SuperMuscleMan
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Colossus
That looks soo good. Fills the space but also makes it feel more intimate.
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That looks soo good. Fills the space but also makes it feel more intimate.
Blackhole_Sun
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Black Hole
Considerably better in there for sure.
Blackhole_Sun
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Black Hole
The behind the scenes was pretty good facts/angles you wouldn’t normally see. Some interesting points include:
They don’t actually have a maintenance “shed” the train doesn’t fit around the curve in there so the transfer track is welded. They park the train on the straight bit before the curve.
Vampire was on 1 train yesterday and the day before. Seems like they do all their maintenance while it is parked inside the station which is interesting. They were doing something to the wheel assembly while we were watching on train 2 so it may be back in operation today.
The ride has anti-rollback at the top of the hill out of the tunnel in the second part of the layout, but they are never switched on as they are too loud.
No idea as to how long it’s got left. The VIP people thought it had new track in 2001 but that’s clearly not the case. Not too bad for 40 quid, would perhaps be better if a tech guy ran it so you could delve in a bit more.
They don’t actually have a maintenance “shed” the train doesn’t fit around the curve in there so the transfer track is welded. They park the train on the straight bit before the curve.
Vampire was on 1 train yesterday and the day before. Seems like they do all their maintenance while it is parked inside the station which is interesting. They were doing something to the wheel assembly while we were watching on train 2 so it may be back in operation today.
The ride has anti-rollback at the top of the hill out of the tunnel in the second part of the layout, but they are never switched on as they are too loud.
No idea as to how long it’s got left. The VIP people thought it had new track in 2001 but that’s clearly not the case. Not too bad for 40 quid, would perhaps be better if a tech guy ran it so you could delve in a bit more.
Attachments
Euro Theme Park Archive
TS Member
This was the job of the original chandeliers and them being removed without a replacement is the reason it’s felt empty all this time. It really shouldnt have been allowed to remain like that so long!
I worked in Vampire’s engineering team once. Im not sure what the (usually inaccurate) tour hosts mean here. The transfer is welded in place because the Vekoma trains are longer than the Arrow trains, but the trains are regularly placed around the curve on the maintenance track and worked on in the workshop space there.
The “original” mix was the ride version. The other is what I call the “Cassette” mix and was sold on a cassette you could buy in the shop along with Bubble Works music. I can only guess why there’s two mixes.
The original was also zoned with the organ playing from the organ itself and the backing track playing in the rest the station.
The original version was used from 1990 until about 2014, when the system was updated to an MP3 player. Shockingly they used a bad quality download of a cassette rip made off ReRide.net, made in like 2001.
That third version splicing 2 mixes together is just a strange decision by Graham Smart when he uploaded that. He must have original copies of both.
Reb
TS Member
I was going to say, doing work in the station sounds odd. The engineers do their checks whilst the train is in the station, but I wouldn't count that as maintenance.
Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure the people doing these tours are from GHI, rather than people that actually work on the rides, meaning their knowledge is secondary as opposed to first hand experience.
Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure the people doing these tours are from GHI, rather than people that actually work on the rides, meaning their knowledge is secondary as opposed to first hand experience.
How long has chessington had bad operations for? I haven’t been in over 10 years and I most frequently went there during the period between 13-15 years ago when I was a kid - I never remembered queues ever being that bad, vampire would always be on 3 trains, and rattlesnake never had a queue EVER, even during peak summer period. I now feel old realising it’s been that long since I would frequently visit but all the posts I see about how slow everything is now is crazy to me, or perhaps I just have my rose tinted glasses on from when I was like 8
Bowser
TS Member
No i wonder the same. It's hard to tell as i had a similar 10+ (closer to 20) year break from visiting most of the theme parks and wonder how it was back then. Maybe i just didn't care about queuing for 60-90 minutes when out with family/friends. Though i certainly don't remember ever not being able to go on a ride because it was broken and i'd definitely remember that as we only visited once a year if that.
Though i would say i don't think we ever had an expectation to go on a ride more than once. You'd do your route round the park and have a go on everything you wanted and that was the day. I suppose even that would be quite the undertaking in the current parks on a peak day.
Benzin
TS Member
2010 onwards (because I wasn't working there anymore).
3rd train on Vampire stopped in the early 10s too. Can't remember when, but coincided with the season they were pushing "guest interaction" (I.e. asinine questions and actions) over any form of throughput.
Most of the other rides like Rattlesnake don't even run their full capacity anymore.
