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Drayton Manor Park

And not a tear was shed.

No, in all seriousness, G-Force is often said to be a bad ride, but I doubt there will be much outpouring of strong emotion on either side of the fence at this news. It was ugly, low throughput, short, uncomfortable and generally rather ponderous, but I can't think of any one area in which it really was outstandingly terrible.

I suspect in hindsight the park probably regrets this particular purchase. Maybe it seemed like a good idea at a time when if you couldn't stretch to a B&M, your choice was practically Vekoma or nothing, but in a few more years the Gerstlauer Eurofighter came along and ran off with that market. The Eurofighter has its own issues of course, some being common to the X-Car, but would still likely have been a better choice. Let's hope the CoasterNerds comment is accurate in that it's more a case of the ride having been a long term maintenance headache or suddenly become sufficiently knackered to be deemed 'beyond economic repair', rather than that DMP flat out can't afford to do whatever is required. That way we can cling to some hope that perhaps one day they might make that top notch thrill coaster purchase I'd dearly love to see.
 
@Cheese the reasons highlighted, sadly, were indeed that due to a drop in attendance specifically linked to the splash canyon incident, the park has made substantial losses and cannot finance what is needed to replace the cars. It really does spell bad news. And if you’re thinking about new coasters let alone RMCs in the coming years you will only be disappointed.

I agree with some of the above posts, the expansion of Thomas Land beyond all realms of physical reality may actually be a serious prospect now that this news is known.
 
Went on g force earlier this season and found it to be quite enjoyable. They appeared to have fixed the restraints as they weren’t as bad as people were saying. If it’s being removed due to financial issues then I can’t see a replacement any time soon.

Makes me wonder what Drayton manor will be like in 5-10 years time. :(
 
Sauron97 said:
I agree with some of the above posts, the expansion of Thomas Land beyond all realms of physical reality may actually be a serious prospect now that this news is known.
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I'm sure Drayton wouldn't let Thomas Land eclipse the rest of the park like that... but if Thomas comes across a brand new family Gravity Group (or GCI) woodie or a new Vekoma on his adventures in Sodor, then sign me up!
 
Coaster said:
I hope this isn't true, apart from the fact I actually enjoy G Force (awaits angry comments) it'd be a huge shame for Drayton to lose a major coaster as they are already fairly thin in terms of their overall lineup.
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Nothing wrong with you liking it. Be a boring world if everyone likes the same thing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Totally missed this news. G-Force is nothing special, well it is poor, but it is a shame that Drayton are having to remove one of their headline rides with no replacement.

I suspect that if it was not for Thomas Land then the park would have shut down by now. I fear this is still a possibility in the coming years.

:)
 
When things go wrong for Merlin there's sometimes a bit of schadenfreude and light hearted teasing, but this just feels very sad. Family owned theme parks are a dying breed and this one has been in the same family since 1949. They started out with the founders serving teas in old shelters left over from the war. My Grandma visited Drayton Manor when she was a kid. Drayton Manor has been one of the major British parks for as long as I can remember, and has bought us some great rides over the years. They may not have the budgets that Alton and Thorpe have, but they've been able to build reasonable large, themed custom designed rides from reputable manufacturers. Not many UK parks can do that. Whenever the owners are interviewed I get the impression that their passion is completely genuine. This is also a very individual park, from it's Penny Arcade museum, the remains of the mansion the Peel family lived in, and some quirky rides. Whilst people might complain about gimmicks, over the years Drayton Manor have added a lot of UK firsts, and many of them remained as UK exclusives.

Whatever people think about individual rides, to lose Excalibur, Pirate Adventure, Splash Canyon, the cable car, the big wheel and now possibly G Force is a big thing. This isn't something that just the enthusiasts will be aware of. Every visitor and every member of staff is aware of it. I really don't know what the answer is for the park, but I'm sure the answer won't be a simple, 'add this roller coaster or that', or even add a few more Zamperla roundabouts to Thomas Land. They have a very difficult road ahead, and I wish them the best of luck as they find their way through it. With all of these cut backs it must be a bit unsettling for all the staff, particularly anyone on a salary.
 
