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Dreamland Scenic Railway Timber Bogie Design

Eadon Consulting carried out the design of a timber bogie used as an integral part of the rolling stock for the newly refurbished Scenic Railway at Margate Dreamland. The scenic railway, which is the oldest roller-coaster in the country, was burnt down in 2008 and has now been restored as part of a wider £18 million project. The new railway is based on the same layout and design as the original, however it is required to meet updated modern design standards.

Key facts

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Location

Dreamland, Margate, England

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Client

Dreamland Margate

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In Partnership with

WGH

Eadon started its involvement with the Scenic Railway project, which is 1 of only 8 in the world, looking at the reconditioned drive shafts of the rope haulage mechanism which lifts the train up the various inclines on the ride. Eadon also assisted with the design and analysis of several bogie types for the new trains. The bogies were to be manufactured from timber which Eadon has previous design experience of in the waterway and bridge structure sectors. Initially an independent check of the original design to the timber Eurocodes was carried out.

Dreamland timer roller coaster construction

Following an initial assessment of the design we concluded that the current bogie design and several other aspects would not pass modern day codes in their original configuration hence Eadon were further tasked with making design changes to the existing layout in order to meet the design code. These included changes to the layout of the axle and bearing arrangement, structural design and materials as well as the connection design. The scope for design change was extremely limited partly due to the fact that we weren’t able to alter the outward appearance of the bogie for heritage reasons.

The scope for design change was limited due to the grade II listed status of the ride and the physical contraints imposed byt the dimensions of the main rail structure.

The ride re-opened in 2015 and continues to serve as a major tourist attraction for Margate.