Talk:Big Dipper (Battersea Fun Fair)

Welcome to the Big Dipper Discussion Page!

Step right up, thrill-seekers and coaster enthusiasts! This is the ultimate gathering spot for fans of the iconic Big Dipper roller coaster. Whether you've experienced the exhilarating twists and turns firsthand or are simply captivated by its legendary status, you've come to the right place

Share your thoughts, whether it's expanding, or just general comments for us wikipendians. let's create a vibrant community where the passion for the Big Dipper knows no bounds.

Buckle up and get ready for a wild ride of discussions, debates, and shared excitement. This is your space to connect with fellow Big Dipper devotees, so don't be shy—join in the conversation, share your thoughts.

Remember, the Big Dipper has brought joy and thrills to countless riders over the years,(before the tragedy) and now it's time for its enthusiasts to unite and remember the historic peaces of history. Bizarre90 (talk) 06:32, 24 December 2023 (UTC)

Nice work! Comments...Some of this belongs in the disaster page because it relates more to that than the ride itself. Also most of the pictures you've uploaded will get deleted, you've logged them as being 70+ years old and public domain, when plainly they are not, wikipedia and commons are super strict about pictures so they could disappear off the page at any moment. Desertarun (talk) 09:57, 24 December 2023 (UTC)

Hello @Desertarun, appreciate your feedback! I'll rectify the image copyright status promptly. Thanks for helping me improve as a Wikipedian! Bizarre90 (talk) 11:34, 24 December 2023 (UTC)

Regardless of what appears to be blatant copyright infringement, it should have been self evident that not all the photos depicted the Battersea big dipper. Two were of another much larger structure, with cliffs in the background, while one captioned as "five unsuspecting victims stand in a line for the ride" actually shows a group of young women on stairs up to a railway station, from a street. Note the sign, and the bus stop in the background. [1] AndyTheGrump (talk) 03:03, 25 December 2023 (UTC)

Proposed merge of Battersea Park funfair disaster into Big Dipper (Battersea Fun Fair)

Substantial duplication A412 (Talk • C) 10:38, 24 December 2023 (UTC)

• Oppose. The disaster is the principle article here, this dipper is barely notable and perhaps not notable without the disaster. There were tens of thousands of these "Big Dippers" in these old funfairs, Big Dipper is just a generic name. Desertarun (talk) 11:08, 24 December 2023 (UTC)

  I'm not familiar with the topic area, but this is a fairly surprising claim -- "There were tens of thousands of these "Big Dippers" in these old funfairs, Big Dipper is just a generic name" -- I can't find a source for this anywhere. If "Big Dipper" is just a period term for "roller coaster", and this was just one-of-tens-of-thousands of generic rides, I'd support redirecting this page to Battersea Park funfair disaster, but all sources appear to use this as a name of a specific ride. I also can't find any sources indicating there were anything near 10,000 roller coasters in fun fairs. What do you mean? A412 (Talk • C) 11:28, 24 December 2023 (UTC)

  I appreciate it is difficult googling to find information. This article is mostly about the disaster which indicates notability quite strongly. The Big Dippers were differentiated by location or in this case by him adding his name "John Collins" to the generic term "Big Dipper". Desertarun (talk) 11:40, 24 December 2023 (UTC)

  I understand that multiple rides can be named the same thing and be disambiguated by location. What I was specifically trying to ask you about is the idea that "Big Dipper" is a generic name, because you seemed familiar with the history. How common was a "Big Dipper" in the era this was constructed? How were there "tens of thousands"? Did every park in the UK have one of these? A412 (Talk • C) 11:52, 24 December 2023 (UTC)

  The term meant the biggest roller coaster in the fair and needn't be very big at all. Desertarun (talk) 12:15, 24 December 2023 (UTC)

• Oppose, because any merge should be done the other way. The Big Dipper has no independent notability beyond the disaster - otherwise, sources only describe it as a part of the funfair, which we already have an article on. AndyTheGrump (talk) 02:57, 26 December 2023 (UTC)

  I've now merged everything useful from this article into the funfair disaster one. If everything related to the diaster was removed from this article all we'd be left with are pictures and one comment saying the roller coaster was made of wood. Desertarun (talk) 11:37, 26 December 2023 (UTC)

  The pictures (even the ones that are actually the Battersea roller coaster, rather than something else) have entirely bogus licensing, and some at least are likely copyright violations. They are very likely to be deleted. AndyTheGrump (talk) 13:23, 26 December 2023 (UTC)

  As merge proposer I find the argument convincing that the disaster is the primary article. I'd support a merge to Battersea Park funfair disaster.

  That leaves the question of where this page should redirect to. Should this page redirect to Battersea Park funfair disaster, or to Battersea Park#Battersea Funfair? A412 (Talk • C) 17:45, 26 December 2023 (UTC)

  Good question. A redirect the the Park article would probably be more correct, though I suspect that very few people will be looking for the details of a fairly mundane ride outside of the context of the accident. AndyTheGrump (talk) 19:40, 26 December 2023 (UTC)

  I think most people will link the ride to the disaster. Even the many who went on the ride and enjoyed it at the time will still think of the disaster because it could have been them. On that basis I prefer a link to the disaster. Desertarun (talk) 20:10, 26 December 2023 (UTC)

• Support reverse merger Per ATG's reasoning. There simply isn't enough content here to warrant a standalone article. Hemiauchenia (talk) 00:47, 27 December 2023 (UTC)