Alton Towers Discussion Thread

[verticalzero]

Best time to visit a UK park is to go out of season when all the "kiddies" have gone back to school/college = 2nd week of Sept to Nov/Dec.

 

The Q lines will only be 15-20 mins wait or even a walk-on.

[lil-bo-chic]

Spin wall whizzer start worked great for me. Also, its good to go on rides when people stop for lunch!!

 

Slightly off topic, but is corkscrew still open at alton? I hate that ride, it kills your head!

[verticalzero]

The Corkscrew is still going strong at AT, I hope in a few years it will see the "wrecking ball" and a better coaster is added to the park.

 

Corkscrew's are like SLC coasters, they bang your head from side to side.

 

How about fit "Lapbars" only to one instead of OHR

[neovortex2k]

Yeah hit Spinball first and then Oblivion and leave the katanga canyon, gloomy wood and forbidden valley until after lunch.

 

Definitly lap bars on corkscrew.

[jamesissoocool]

alton towers was amazing.I got on air in the front only for the ride to break down on the brakerun and we were suck their for 15 min but it was a good ride.In ug land while i was waiting for ritia everyone was evacutaed(sp?)from ugland cos of a bomb scare so we went to the x sector which was good and then had lunch.After i went of the flume with the messed up duck.We then went to nemesis and ripsaw, then we went to catch the skyride to ugland (which reopend ) and rode ritia which was amazing

[robbalvey]

I just saw these photos over at www.coasterforce.com

 

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l49/karenm30/AltonTowers183.jpg

 

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l49/karenm30/AltonTowers164.jpg

 

Sorry Joe....yet another Schwarzkopf from the UK....GONE!

 

Not been a good year for your poor little Anton rides has it?

 

--Robb "I will miss that coaster!" Alvey

[Astat]

Hmm, looks like the track's being carefully taken apart though, so maybe there's a chance another park will pick it up.

 

-Anthony "Always sad to see a Schwarzkopf go " Staten

[Gsus]

It's going to the same park that purchased the thunderlooper i think, In south America.

[waterviper]

Why are they getting rid of it? Was it a rust bucket or cost to much to maintain? Are they making room for a new attraction? I mean there is so much space at their park, so moving it for another attraction wouldn't make sense. Like Silver Dollar City tearing down Buzz Saw to make room for Powder Keg. See that doesn't make sense either with all the room they have too!

 

Well anyways at least the Schwarzies will live on for a good portion of our lives in germany. Doesn't seem like anytime soon that they will ever get rid of their portables!!

[Ed]

The ride needs a new emergancy evacuation platform to run in the UK (Damn HS laws). The ride needs a hell of alot of maintenance anyway and it would've cost Alton too much money to install one.

 

Really sad to see it go. The queue always took in lots of people (I remember waiting 1hr 30 for it once!) and it was just a fun ride.

 

^ They might have alot of space but they can't use 90% of it. The gardens are off limits are so are a million other places due to preservation laws, height restrictions and the constant battle with the amazing twats The Ropers... I'm amazed they got Hex in where they did!

 

I'm really not sure what they'll do with the space. The tent was custom designed for the Black Hole so I assume that will be taken down aswell. They'll probably fill it with some pay-to-ride trampolines knowing Alton..

[waterviper]

Ok about that Roper situation. I just looked at Alton Towers on google earth and noticed it is out in the middle of nowhere. But they just had to build houses around it?? All that room I see all over and they had to build houses right next to an amusement park. Or were the houses there first? Then in that case they are screwed. Their fault for building to close to houses.

 

If SFMM survives at the rate those houses are getting put up, in no time will there be houses sitting close enough to SFMM and then there will be complaints about its noise level too!!

[DerekRx]

That's kinda sad, as I really enjoyed Black Hole and its Jules Verneish station. It was a really fun ride, and I think the only Jet Star II I was ever on.

[martinb]

Wild WILD rumours say that a MoveIt32 could possibly be placed in the tent, but this is just a rumour.

 

Theres also some rumours about a Sky Coaster replacing it, but we'll just have to wait and see.

 

X-Sector is the place to keep your eye on for the next Alton Towers ride, either this year or next year the X-Sector is getting a major clean up/refurb(re-theme?).

 

Alton have already started by cleaning up Oblivion, some of the trains in the transfer shed have a had all brand new harness' fitted, new graphics and paint work etc.

[Sharkyjon]

Hey it really was sad to see the black hole go.

Its wierd I was there yesterday and the park was really quiet for a UK bank holiday monday.

Rita had a few technical difficulties as well.

It also had to close for a few minutes due to EXTREME weather conditions!

Hail and heavy rain.

But still was nice to ride rita wet!

