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Thorpe Park: General Discussion
owenstreet7
TS Member
GooseOnTheLoose
TS Member
flyingguitar
TS Member
no, it happens to many rollercoaster manufactures (including B&M), it isn't about poorly designed
it is partially the style of ride, being the tallest in the uk and having tall elements means it is more likely to happen due to less predictable wind, the frequency is a bit of a problem, but it happened with the smiler and they managed to resolve the valleying issues where it hasn't happened for years.
it is something that just happens from time to time, most of TP and AT rides it would be difficult to valley as they keep a high speed throughout the layout, but that is the style of rollercoater they have, so it may seem like a rare occurrence but it is more common then you would think, it is something that can happen due to a gust or something.
RicketyCricket
TS Member
Hyperia was* unable to test without a weighted train, which would suggest it is a design flaw. 99.9% of coasters can comfortably cycle on an empty train and not need ride staff lifting heavy water dummies onto the ride all the time.
The nonsense maximum wind speed is evidence that they miscalculated the outerbank slightly.
They're lucky it only happened a few times, I've seen several close calls.
*It's absolutely hauling at the moment with the new wheels. Comfortably making it over the outer bank.
The nonsense maximum wind speed is evidence that they miscalculated the outerbank slightly.
They're lucky it only happened a few times, I've seen several close calls.
*It's absolutely hauling at the moment with the new wheels. Comfortably making it over the outer bank.
+1 Bad design. Who'd have thought at 236ft there might be some wind..... They could have literally asked LHR for data, as I'm sure they have loads about winds at various heights.
DistortAMG
TS Member
no, it happens to many rollercoaster manufactures (including B&M), it isn't about poorly designed
it is partially the style of ride, being the tallest in the uk and having tall elements means it is more likely to happen due to less predictable wind, the frequency is a bit of a problem, but it happened with the smiler and they managed to resolve the valleying issues where it hasn't happened for years.
it is something that just happens from time to time, most of TP and AT rides it would be difficult to valley as they keep a high speed throughout the layout, but that is the style of rollercoater they have, so it may seem like a rare occurrence but it is more common then you would think, it is something that can happen due to a gust or something.
It is absolutely down to bad design. Lots of coasters do valley, but that is totally besides the point being put forward here.
Matt N
TS Member
The fact that it’s stalled 3 times within the first year and looks to have had quite a few more “near misses” (you only have to look at how painfully slow some of those empty train test runs were last year!) would definitely suggest some kind of design flaw in the outerbank element. Not a crippling one, but definitely a miscalculation, particularly if Mack felt that it could run in 47mph wind.
Rides do stall when empty as complete freak occurrences (any ride can stall if circumstances align correctly), but 3 stalls in one year is unusual and suggests more of a repeating pattern than a freak occurrence, in my view.
Rides do stall when empty as complete freak occurrences (any ride can stall if circumstances align correctly), but 3 stalls in one year is unusual and suggests more of a repeating pattern than a freak occurrence, in my view.
flyingguitar
TS Member
It isn't though, there are countless other stuff which could be going on with it shich would be thorpes issue,
wheels too loose, added drag, wheels too tight, added drag, random gust, too much grease in a bearing, increased drag, etc.
It is a process of figuring out the correct tigtnesses of all the components and how to best optimise the train, which is thorpe area.
Thorpe probably should have caught the train being slow (especially after the seccon one) added some practaces
Call_um
TS Member
Added some practices, because of the design flaw yeah?
The_bup
TS Member
By the sounds of it, Hyperia doesn’t seem any more innovative or complex as a B&M flyer, maybe less so.
That’s the concern.
Once is an anomaly.
Twice is a coincidence
Three times? That’s a problem. That’s a pattern.
Yeah its a design issue, however I would say the blame lies with both Mack and MMM. MMM would have signed off on this, and I'm surprised that Mack with its long history of ride design has designed it this way. That's two dodgy installations from MMM now at Thorpe (including Derron Brown)
owenstreet7
TS Member
One thing they did do recently which is to counteract the potential of it stalling is adding new nylon wheels since the last valleying incident which valleying might be a thing of the past (as long as they don't make silly risks during high winds)
Mack is still inexperienced with high thrill coasters Hyperia is their tallest creation and they have not done nearly as many High Thrill coasters as say Intamin, B&M or Vekoma
DistortAMG
TS Member
Everything stated there boils down to the operating parameters of the ride. The ride clearly has a VERY slim operating window it can operate in without stalling, and without the park having to adjust the things you have mentioned to try widen the operating window.
That in itself, is a design flaw. In a country where you need a coaster with quite a wide operating window, due to our huge variation in weather, we have a coaster with a slim window, which again, results in the park having to tinker with the things you mention more often than usual compared with other rides, to try get it working in conditions it cannot always operate in.
That is a text book 101 design flaw! It may not be a design flaw if the ride operated in a different part of the world / climate, but it makes it a design flaw here, in the UK with UK weather.
Islander
TS Member
Nope - all components will have torque figures supplied by the manufacturer, Thorpe will adhere to these religiously.
Mack’s area.
Call_um
TS Member
The way I see it is...
- They have to run it with water dummies every morning.
- They've had to adjust breakdown procedures to not run empty trains.
- They can't run the ride in the conditions set by the manufacturer (47mph winds) and have since had to be changed.
That to me shows there has been a design flaw.
- They have to run it with water dummies every morning.
- They've had to adjust breakdown procedures to not run empty trains.
- They can't run the ride in the conditions set by the manufacturer (47mph winds) and have since had to be changed.
That to me shows there has been a design flaw.
DistortAMG
TS Member
In fact, tightening things up willy willy to whatever tighness you want, as was suggested, is not only dangerous, it can have outright catastrophic consequences for the safety of riders and the ride. A huge, huge no no. You tighten things to specification, as outlined by the manufacturer.