2018: General Discussion

[Rick]

When did it ever have 2 on the lift though? Surely that's a single block?

Nah, it's odd - it's designed for dual occupancy, like some Disney lifts. From opening to the early 2000s (perhaps later?) the train on the pre-lift block (from B load) would dispatch/engage with the lift before the shuttle dispatched from A load had disengaged the lift.

There is a bank of sensors on the lift about 85% of the way up that mark the point where the first shuttle would reach, before the second would engage the lift.

 

[AstroDan]

The following changes need to be made on all Saturdays, Bank Holiday weekends, most Sundays and most school holiday periods:

- The vast majority of rides open at 10:00am
- Dual station as a matter of course on Oblivion and Galactica
- The use of the baggage holds on Smiler and Th13teen to allow for additional capacity
- Opening of additional food outlets, including Burger Kitchen in Forbidden Valley

If they did the above, the park would cope much better. Then they can deal with adding a couple of new support (flat) rides in 2019 or 2020...

 

[DiogoJ42]

Surely all that stuff should be standard on a daily basis?

 

[Jonathan]

You would think...

 

[Dave]

Surely all that stuff should be standard on a daily basis?

I think we still have to remember the park is still a good 500,000 people a year down on what they would have previously seen as a mediocre year for admissions. It’s not realistic to accept that no cuts had to be made, they just need to be allowed to adapt to ramp up capacity on busy days.

 

[Skyscraper]

The following changes need to be made on all Saturdays, Bank Holiday weekends, most Sundays and most school holiday periods:

- The vast majority of rides open at 10:00am
- Dual station as a matter of course on Oblivion and Galactica
- The use of the baggage holds on Smiler and Th13teen to allow for additional capacity
- Opening of additional food outlets, including Burger Kitchen in Forbidden Valley

If they did the above, the park would cope much better. Then they can deal with adding a couple of new support (flat) rides in 2019 or 2020...

You forgot the reinstation of SRQs . That would also help a lot.

 

[bluesonichd]

All these things that should happen but never will.
Just resigning myself to the fact that this is now how Towers is and will be forever more.

A shambles. With a few halfway decent rides.. for now at least anyway.

 

[Joel3]

Nah, it's odd - it's designed for dual occupancy, like some Disney lifts. From opening to the early 2000s (perhaps later?) the train on the pre-lift block (from B load) would dispatch/engage with the lift before the shuttle dispatched from A load had disengaged the lift.

There is a bank of sensors on the lift about 85% of the way up that mark the point where the first shuttle would reach, before the second would engage the lift.

Yes it did that when I went on April 7th and it was dual loading. As I was on station B, the station A train dispatched and we went to the bottom of the lift until the station A train left the lift hill. I was surprised it was it was on 2 stations in the first place

 

[Kraken27]

All these things that should happen but never will.
Just resigning myself to the fact that this is now how Towers is and will be forever more.

A shambles. With a few halfway decent rides.. for now at least anyway.

It was the same on August Bank holiday last year, so pre-2018 cutbacks. I queued over 35mins at the Box Office to collect a renewal season pass - they only had one staff member on the "upsell side" of the box office - said staff member was occasionally helped by a manager-type lady (not in uniform) who would serve one or two people then vanish into the back for a bit before coming back to serve another person or two.

This was on a bank holiday Monday when the weather forecast had been good for all the week beforehand. Like today, the weather forecast was spot-on, Towers were not on the ball to realise that it may result in higher than expected attendance.

 

[spinba11]

There is a bank of sensors on the lift about 85% of the way up that mark the point where the first shuttle would reach, before the second would engage the lift.

I've always wondered what they are/were for, at the start of the season the 4th train on smiler did help but they seem to have slowed down dispatching yesterday and today.

 

[Kraken27]

Yes it did that when I went on April 7th and it was dual loading. As I was on station B, the station A train dispatched and we went to the bottom of the lift until the station A train left the lift hill. I was surprised it was it was on 2 stations in the first place

That it how Oblivion works when both load stations are in use. As to having two shuttles engaged on the lift at the same time - I've never seen this happen & it should be impossible, as the lift is a single track block.

 

[Joel3]

That it how Oblivion works when both load stations are in use. As to having two shuttles engaged on the lift at the same time - I've never seen this happen & it should be impossible, as the lift is a single track block.

Yes you’re correct. 2 trains couldn’t be on the lift at once could they…

 

[spinba11]

Yes you’re correct. 2 trains couldn’t be on the lift at once could they…

you could also say both trains can’t be in the nemesis station at once as it’s one block but it happens, the same did happen with oblivion’s lift.

 

[DiogoJ42]

you could also say both trains can’t be in the nemesis station at once as it’s one block but it happens, the same did happen with oblivion’s lift.

Nemesis' station is only big enough for one train.

 

[Joel3]

Nemesis' station is only big enough for one train.

That’s what i thought. I got confused then.

 

[spinba11]

If the train is waiting outside is comes in before the train in the station has full left once it been dispatched.

 

[Skyscraper]

If the train is waiting outside is comes in before the train in the station has full left once it been dispatched.

When riding the back row of Nemmy yesterday i noticed that the floor starts going up before the train comes to a complete stop, which probably helps the throughput by saving time.

 

[Kraken27]

If the train is waiting outside is comes in before the train in the station has full left once it been dispatched.

Yes correct - but as soon as the train being dispatched moved forward, it clears the station block & the lift block is pending occupation, so the train waiting in the transfer area can be fed into the station. As an aside if you dispatch a train on Nemesis then don't feed the other one into the station, the lift will shutdown when the train nears the top of the lift. This is because when the train in transfer stops, the wheels of row 8 are still occupying the safety brake area. Both the service & safety brakes are a single block so the train train cannot be released from the lift as the next block is not clear. (The free-roll track is not a block as you cannot control the train movement in it).

 

[AstroDan]

Surely all that stuff should be standard on a daily basis?

Not really.

If the park is very quiet, then the fact there is no baggage hold, one station on Galactica/Oblivion etc. will not impact guests's days whatsoever as even with a reduced capacity, the queue will still be very short.

There is nothing more irritating than seeing people post on Facebook with stuff like 'Alton should be open till 8pm every day because that is what they do in Salou' when, on quiet days (even pre-crash) there are literally 3,000 people in the park and every ride is walk on.

For me, the park needs to step it up on busier days. It is business sense to adapt significantly.

You wouldn't go to Europa-Park and expect Blue Fire to be running 4-trains with onload and offload if there was literally a 5-10 minute wait, would you?

 

[Skyscraper]

Not really.

If the park is very quiet, then the fact there is no baggage hold, one station on Galactica/Oblivion etc. will not impact guests's days whatsoever as even with a reduced capacity, the queue will still be very short.
There is nothing more irritating than seeing people post on Facebook with stuff like 'Alton should be open till 8pm every day' when, on quiet days (even pre-crash) there are literally 3,000 people in the park and every ride is walk on.

For me, the park needs to step it up on busier days. It is business sense to adapt significantly.

Galactica was on two-station operation yesterday.