[Ed]

Wild WILD rumours say that a MoveIt32 could possibly be placed in the tent, but this is just a rumour.

 

Theres also some rumours about a Sky Coaster replacing it, but we'll just have to wait and see.

 

X-Sector is the place to keep your eye on for the next Alton Towers ride, either this year or next year the X-Sector is getting a major clean up/refurb(re-theme?).

 

Alton have already started by cleaning up Oblivion, some of the trains in the transfer shed have a had all brand new harness' fitted, new graphics and paint work etc.

 

A Sky Coaster..... At Alton Towers... Who can't build rides above the treeline? Yeah cause the locals will be REALLY happy about that.

 

All these rumours about new rides are completely untrue. The X-Sector was the main area that the Ropers have focuses their compaign on, especially Oblivion so I HIGLY doubt they will add another ride there until they can shut the people up.

 

Ok about that Roper situation. I just looked at Alton Towers on google earth and noticed it is out in the middle of nowhere. But they just had to build houses around it??

 

Unfortunately most of the houses right next to Alton Towers have been there for a long time. Before the Corkscrew was installed and AT was destined to become a resort for millions of people.

 

The Ropers have a basic claim that Alton Towers is very busy, but you REALLY can't hear Oblivion at the parks entrance let alone at their house. Even the locals are starting to turn against the Ropers who are trying to stop the annual fireworks at the end of the season.

 

The local B&B's make a killing from people stopping overnight near Alton and their income is seriously being hampered by the Ropers.

[martinb]

A Sky Coaster..... At Alton Towers... Who can't build rides above the treeline? Yeah cause the locals will be REALLY happy about that.

 

You should notice that the area where the Black Hole sits/sat is very low, a 90ft Skycoaster would fit in there like a treat.

 

And I don't think the height restrictions are strict around the X-Sector, look at the view you get from the top of Oblvion, also Spinball Whizzer is about the tree level.

 

Like I said, I don't think the height restrictions are very strict on that side of the park.

[Ed]

90ft Sky Coaster would be lame...

[nemesis-storm]

90ft Sky Coaster would be lame...

 

A 90 foot Sky Coaster, thats called a playground swing is'nt it

[Elaine]

Pfft, I'm not too happy about them tearing that apart, it was my first coaster...

[tinhead]

It has been sold to a park in south america, but no news of whats replacing it.... Plus with the Ropers battle Oblivion might have to be redesigned or removed, X sector is gonna change in a big way i think......

[Satoshi]

hope alton tower's new ride gotta be vertigo like swingin'

suspendie yeah everyone's sayin' it would be 90 ft sky

coaster whoa it's not lame but lookin' good.

[martinb]

90ft Sky Coaster would be lame...

 

The one that GT Yarmouth Pleasure Beach had was 90ft, same with the one on Blackpool's South Pier, both 90ft and both good fun.

 

Plus, they're also pay per ride attractions, which is right up Altons street.

[Ed]

The photos that are linked are ones that I took on Saturday during the behind the scenes tour. I was in the tent with several park managers and we were discussing with them what could go in the tent. They have not decided what they are going to put in there yet, although the tent will not be moved or changed. This is because as long as the tent is there they do not need to apply for planning permission to put anything inside it. If they remove the tent planning permission will be needed and considering the location of the tent and the proximity to the edge of the park planning permission might now be harder to get.

 

One of the other things I learned was that the Corkscrew isn't going anywhere just yet. I was chatting to Tony the head engineer and he was saying that the ride had just passed it's 5 year test and was looking good. They are however looking at getting new cars with diffrent restraints for the ride. Also Ripsaw is good for some time to come.

 

Clicky!

 

Hmm so i'm wrong about the tent.

 

Go new corkscrew trains! I hope they get the new style ones that should hopefully make the ride a bit more bareable.

[ParkTrips]

I swear the world and all its inhabitants hates me...

[QueerRudie]

Terribly tragic indeed.

 

What in hades is wrong with these parks? Schwartzkopf rides are some of the best desgined in the world- let alone of any class out there. Schwartzkopf built his rides to LAST. And yes, it's not the most terror-inspiring rides on the planet, but it suits a great need for such types of rides in any given park. Yes, I love a good solid thrill monster like Griffon or Storm Runner, but a good mid-size ride is also nice to have at one's disposal. Loch Ness Monster isn't the biggest, nor the fastest, but it's still a great ride. ShockWave (Texas) is a mid-sized ride that packs quite a punch.

 

Perhaps some entrepneur will get wise and start buying up these gems and building a retirement home for coasters such as Black Hole, LightningBolt (MGM Grand Adventures, LVNV) etc. There's a lot of open space out there near Phoenix, and it's good weather for steel rides...