
literature
- Ralph Latotzki et al. a .: From the fairytale forest to River Quest, a journey through 35 years of Phantasialand. Special edition of the club magazine park + ride of the Freundeskreis Kirmes und Freizeitparks e. V. on the 35th anniversary of Phantasialand, 2002. [1]
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Roadrunner: Phantasialand removes western town for big mystery expansion at Airtimers. January 18, 2014, accessed March 12, 2014 .
- ↑ Silver mine in Phantasialand - PHL-Infos.de. In: PHL information. Accessed November 6, 2019 (German).
Coordinates: 50 ° 47 '57.7 " N , 6 ° 52' 59.9" E