Incident on The Smiler 02/06/2015

Love the smiler, and it is joint first with nemesis for me also, they both deliver in different ways, but I'm always dizzy and elated when I step off either of them, which is precisely what I want

Hello, hello...I love this thread! Been watching for days in anticipation, hoping Smiler will open for scarefest as I chickened out of going on it last year and now I'm gutted I may have missed out. As soon as it opens I'm straight there with my pmap!!

Right, can we please stay on-topic in this thread. I know AstroDan posted about this the other week also - there is a lot of diverging off-topic and posts of a poor quality.

Please ensure that you posts contribute something meaningful to discussion and allow it to flow. Feel free to take a look at our Memeber Expectations if you have not done so previously. Posts that are off-topic or are consisiting of just one word etc. not adding to the discussion will be removed.

Thank you.

I have heard a rumour that it may open tomorrow in time for Scarefest. They are just waiting for the green light from HQ but its all ready to go apparently.

GaryH said:

I have heard a rumour that it may open tomorrow in time for Scarefest. They are just waiting for the green light from HQ but its all ready to go apparently.

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Not aimed at you, but it seems the smiler has been due to open tomorrow for the last 5 weeks now.

Here's another - more credible - rumour for you, the prohibition notice is still in effect.

I think it would be more useful if rumours could be sourced from now on, that would give a bit more credibility. Unless it's from the Daily Mail, don't bother if it's them.

Tom said:

Here's another - more credible - rumour for you, the prohibition notice is still in effect.

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Key word being rumour. I do not believe that it is.

Rumour is that management are reading over this topic whilst on the floor in hysterics, or alternatively banging their head on the nearest wall/desk. Hard.

Like i said before, if they are genuinely going to put staff on the ride, there is NO prohibition notice.

i believe the prohibition notice actually means it has to be SBNO however, i could be wrong.

Hero's notice was lifted within 48 hours of a train falling apart whilst operating, so it is not out of the realm of possibility that the notice was lifted when the first testing occured whilst suits were on site.

All they have to do to get the notice lifted is prove that the ride is operating safely in its current form, it is likely all of these changes are for their own benefit, and not the HSE as they want to ensure this type of human error can not occur again.

There was never anything wrong with the ride or it's systems, so realistically there was no need for a prohi,
The HSE website still shows notices from 2013, so i would say, not the most reliable source.

Objectively, i would say this.

A. The notice was lifted when the first testing occured.
B. Clearly with all the ancillary work that has been going on, they are ready to open it.
C. They are simply waiting for the "right time"
D. There is no need to line bins if people won't be in the queue.
E. They could still decide to open it next season, but clearly Towers have been told by Merlin to prepare for an imminent opening.

F. I said it was human error from day one and the other Forum banned me for merely suggesting the idea, people are clearly more open to objectivity over here. Well done and cheers for the interesting and engaging conversation.

Tom said:

Here's another - more credible - rumour for you, the prohibition notice is still in effect.

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If you are basing that on the HSE website then you should know it's only updated in 3 month intervals.

Has anyone seen movement on or around the Smiler in the last few days?

Where has this 'waiting for the green light' rumour come from? Don't get me wrong, I'd love it to be true and all, but honestly, I'm not sure.

Dave said:

If you are basing that on the HSE website then you should know it's only updated in 3 month intervals.

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I'm not. Prohibition notices remain listed on there indefinitely, regardless of whether or not they are still in force.

So there's every chance it's removed, whilst there's every chance it's still in place as well.
Also, someone on TowersTimes has reported that the medical team, ride hosts and maintenance are learning how to drive and position the cherry picker, and that there are only two dummies in the front of one train.

New rule should be if you have a source it should be credited.

We all know a man in the know

I don't know anybody in the know.

my conclusions are my own, based on logic and objectivity.

I honestly think, just like hero, they proved the ride was safe and the notice was removed almost instantly.

Well the testing just after the crash could have been the notice being lifted or an on going part of the HSE or AT investigation. 4 months after the crash and all the testing since I would be suprised if the notice is still in effect.

I don't know how the HSE works but from experience working in local business regulation I would find it very unusual for a prohibition notice to still be in place over 4 months after the incident. That's 4 months worth of time to make the required improvements and demonstrate that the ride is safe for the public.

So apparently today there is a train at the top of lift hill 1 why the bloke is blowing wind into the new windometer thingy again. I was thinking the windometer thingy would be a manual process of close the ride if it measures x. However this could suggest they are programming the ride to automatically shut down when wind gust = x ??