• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

[202X] Project Horizon (SW9?): Planning Approved

Two new Raptors have been confirmed by RMC and will be built internationally, I.e outside the USA. Could one of them be for Project Horizon?

IMG_0778.jpeg
Screenshot taken from RMC’s website.
 
s_g_k said:
Two new Raptors have been confirmed by RMC and will be built internationally, I.e outside the USA. Could one of them be for Project Horizon?

IMG_0778.jpeg
Screenshot taken from RMC’s website.
Click to expand...
At least one of those projects will probably be Walibi Holland’s previously announced dueling Raptor project. It could possibly even be both, seeing as Walibi’s ride is apparently encapsulating both a non-inverting Raptor for families and an inverting Raptor for thrill seekers.

A Raptor could be compact enough to fit in the space, though…
 
Steve74 said:
[tongue firmly in cheek as I type this] watched a vlog today and at this point look what I noticed:

1695849344521.png

I'm sure they're just enthusiasts wearing them to try get noticed to stir the rumour mill even more but never the less, I thought I'd point it out. I was there in that crowd too that evening and didn't even notice them!

Taken from this vlog:


From: https://youtu.be/wB-WN5tCKEI?si=IdABWZ0-gICatsiD
Click to expand...

Some right idiots dancing on the tables towards the end of that video...

We too noticed people in RMC t-shirts on park that day, top trolling from them!
 
Rob said:
Some right idiots dancing on the tables towards the end of that video...

We too noticed people in RMC t-shirts on park that day, top trolling from them!
Click to expand...
Yeah on the day I noticed there were a lot of people on the tables and barely a member of security in sight! In previous years, they've always been walking round telling people to get down off the tables. But it was a bloody good atmosphere there though at the end!
 
With regards to project horizon potential being a raptor, if this was a nod to black hole, those trains were single rows as well…i think i’m clutching at straws here ha.
 
Thinking of the Raptor idea, do we think this model would be too low a throughput for a major new attraction at the park?

Even though The Black Hole was technically single file, you were still sat “with” your partner/friend etc. Would riding in a restraint in single file put some people off? This is probably a personal opinion of mine but when me and my wife ride a coaster together we want to be next to each other sharing the experience. Christ, that might be the most lovey thing I’ve ever said 😂
 
s_g_k said:
Thinking of the Raptor idea, do we think this model would be too low a throughput for a major new attraction at the park?

Even though The Black Hole was technically single file, you were still sat “with” your partner/friend etc. Would riding in a restraint in single file put some people off? This is probably a personal opinion of mine but when me and my wife ride a coaster together we want to be next to each other sharing the experience. Christ, that might be the most lovey thing I’ve ever said 😂
Click to expand...

But you will still ride it, right?
 
s_g_k said:
Thinking of the Raptor idea, do we think this model would be too low a throughput for a major new attraction at the park?
Click to expand...
Capacity isn’t great, but i don’t think it would be truly horrendous with decent sized trains and continuous loading operation (how Six Flags operate their raptors). However, I’m not convinced a UK park would operate one in this way for safety reasons - maybe if it had a conveyor belt floor similar to Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, but that’s not been done on a raptor before and would be costly and probably require a lot of staffing. That’s also before you consider things like required station platform length and the logistics of fitting that in the building. With conventional loading (park, unload, load, dispatch) it would be incredibly poor indeed, no matter the length of the train.

I really don’t think a raptor is likely - getting one at even an acceptable capacity in that building is a gargantuan task, and there’s far more achievable and cost effective options than a raptor of that scale from other manufacturers (or even RMC themselves).
 
Leigh said:
However, I’m not convinced a UK park would operate one in this way for safety reasons - maybe if it had a conveyor belt floor similar to Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, but that’s not been done on a raptor before and would be costly and probably require a lot of staffing. That’s also before you consider things like required station platform length and the logistics of fitting that in the building. With conventional loading (park, unload, load, dispatch) it would be incredibly poor indeed, no matter the length of the train.
Click to expand...

Do you mean, that they wouldn't operate it in exactly the same way they operate another coaster in the park, where the trains don't stop in the station? There is nothing unsafe about loading this way, the trains go very slow, it boosts capacity and it's not like they can't stop if need be. The public have had no issues getting on and off non stop coaster cars, in the same themepark, with Spinball Whizzer. No moving platform. No issues. 19 years loading this way. There is absolutely no reason why it wouldn't work here either. Safety concerns would be a non starter as it's already tried, tested and proven in the same park.

The building is much larger than you think, there would be no logistical issues in trying to fit a continuous loading station in the building if they did choose this ride type.

For context, Six Flags Magic Mountains Raptor with 12 seater trains has a station length of around 27 meters. This length also accommodates the time needed to load and unload the trains on a moving platform.

Horizons building is so big, you could not only fit this station into the building, you could orientate it against the shortest side of the building which is 46m. You could even add extra rows and still comfortably fit it in. Placing the station against the longest sides of the building would allow you to very easily double the train length to 24 rows, bringing the station size to 54m, you could even go longer than that. The building is 71m in length.

If they did build something like this however, I could see them potentially getting duel stations rather than continuous loading. There is way more than enough room in that building, this would boost the capacity way more than non stop loading would. Never been done no, pretty sure they would do it on request however, besides, it is not like Alton Towers are strangers to testing out brand new ride technology and features, they are one of the world leaders in this respect.

The advantage of building a ride like a Raptor in there, is the track footprint is small, you will fit ALOT of ride inside that building if you wished. More so than most if not all Intamins too.

I'm unsure what we will get to be honest. Unsure what I would prefer either. I'm pretty sure it will feature a launch of some sort however, regardless of the ride type.

An indoor Raptor has the potential to be an incredible ride though.
 
Last edited:
What if it was an Intamin single rail with a launch? If Horizon doesn't end up being a raptor, would one fit in the Spinball space? What if horizon has a spinning element and renders Spinball redundant? We have a nice raptor space there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top