3rd train on Vampire stopped in the early 10s too. Can't remember when, but coincided with the season they were pushing "guest interaction" (I.e. asinine questions and actions) over any form of throughput.
Most of the other rides like Rattlesnake don't even run their full capacity anymore.
SuperMuscleMan
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Colossus
The rattlesnake had one block section culled post smiler didn't it?
Bowser
TS Member
Adventure Island are industry leaders in this. I always assume they’re being told to do it to delay starting a ride that isn’t full seeing as it’s pay per ride.
yeah thats definitely true, I remember when I was a kid me and my family would run to vampire first thing (back when it opened at 9:30) and do a few laps but pretty sure we did queue considerably for other rides, and would usually leave dragon's fury to last, as people were leaving the park.
But also good point, I never remember any major ride closures/breakdowns during my visits, which is crazy considering I think the summer in 2009 I must've went like a good 5 or 6 times
yeah last time I went was in 2015 after having not been for about 4 or 5 years prior, and I remember vampire being on a one train service so we had to book a time slot basically to ride it
Reb
TS Member
going now, it's honestly quite funny.
I promise you that Dragons Fury will break on your visit lol, (There hasn't been a day since season started where it hasn't). The current record is 5 breaks in one day.
On the plus side, I think they've had enough complaints that Zufari, Rattlesnake and Tiger rock now open on off-peak days, but they may have just anticipated a better turn out rather than listening to feedback.
I promise you that Dragons Fury will break on your visit lol, (There hasn't been a day since season started where it hasn't). The current record is 5 breaks in one day.
On the plus side, I think they've had enough complaints that Zufari, Rattlesnake and Tiger rock now open on off-peak days, but they may have just anticipated a better turn out rather than listening to feedback.
Clear contrast between Chessington and Europa Park. Europa Park have a fire on their runaway mine train, the whole thing is replaced and reopen in less than a year with enhanced themeing, Chessington have a fire on their runaway mine train, the whole thing is just left SBNO for 2 years and counting with no apparent effort into a replacement or fixing it. Merlin claim they are the 2nd biggest entertainment company. Go figure
GooseOnTheLoose
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Ug Bugs
They don't claim; they are. Merlin are the second largest operator of entertainment attractions in the world, in terms of visitor numbers, locations and revenue. Size means bugger all though.
The UK, as an example, is the fifth largest economy in the world, but has the highest rate of homelessness in the developed world (https://www.ft.com/content/24117a03-37c2-424a-97ed-6a5292f9e92e)
Being the largest, or second largest, company in an area doesn't necessarily mean that your quality values, or levels, are the highest. It doesn't mean you're the best operator. It doesn't mean you're the best thing since sliced bread. It just means you have the most custom.
If the ride was replaced in house, by the manufacturer and park owner (no idea if it was)...that means there is a much shorter timeline in development and replacement.
Chessington don't have that option.
Bowser
TS Member
They have the option to do something though. Perhaps they have? Nothing visible or reported so as far as we know it'll be closed for all of 2024 which is a shame, over 2 years SBNO.
jon81uk
TS Member
Yes! This is a point I've tried to make on here a few times as often people try to use the "second largest in the world" as a gotcha as if it means they should be the second best quality too, when as you say size doesn't mean quality.
Shaggy_Dog_
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Ride To Happiness
I think the big difference is intent, when rides at Europa Park have burnt down they make it very clear that they are going to replace them. But the complete silence surrounding Scorpion Express is a bit strange, I hope it doesn’t just become another Slammer sitting there SNBO for years. I do think that it could be a good opportunity to put a new family coaster in there, I know that Mack Powered Coasters are popular rides with parks but I do think that Vekoma mine trains for example can be more fun.
Blackhole_Sun
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Black Hole
From what I saw of Scorpion express it hasn’t been cycling around for some time as the running rails are now rusty. The train remains on the helix but I couldn’t see enough of it to see whether the zero car was back on it. I understand it was going around at the end of last season without it.
What I did notice:
All signs remain in place to direct you to the ride. No attempts to remove it.
Scorpion express was on the electronic queue screen near dragons fury stating “closed”
The extended maintenance sign is back outside the entrance to it.
The area around the ride track looks quite unkept. Really non the wiser as to whether it will return but I echo what has been said above, two years and just complete silence from the park.
What I did notice:
All signs remain in place to direct you to the ride. No attempts to remove it.
Scorpion express was on the electronic queue screen near dragons fury stating “closed”
The extended maintenance sign is back outside the entrance to it.
The area around the ride track looks quite unkept. Really non the wiser as to whether it will return but I echo what has been said above, two years and just complete silence from the park.