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2025: General Discussion

Hid said:
You know I am a little surprised that World of David Walliams isn't included into this event although how much longer does the IP have before it expires.
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Honestly that IP is just an embarrassment to the park and are likely just wanting to keep it quiet wheezing along until the IP expires and get to replace it, like when/if Project Horizon happens.

Now regarding Hex...You mean to say that they are taking our jokes of a Christmas themed Hex for real?! Wow, this must be desperate for ideas to stoop to our level.
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
Either @Ash has become responsible for their comms, or Christmas has come early for him...







We appear one step closer to his dream of a Flying Theatre getting built at the end of Hex.
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I’ll expect my cheque in the post…

to the AT AV Team!

That said, I did think having done Hex on Sunday at fireworks for the first and only time this season, that Disco hex had been toned down in the vault? I’m sure there was less branch sparkle…

The lighting on the earls picture seemed to make it far easier to see as well?

If so it’s great to see the team making active changes, and it certainly was noticeable. The last effect that felt a negative was the TVs in the octagon keeping light in the room. Minor, but complete darkness really is a great effect.

Seeing TCAAM on there too worries me more as putting that back after it’s been tinkered with feels more difficult. Hex on the other hand has always made sense.

If they’d like anymore sensible ideas they know where I am…

Goose, thank you as always
 
I'm expecting a bit of tinsel and bunting, maybe a Christmas tree or two. I would hope they don't mess about with the actual lighting on the rides.
 
Ash said:


I’ll expect my cheque in the post…

to the AT AV Team!

That said, I did think having done Hex on Sunday at fireworks for the first and only time this season, that Disco hex had been toned down in the vault? I’m sure there was less branch sparkle…

The lighting on the earls picture seemed to make it far easier to see as well?

If so it’s great to see the team making active changes, and it certainly was noticeable. The last effect that felt a negative was the TVs in the octagon keeping light in the room. Minor, but complete darkness really is a great effect.

Seeing TCAAM on there too worries me more as putting that back after it’s been tinkered with feels more difficult. Hex on the other hand has always made sense.

If they’d like anymore sensible ideas they know where I am…

Goose, thank you as always
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Let's face it, TCAAM is vaguely festive as it is themed to a New Year's Eve party, so not a lot to do there I'd have thought
 
Matt N said:
If I’m remembering Talbot Street Tuesdays rightly, I think Carter’s Steam Fair came during February Half Term once!
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Yes, they brought in Carters for Towers Treats and Trails back in Feb Half Term in 2007.

Hid said:
Did Alton Towers used to bring temporary rides in for Christmas I believe Frog Hopper and Bouncing Bugs were relocated for a time
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They did in the very first Christmas events back in the late 80s. And they also brought in Carters a few times for Christmas at the hotels. I believe one year there were dodgems behind ATH along with Santa's Grotto. And another year the Splash Landings car park was transformed into the Elves' Playground, which featured Carters' dodgems, along with the movable rides from Cred Street.

Like you mentioned, the Cred Street rides used to move around quite a lot in Winter depending on where the events was. As well as the year in the Elves' Playground, one year some of them were in Forbidden Valley for Christmas, and another in and around Towers Street and the Conference Centre.
 
Squiggs said:
Yes, they brought in Carters for Towers Treats and Trails back in Feb Half Term in 2007.


They did in the very first Christmas events back in the late 80s. And they also brought in Carters a few times for Christmas at the hotels. I believe one year there were dodgems behind ATH along with Santa's Grotto. And another year the Splash Landings car park was transformed into the Elves' Playground, which featured Carters' dodgems, along with the movable rides from Cred Street.

Like you mentioned, the Cred Street rides used to move around quite a lot in Winter depending on where the events was. As well as the year in the Elves' Playground, one year some of them were in Forbidden Valley for Christmas, and another in and around Towers Street and the Conference Centre.
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This seems like a really good idea while the park is closed why not use the grounds for something. That Elves Playground looked cool and those Steam Fair Rides are classic should consider doing this again
 
Hid said:
This seems like a really good idea while the park is closed why not use the grounds for something. That Elves Playground looked cool and those Steam Fair Rides are classic should consider doing this again
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Carter's no longer tour the rides and most have been sold off.
 
havaska said:
I did the Run Alton Towers 10k today and Curse didn’t open at all so maybe they’re dressing it up?

Also did Hex and I agree, the crazy disco Hex colours definitely feel toned down.
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Has any rides other than Congo River Rapids property started closed season maintenance
 
I’ve noticed quite a few parks are prominently advertising that their rides operate in winter. Obviously Energylandia and Phantasialand are famous for it but Paultons are doing the same which suggests an increasing appetite for it.

What is it that differentiates the rides. Why can Taron operate and not Rita? Black Mamba and not Nemesis? And so on.
 
It is worth noting, however, that the park may have become less willing to operate rides in colder temperatures than they used to be. I imagine the minimum temperature to run rides, at least on a park policy level, has probably increased since the Smiler crash.

It’s also worth noting, on the note of foreign parks, that they could have purchased different components that make their rides more able to operate in cold temperatures. I know Taron can operate in something obscene like -10°C, but the minimum temperature for a lot of Alton Towers coasters is 5°C.
 
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Matt N said:
It is worth noting, however, that the park may have become less willing to operate rides in colder temperatures than they used to be. I imagine the minimum temperature to run rides, at least on a park policy level, has probably increased since the Smiler crash.

It’s also worth noting, on the note of foreign parks, that they could have purchased different components that make their rides more able to operate in cold temperatures. I know Taron can operate in something obscene like -10°C, but the minimum temperature for a lot of Alton Towers coasters is 5°C.
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Don't forget it's not just the operation of the ride itself to take into consideration but evacs too. I suspect that since The Smiler, they've become ultra-sensitive to the safety of guests in the event of an evac so the last thing they want is to operate Oblivion in -5C only to have guests evac'ing from 100ft up descending down an icy metal staircase, or evac'ing from from a icy Wicker Man wooden lift hill.

How the European parks get around this, I don't know - maybe they aren't so ultra-sensitive on the safety of guests when evac'ing. I guess in the example of Taron, all evac areas are flat (the launch areas) and also quite enclosed in the pit area so perhaps not as prone to icing up as say the highly exposed Oblivion or Nemesis's lift hills and/or they're easier to de-ice.
 
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One of the findings of the Smiler crash investigation was that the wind speeds at the time were higher than the maximum permitted operating wind speed in the ride manual. This was given as a potential contributing factor to the empty train stalling in the first place (and, by extension, the crash occuring).

Ever since, Alton Towers and Merlin have become highly risk-averse when it comes to operating their rides and now stick rigidly to the wording of the manufacturer's manuals. It is unlikely the restrictions themselves have changed. Two examples are wind speed and temperature.

Wind speed monitoring has now been installed on many rides (some of the displays for these can be seen in op cabins: they're the boxes with two rows of 4 lights, the leftmost of which are green). Oblivion, Similar and Spinball seem particularly vulnerable to high wind.

Temperature monitoring now results in rides being more likely to close in the evening if it gets cold, this seems to affect Thirteen in particular. I don't know if this is still the policy but from my understanding, even though the minimum operating temperature is 5°, Thirteen closes if the temperature drops to 7° during operation. Supposedly this change was made after the ride once closed suddenly as the temperature dropped below 5°, turning away a near-full queue in the process.

I would expect other parks to play a bit more loosely with the wording of the manual. In terms of minimum temperature, the value given by the manufacturer most likely refers to a minimum start-up temperature. Once the ride is up and running it'll be generating heat during operation and can safely run at lower temperatures, so in reality would rarely need to close.
 
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