2026: General Discussion

[Secret Weapon]

Awful.

Am I imagining it, or is the new 2026 yellow colour scheme a much brighter shade of yellow than the original paintjob from 1980 ?

Or maybe it faded over time?

I only saw the original yellow Corkscrew a handful of times in person, and so I can't clearly remember...

 

[rob666]

It faded.

 

[WickerWonder18]

Updating it to keep things fresh which is good. See what colour they paint the supports.

 

[Bowser]

Think with Efteling given the issues they had with planning permission building it initially they were probably worried if they removed it to build a replacement they'd never get planning permission, so the track replacement instead was something they could definitely do without falling foul of the planning regulations.

I’m no expert on Dutch planning regulations but surely you’d seek permission before removing the existing ride?

According to the park they rebuilt it to preserve the heritage... and the whole retrack only took 3 months!

"At Efteling, we like to build for eternity and the Python roller coaster with loops is certainly a part of that future. Many guests have special memories of the Python, and we want future generations to be able to look back upon their rides on the roller coaster in the same manner. It's great to see again how the first children at the entrance judge whether they are tall enough. And then the happy looks on their faces after their ride on the renovated Python", explains Fons Jurgens, Chairman of Efteling's Board of Directors."

Efteling’s Python roller coaster with loops re-opens to visitors

As of today (31 March), Efteling visitors can once again enjoy a trip on the Python roller coaster with loops. Over just 12 weeks, the 37-year-old Efteling roller coaster has been almost entirely dismantled and reconstructed to complete the €4.5 million renovation. The renovated Python roller...

www.efteling.com

 

[Secret Weapon]

I’m no expert on Dutch planning regulations but surely you’d seek permission before removing the existing ride?

Maybe Efteling spoke to the Dutch government off the record and were told that they probably wouldn't be allowed to build a new ride, and so their best bet would simply be to refurbish the existing one instead?

I think Drayton Manor has a similar issue, as they are somehow aware that they probably can't replace Shockwave due to its proximity to nearby houses and so chose to refurbish it to The Wave instead (by contrast, they scrapped Apocalypse and Pandemonium and may struggle to ever get permission for similar rides again - but this was a sacrifice that they were apparently willing to make).

Then again: I tend to think that planning restrictions loosen over time (rather than tighten*), as technology improves (e.g. noise dampening), people's fears are allayed, people's attitudes change (especially if they move into an area with the full knowledge that there is now a theme park nearby, which the original residents did not), and they see the economic benefits of the park, and thus perhaps Efteling could have built a new ride instead?

(*I realise that this isn't always true, as I suspect that Drayton Manor's neighbours possibly got fussier over time, given that they didn't tend to object to Sky Flyer in 1989, but had begun complaining about Pandemonium and Cyclone decades later)

EDIT: I haven't ridden Python, but its layout looks more interesting than Corkscrew, which may be why they chose to save it?

 

[Bowser]

Maybe Efteling spoke to the Dutch government off the record and were told that they probably wouldn't be allowed to build a new ride, and so their best bet would simply be to refurbish the existing one instead?

I think Drayton Manor has a similar issue, as they are somehow aware that they probably can't replace Shockwave due to its proximity to nearby houses and so chose to refurbish it to The Wave instead (by contrast, they scrapped Apocalypse and Pandemonium and may struggle to ever get permission for similar rides again - but this was a sacrifice that they were apparently willing to make).

Then again: I tend to think that planning restrictions loosen over time (rather than tighten*), as technology improves (e.g. noise dampening), people's fears are allayed, people's attitudes change (especially if they move into an area with the full knowledge that there is now a theme park nearby, which the original residents did not), and they see the economic benefits of the park, and thus perhaps Efteling could have built a new ride instead?

(*I realise that this isn't always true, as I suspect that Drayton Manor's neighbours possibly got fussier over time, given that they didn't tend to object to Sky Flyer in 1989, but had begun complaining about Pandemonium and Cyclone decades later)

And as Phantasialand have shown, if you’re creative you can still build some of the world’s best coasters in spite of urban planning restrictions… though a healthy budget helps.

 

[Josh555]

Do any of you think Corkscrew removal was a mistake when it could of been refurbished like Python was at Efteling

No.

It’s remembered fondly and deservedly so for its place in the history of the park but it really is mostly nostalgia .

It really wasn’t that good of a ride.

 

[MaxPower]

It should've been removed when Rita got put in as it was trash even by 2005.

 

[Secret Weapon]

I think I only rode Corkscrew once - around 2004 (over 10 years after I first rode Nemesis)

I remember being impressed with it, because the track seemed so much bigger than Python at Drayton Manor (which is the ride that I compared it to - not the B&M beasts at AT)

But, looking back at POVs of the ride now, the layout seems very dull (other than the 2 corkscrews) and needlessly long

Even by 1980s standards, the ride looks more boring than the standard Vekoma Boomerang type, and less punchy than the Thunder Looper (although I sadly have never ridden either, so cannot verify this)

I was disappointed when it went (especially as I found its replacement underwhelming), but I also remember being surprised at the huge nostalgia rush and celebrations when it closed, for the simple reason that it was a generic clone ride (even the name itself was unoriginal), and I believe there was still another 'Corkscrew' ride at Flamingo Land at the time, that people could still have gone to?

 

[John_P]

Last time I rode Corkscrew was Rita's first season, Rita had its queue lines completely full whilst Corkscrew was walk on, so was able to lap it a few times.

Was a great coaster for the park to put it on the map, but it was time for them to move on from it when they removed it.