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Incident on The Smiler 02/06/2015

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I didn't know that, which makes me think even more that it just can't have been a computer problem at all!
 
On coasters isn't there multiple safety blocks so if one stops the other backs up and in every scenario the ride shuts down?

I remember watching a lift hill video where the op taking the tour states that the smiler takes a reading of every train that passes over the lift hill and alters the trims so every train is always at a certain speed
 
Not shuts down, just if a block has a train in it the block before won't send anything into the occupied one until it's clear to do so.
 
I think its safe to say they're implementing extra safety measures to avoid a collision again, but I really think they need to be doing what they can to avoid the ride stalling altogether, particularly on the batwing.

The ride is very likely to stall there again as it is, if it does so in opening hours then that's really going to frighten the public and give the press an opportunity to reignite the flame, even if there is no chance of it colliding again.

Put simply it will look really, really bad.
 
I never knew they built in computer obsolescence into the ride. That really reduces the odds of it being a technical issue then. Plus the fact staff were questioned over the incident and I think its safe to say this was a failure in operating procedure.
 
Can we please ensure that all posts are constructive, and contribute to the topic. Simple responses like 'that is cool' or sarcastic comments are likely to be removed without warning.

A number of recent posts have been deleted.

Thank you.
 
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I think a lot of people are forgetting that to reduce human error you can alter the computer system so they may well be testing the computer system as it is quite likely it has changed.
 
Trains stalling was common when the ride was new but it seemed to iron itself out over time. The ride has been pretty stall free for a very long time prior to the June incident. It's been buried among the news although it was reported the train stalled in June due to high winds (which would make sense with an empty train involved too). If those reports are indeed true then the only way a stalled train could happen again during opening hours is if they send round an empty train during a spot of bad weather (high winds).

Otherwise it's not at all likely that any trains will stall in that area again. Empty trains have gone through just fine over the whole of 2014 and start of 2015. I don't think it's likely we'll see a stalled train again as it seems there were a few variables involved with the June incident that caused a stalled train. Stalled trains have pretty much become a rare to non-occurrence with The Smiler, it's been fine for so long I was certainly shocked more that a train had stalled in June.
 
James said:
Trains stalling was common when the ride was new but it seemed to iron itself out over time. The ride has been pretty stall free for a very long time prior to the June incident. It's been buried among the news although it was reported the train stalled in June due to high winds (which would make sense with an empty train involved too). If those reports are indeed true then the only way a stalled train could happen again during opening hours is if they send round an empty train during a spot of bad weather (high winds).

Otherwise it's not at all likely that any trains will stall in that area again. Empty trains have gone through just fine over the whole of 2014 and start of 2015. I don't think it's likely we'll see a stalled train again as it seems there were a few variables involved with the June incident that caused a stalled train. Stalled trains have pretty much become a rare to non-occurrence with The Smiler, it's been fine for so long I was certainly shocked more that a train had stalled in June.
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The empty train would obviously reduce the speed but it still should not be stalling as that would make pre-opening testing hard but I agree the wind was probably a factor in the stall and plus the empty car lead to the stall. I don't believe however that the wind caused any other rides to be shut or any others stalled due to the wind. Was the rides other problems on the day of crash a different issue which would have happened without the wind?
 
The smiler is obviously just a very sensitive ride. And has to have practically perfect conditions for it to get around the track. There isn't much leeway.
 
Ash123uk said:
The smiler is obviously just a very sensitive ride. And has to have practically perfect conditions for it to get around the track. There isn't much leeway.
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Well it can run round on an empty cart but obviously if there is high wind or maybe heavy rain or colder conditions could increase the stalling chances.
 
This post may get a little too technical, so bare with.
The overall speed of the ride has absolutely nothing to do with it's mass. The speed is purely gained from the energy lost as gravitational potential, converted into kinetic energy (movement). I'd throw formulas out, but basically if you've seen a feather and a big heavy thing dropped in a vacuum, you'd know what I mean. The one the the mass does affect is the momentum of the train (momentum = mass x velocity). With less mass the change in momentum is now more dependant on the speed of the train, which only has one maximum. With a very windy day and less momentum on the train, it would be possible for it to lose much more speed than if it was a full train. Basically as a stall hadn't happened since the day of the google earth picture in 2013 (is that right?), the stall is a direct result of a lower momentum and high winds. I know the PMBO won't operate in high winds, etc etc.
Because stalling hadn't been a problem for such a long time it would sort of make sense to stop operation if the wind was too much, or make sure every car was full if the wind passed a particular amount. I guess it's a bit like th13teen can't run empty and the trims up.

Maybe this wasn't the most constructive post, but that's a sort of more technical point of view as to why it will have stalled, particularly if all of the trims were down from a slower speed.
 
Well after opening season the number of stalls were nil or only one or two. The problem is the opening year an all the stalls has kinda gave the ride a bad reputation (even before the crash) as the stalls were widely published by the media.
 
Were they though? I don't remember seeing much other than on here. The media obsessed with that breakdown at a press event and then just called the rest 'teething problems' afterwards.
 
One of my friends said in 2013 "I'm not going there (towers) all there rides break down all the time". my reply "no they don't, it's just the smiler that's broken a few times, just because it's been in the media"

It did give it a bad reputation, but not as bad as the one it has now...
 
Well my friends all seem to associate the smiler with breaking down and now crashing but I guess the stalling may not be the biggest issue with public confidence surrounding the ride
 
To be honest, right after it happened one of my friends asked 'what is going on with alton towers right now', which allowed for an educated response about the blooming media! I think I've got all of the family well informed now, hopefully they've passed it on...
 
To be honest now the ride opening problems will be all but forgotten but replaced with the memories. Does anyone know what happened with the Smiler themed rooms since the crash? Are they still available to book or have they been unavailable for further bookings?
 
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