Grand National is a wooden racing roller coaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in England, designed by Charles Paige and opened in 1935. It is one of the oldest continuously operating coasters in the world and remains a signature attraction at the seaside park, where its twin trains still race side by side down the coastline.
What makes Grand National especially rare is its Möbius loop track configuration: although riders board on one side of the station and appear to race a parallel train, the two tracks are actually a single continuous loop that crosses over itself, so every train eventually travels both sides of the layout. It is one of only a couple of surviving wooden coasters built this way, and the only one of its kind in Europe.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, England
- Manufacturer: Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (trains); designed by Charles Paige
- Opened: 1935
- Height: About 62 ft (19 m)
- Top speed: About 40 mph (64 km/h)
- Length: About 3,302 ft (1,006 m)
- Inversions: 0
The Ride Experience
Riders board one of four three-car trains for a roughly two-minute-20-second circuit that hugs the Blackpool coastline. Because the layout is a Möbius loop rather than two separate tracks, the two trains that appear to be racing each other are actually running on one continuous rail that crosses over near the station, giving the sensation of a genuine side-by-side race without ever putting both trains on identical paths.
The wooden structure and Charles Paige’s original 1935 layout give Grand National a rougher, more old-fashioned feel than modern steel coasters, with quick drops and tight turns that build speed through momentum rather than height. The ride’s station, designed by architect Joseph Emberton, is a Grade II listed building in its own right.
A Survivor of Fire and Time
Grand National has operated almost continuously since 1935, surviving decades of British seaside tourism, changing ownership, and a serious 2004 fire that destroyed its station roof and damaged nearby rides; it reopened later that same year after repairs. Its endurance has made it a touchstone for coaster enthusiasts and a rare working example of Möbius loop engineering from the golden age of wooden coaster design.
Today it sits alongside Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s newer steel giants as a link to the park’s early 20th-century roots, still drawing riders who want to experience a coaster style that has almost entirely disappeared from parks worldwide.
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Grand National FAQs
Is Grand National still operating?
Yes. Grand National has run at Blackpool Pleasure Beach since 1935, making it one of the longest-serving wooden coasters still in operation.
What is a Möbius loop roller coaster?
It’s a track layout where two seemingly separate racing tracks are actually one continuous loop that crosses over itself, so a train ends up traveling both sides of the ride over the course of its circuit. Grand National is one of the few surviving examples of this design.
Does Grand National have any loops or inversions?
No. Despite its speed and drops, Grand National has zero inversions — it’s a classic out-and-back style wooden racer, not an inverting coaster.
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Photo: WillMcC at English Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.