The Scenic Railway was a wooden roller coaster located at the Dreamland Amusement Park in Margate, United Kingdom. First opened in 1920, the ride was distinctive compared to modern-day roller coasters, as a brakeman was required to travel with the train to control its speed, manually applying brakes when needed. UK's English Heritage granted the roller coaster Grade II listed status in 2002 and Grade II* listed status in 2011, when it was the oldest operating roller coaster in the UK and one of only eight scenic railways in the world. The ride was closed in August 2024 due to a derailing incident, and has remained standing but not operating since. In January 2026 it was announced that the ride would no longer operate.
History
thumb|The Scenic Railway in the 1930s
thumb|The remains of the Scenic Railway in January 2013
In 1919, John Henry Iles bought the European usage rights to the scenic railway from LaMarcus Adna Thompson, who had patented the scenic railway design in 1884. Iles was a co-owner of Dreamland and had the Scenic Railway constructed at Dreamland from local timber and had mechanical parts for the ride shipped over from the US. The ride drew on ideas from several other designers, but was constructed by local carpenters within the area specified by Iles.
The Scenic Railway was owned by Iles until 1938, when the ownership was passed to his son Henry Frederick "Eric" Iles. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, the Scenic Railway ceased operations until June 1946.
Fire destroyed part of the ride in 1949 and the structure required major repairs. Replacement timber for the ride was bought from the dismantled pier at Lowestoft and the ride re-opened in 1950. Fire again destroyed parts of the ride in 1957.
In 2003, Jimmy Godden, Dreamland's owner since 1996, announced that the park would be closed and sold due to redevelopment of the area. Several showmen continued to operate the park and the Scenic Railway, and a campaign was established to save them. In 2005, Dreamland was sold to Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company. The following year, the park closed and all rides, except the protected Scenic Railway, were removed. In 2011 the ride's listing status was upgraded from Grade II to Grade II* despite the fire damage due to the rarity of the ride and its international significance as one of the world's oldest roller coasters. York-based designing and manufacturing company Stage One carried out the calculations and track design according to the original plan, and designed and installed modern control and safety systems in accordance with current regulations. The trains' wooden side panels and decorative "dragon heads" were CNC machined according to 3D scans taken from the original parts. A few original parts, such as the mechanical drive system of the lift hill cables, were preserved and restored.
Rebuilding the Scenic Railway required a total of 320 tonnes of timber. During restoration, the wooden structure that was in the midst of being rebuilt was knocked down by high winds in December 2014, which set back the timeline to reopen the attraction.
In 2020, the Dreamland site, including the Scenic Railway, was sold to Sands Heritage Limited, for £7 million.
2024 derailing incident and closure
On 10 August 2024, a train derailed and collided with one of the brake pads, causing damage to part of the structure. No injuries were reported. The Scenic Railway was closed for repairs, and it remained closed for the entire 2025 season.