Great Yarmouth now home to the UK's only scenic rollercoaster

Norfolk has become home to the country's oldest wooden scenic rollercoaster after the previous record-holder was recently retired.

Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach's coaster, built in 1928, is the only one of its kind to be controlled manually by a seated operator using a lever.

The Scenic Railway in Margate, Kent, which opened in 1920, was closed at the end of January, despite undergoing a major restoration in 2015.

Albert Jones, who manages the Great Yarmouth attraction, said its Roller Coaster would not be heading in the same direction.

"It's disappointing that unfortunately another coaster is closing... we're the only one that will be left running using a brake man," said Jones.

The scenic railway was shipped from the Colonial Exhibition in Paris to Great Yarmouth and opened to the public in 1932.

Jones said a crew of some 25 Germans came over to help get the ride up and running.

Now 132 years old, a lot of the original ride has been replaced.

Jones said preserving the Grade II listed attraction "can be a maintenance headache".

He added: "Obviously, we assess at the end of each season what work needs to be done. And it's not [that] you can budget for it. You have to do the work."

The ride is regularly inspected, sometimes three times a day, with carpenters and engineers walking it daily to check it.

"We're fortunate to say that we've kept it in a very good condition," said Jones.

It is now the only scenic railway – a ride designed to give a view of picturesque landscapes – still in operation in the UK.

It was originally painted with an Alpine scene, but that had to go after the painter died as no replacement could be found with his skills, according to Jones.

It now sports an American theme and is being repainted, while some timbers are being stripped and new uprights put in, in time for the season opening in March.

Another change that took place 10 years ago was women joining men as operators of the ride's manual controls.

"Obviously, we have to make sure that they've got the strength to be able to pull a brake, which they do," Jones said. "So they go through quite a rigorous test."

Unusually for a roller coaster, there are no brakes fitted to the track, and gravity controls its speed.

Jones, who grew up on and around the Pleasure Beach, said many generations of people had visited its most popular attraction, re-creating the fun of their youth.

So what is the future for the rollercoaster?

"I hand the baton over to the next generation, but you know we've got a very dedicated team, everybody loves the ride," he said.

"I still ride on it now, and you still get that thrill."

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