"Next stop ... Boulevard Hotel ..."
Name Pleasure Beach Express Opened 1933 Locomotives 4 (3 for passenger service)
The Pleasure Beach Express is a fine example of a miniature railway. It runs amongst a significant portion of the park to the south of Watson Road and has two stations.
Its three locomotives (and one shunter) were built by Hudswell Clarke of Leeds. Carol Jean and Mary Louise have run since the ride’s introduction in 1933, with the third Geoffrey Thompson OBE (formerly Princess Royal) having been introduced after the fire of 1934.
❓Did You Know❓
The Pleasure Beach Express previously navigated a scale model of the Forth Bridge, running parallel to the Big Dipper, next to what was then the boating lake.
Throughout the journey, the park and its attractions provide much of the scenery, giving riders the opportunity to get much closer to some ride sections than they can from any path (particularly Icon & the Big One).
The ride continues to operate as it did originally, despite a significant fire in 1934. There have been only a handful of minor track changes to support development at the south end of the park, although the direction of the service has changed from time to time.