DistortAMG said:
That is a possibility yes. Certainly would not rule it out. G-force was always a bad choice for Drayton from the start. I think they realised that themselves not long after the thing was put where it was. Klondike Gold mine (the ride it replaced) was far more thrilling than this to be honest. It will be interesting to see how this pans out.
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Rattlesome horrid coaster :mad::mad::mad:
 
Out of interest, do you guys reckon G Force's removal will prolong the life of the Buffalo, as if the park was to invest in a new coaster, wouldn't G Force's site now be a potential area instead of them having to remove the Buffalo?

I'm hoping to revisit Drayton next year, so at least there won't be any animosity as to whether I'll get on G Force or not! Also, I've still got the likes of Maelstrom, Stormforce 10, The Haunting and Sheriff's Showdown to experience that are new to me!

I spoke to my parents about Drayton, though, and they're not sure if there will be a Drayton to go to next year, as they seem to think Drayton will get fined a sum of money that they won't be able to pay in the Splash Canyon court case in November and will have to close. I'm more optimistic, as I personally think that G Force's closure may have potentially been a way of the park preparing for a fine, and there's still a large chance that the park won't be fined, in my opinion. I would be interested to hear some of your thoughts on the matter.

I really hope Drayton doesn't close, and I don't think it will! I thought it was a lovely park when I went in August!
EDIT: On another thought, please could we potentially have one of @Ben's obituaries in the Tavern? Also, sorry for the long post.
 
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I don't think people need to worry about the park closing for good tbh.

As long as there are children still being reproduced, Thomas Land will keep enough money coming in to keep them stable. It's a really impressive IP for a park the size of Drayton to have.

G Force was just an awful coaster and as mentioned above it was an unlucky investment with Gerstlauer not up to much at the time. It wasn't going to keep the crowds coming in so instead of spending a fortune on keeping it going, they may as well cut their losses.

I'm quietly confident they can replace it with something half decent in the next 2-3 years.
 
RicketyCricket said:
I don't think people need to worry about the park closing for good tbh.

As long as there are children still being reproduced, Thomas Land will keep enough money coming in to keep them stable. It's a really impressive IP for a park the size of Drayton to have.

G Force was just an awful coaster and as mentioned above it was an unlucky investment with Gerstlauer not up to much at the time. It wasn't going to keep the crowds coming in so instead of spending a fortune on keeping it going, they may as well cut their losses.

I'm quietly confident they can replace it with something half decent in the next 2-3 years.
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That's the line of thought I'm thinking along, but my parents don't seem convinced...
 
There is absolutely no way Drayton would be closing for good, not a chance. The huge economic boosts the park brings to the local economies means the local governments it surrounds (Lichfield and Tamworth) would never allow the place to close, for something like a fine. Considering the place is still very popular. They would issue tax breaks, or loans to help float the place if such a fine ment financial ruin (which I am certain it won't). On top of that, they employ a huge amount of people from the surrounding area. It would never happen. The place is not lacking custom.

The park must be preparing for a large fine, so cutting costs where they can.
 
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Burbs said:
If you've been to Drayton before and not been on these rides, how exactly did you fill your day?
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My family and I went on Shockwave, Air Race, Accelerator, Buffalo Mountain Coaster, Apocalypse and Troublesome Trucks! Do bear in mind that it was the summer holidays when we visited.
 
Such a shame this, Haven't been to Drayton in years, was thinking about going back, but with Stormforce off on the day i wanted to go, and G Force shut too, i couldn't justify it. It's unlikely to close with Thomas Land doing so well, but i can't see a new thrill ride being added for many years.

If only they'd got a Guerst (like "Rage" at Adventure Island"). The Eurofighters aren't perfect, but they seem to last for years and give a Thrilling experience, I appreciate that wasn't an option at the time of G Force though.

I hope the park can whether the storm and come back from this, it's a lovely place
 
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