BudtheWeiser Posted August 17, 2009 Posted August 17, 2009 Mothers and terrified children were stuck 20ft above the ground near a lion enclosure as a major power cut plunged a theme park into panic today. Scores of school holiday thrill-seekers were stranded when every single ride at Chessington World of Adventures ground to a sudden halt. Visitors were trapped on roller coasters and other high-speed rides for up to two hours as staff struggled to free them. Some needed treatment for dehydration after their ordeal in the blazing sunshine. Link Below www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1207180/Thrill-seekers-trapped-white-knuckle-rides-hours-power-cut-theme-park.html Was there today and have to say the staff didn't seem to know what was happening we were sat around for a good 2 hours before we were told the park was shutting.
StealthFan Posted August 17, 2009 Posted August 17, 2009 I was at the park yesterday and had a long discussion with some TPR staff members (SHOUT OUT TO THEM!) and they explained some evac procedures and Skyway is a complicated evac compared to say Dragons Fury. The media easily overhype things and in this case they cant even get their facts right. They say its 20ft high monorail then caption a photo at 30ft high. The park did all in their power to fix the problems and get people off safely, but people need to understand a park wide power cut is NOT something that happens alot and when it does happen its a surprise. All rides have emergency shut down procedures in the event of a power cut and there was no harm to the riders during this. I belive the park did very well from what I have heard and they handed out free tickets to everyone which means they have lost an entire days takings in one go! And if the park is as busy as it was on Sunday thats ALOT of money.
freekeee Posted August 17, 2009 Posted August 17, 2009 i feel sorry for all those people but it was nobodys fault and no one was injured. nice to see the people commenting on the article putting all the facts right, instead of going 'i will never take my children there again!' or whatever
ericmichaellucas Posted August 17, 2009 Posted August 17, 2009 Feel sorry for the staff. Some of the comments made by posters on the article were pretty harsh. It's not like this kind of thing happens often. I'm hoping to go to Chessington mid September. I hope for Chessington's sake that EDF sort out the power supply. The amount of power used by even small parks are a goldmine. Not a good customer to lose.
BudtheWeiser Posted August 18, 2009 Author Posted August 18, 2009 Agreed on that the article says people stuck for 4 hours yet the park was cleared by 3pm,we got half a day out of it and complimentary tickets to return again sometime before november so its not a total loss.
MG Posted August 18, 2009 Posted August 18, 2009 The useless rag that is the Daily Mail at work again! This will happen occaisionally, just somewhat unfortunate it happened at Chessington. Not as bad as the power surge a while ago at Legoland, the ride systems sure didn't like that!
MiniMike Posted August 18, 2009 Posted August 18, 2009 I have to say being stuck up 20 feet in the air is a lot on a hot day. The staff did a good job on keeping them hydrated.If it wasn't for them who knows what could have happened. The staff did take care of the situation responsibly and for that they deserve a well done. What I wonder is on Dragon's Fury when the power cuts, the cars keep going on the main track and might have crashed in to each other. Thank goodness that didn't happen. Talking of that, on rattle snake there are breaks to slow you down before going around the corners, If the power had cut just before the breaks wouldn't work and there would be serious whiplash.
MG Posted August 18, 2009 Posted August 18, 2009 ^In the event of a power cut on ANY ride the ride emergency stops. On the coasters this means all the the brakes come on, so any car on the track will stop fairly quickly and can be evacuated from there. Everything is completely safe.
andyuk200523 Posted August 18, 2009 Posted August 18, 2009 I have to say being stuck up 20 feet in the air is a lot on a hot day. The staff did a good job on keeping them hydrated.If it wasn't for them who knows what could have happened. The staff did take care of the situation responsibly and for that they deserve a well done. What I wonder is on Dragon's Fury when the power cuts, the cars keep going on the main track and might have crashed in to each other. Thank goodness that didn't happen. Talking of that, on rattle snake there are breaks to slow you down before going around the corners, If the power had cut just before the breaks wouldn't work and there would be serious whiplash. Just to Add to MG's comments, The normal power off position for brakes on coasters is closed, they require power to open them, hence in the event of a power cut the car will e stop at the next available brake.
StealthFan Posted August 18, 2009 Posted August 18, 2009 I will add for people a little info on Dragons Fury when it e-stops. The cars do not stop spinning until they run out of momentum, it doesn't take very long for them to stop but they do keep spinning until friction gets to work.
MG Posted August 18, 2009 Posted August 18, 2009 ^Lucky they don't spin insanely then. Still would be quite funny to watch though
StealthFan Posted August 18, 2009 Posted August 18, 2009 ^ I personally have been in an e-stop on Dragon's Fury on the 2nd lift hill and we carried on spinning for just over 1 min. Was great fun. Then we restarted and span some more!
BudtheWeiser Posted August 18, 2009 Author Posted August 18, 2009 The funny thing was watching them evacuate Dragons fury just to climb basic steps the guy was done up like he was mountaineering health and safety gone mad these days On a plus side I did get a few shots of empty rides dont get that chance often.
MG Posted August 26, 2009 Posted August 26, 2009 Chessington shut today for power failure Yesterday the Chessington website reported that the park would be closed today due to yet another power failure. Guests are being told not to bother coming to the park. Loads more money lost for Chessington then. More info on The Official Website For Chessington World of Adventures
ericmichaellucas Posted August 26, 2009 Posted August 26, 2009 Not again! This is not a good time for Chessington. This is very bad for business during the busiest part of the year (School summer holidays and upcoming Bank Holiday).
Koolkid Posted August 26, 2009 Posted August 26, 2009 To be honest I think it's good there putting a whole day aside to get the problem sorted to stop these power failures, much better in the long term.
StealthFan Posted August 26, 2009 Posted August 26, 2009 I belive EDF will most likely be in the park today investigating the problem further but as an effect of this happening i'm sure it will mean the park has its power supply shut off while it is investiagted, thus closing the park down. If anyone has pre-booked tickets for today I would advise calling the park and im sure they will either give a refund or change our ticket to another day.
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