Drayton Manor Park

[Matt N]

To be honest, 2018 me would have been a bit stunned that I was able to re-ride it in 2022 under a new Viking-themed alias… I remember making special effort to ride Buffalo in 2018 on the pretence that it was “being removed imminently”…

Out of interest, what sort of throughput does Jormungandr do? I didn’t get the opportunity to time, but I’d imagine that it could be quite decent compared to some of Drayton’s others, what with a big 36-seat train and a ride duration of no more than 2 minutes. With that being said, I’d imagine the load/unload time is at least as long as the ride time, if not longer, which would equate to a throughput of no more than about 540pph, or a train every 4 minutes… so I’m not really sure, as I didn’t get the opportunity to time it. Does anyone have any insight or previous timings?

 

[JAperson]

To be honest, 2018 me would have been a bit stunned that I was able to re-ride it in 2022 under a new Viking-themed alias… I remember making special effort to ride Buffalo in 2018 on the pretence that it was “being removed imminently”…

I still think it's likely it will be gone within a few years, they clearly just didn't want it sticking out like a saw thumb. I think it's a good thing they've done that but with the state the actual ride hardware is in I still don't think it will last that much longer.

 

[Matt N]

OK, I may have grossly underestimated Jormungandr’s ride duration… having watched the POV from TPW, its ride duration is actually 3m 8s, so even if you dispatched again as soon as the train stopped and took any kind of load/unload time out of the equation, the throughput would only be 689 riders per hour…

With that in mind, I’m very surprised it even does two laps… one lap was taking comfortably over a minute, which is longer than I’d have expected from a two-lap powered coaster. I’m not even sure RMT is that long per lap…

 

[Skyscraper]

OK, I may have grossly underestimated Jormungandr’s ride duration… having watched the POV from TPW, its ride duration is actually 3m 8s, so even if you dispatched again as soon as the train stopped and took any kind of load/unload time out of the equation, the throughput would only be 689 riders per hour…

With that in mind, I’m very surprised it even does two laps… one lap was taking comfortably over a minute, which is longer than I’d have expected from a two-lap powered coaster. I’m not even sure RMT is that long per lap…

Bear in mind that it still has manual restraints too, with a rope that the op has to secure in a fastening on the side of the train.

 

[Matt N]

Bear in mind that it's still has manual restraints too, with a rope that the op has to secure in a fastening on the side of the train.

Yes, that will be a major factor that will reduce the throughput… I’d be very surprised if the average park time was any less than 2-3 minutes. I certainly remember it being parked for a fairly long time, and given that the ride duration is a bit over 3 minutes, I’d peg the throughput at no more than 12 trains per hour/432 riders per hour (a train every 5 minutes, with the ride taking 3 minutes and the load/unload taking 2 minutes), and that’s probably somewhere on the optimistic side.

I don’t know if anyone more experienced with Drayton than myself has any insight as to what the actual throughput is, but that’s my personal guess.

 

[rob666]

Sorry Matt...your maths defies any logic.

OK, I may have grossly underestimated Jormungandr’s ride duration… having watched the POV from TPW, its ride duration is actually 3m 8s, so even if you dispatched again as soon as the train stopped and took any kind of load/unload time out of the equation, the throughput would only be 689 riders per hour…

With that in mind, I’m very surprised it even does two laps… one lap was taking comfortably over a minute, which is longer than I’d have expected from a two-lap powered coaster. I’m not even sure RMT is that long per lap…

If you did not stop for load/unload, you would be getting an actual capacity of around 40 punters an hour, wouldn't you!

 

[Matt N]

Sorry Matt...your maths defies any logic.


If you did not stop for load/unload, you would be getting an actual capacity of around 40 punters an hour, wouldn't you!

Yes, it would technically be 36 riders per hour if you didn’t stop.

Sorry, I should have clarified; I did that maths assuming that you’d refill the train with new riders each lap, but in no load/unload time. That isn’t technically possible, but this is to try and work out the very maximum possible capacity, which would in theory be attained by just sending trains eternally right on the very second they can be sent, which would just send trains every 3m 8s in Buffalo’s case. Perhaps a better way of putting it would be “the maximum capacity would be the number of cycles equivalent to a throughput of 689 riders per hour if the train was refilled each time”.

Does that make any sense? I think I explained that very badly the first time round… my bad.

 

[rob666]

I understood you completely, doing my usual leg pulling.
But your "theoretical" capacity simply isn't, is it?!
In theory, it can't carry that number of people per hour, ever.
There is absolutely no logic, if you do not allow unloading and loading, your "capacity" becomes a meaningless false figure that can never be achieved.

 

[Matt N]

I understood you completely, doing my usual leg pulling.
But your "theoretical" capacity simply isn't, is it?!
In theory, it can't carry that number of people per hour, ever.
There is absolutely no logic, if you do not allow unloading and loading, your "capacity" becomes a meaningless false figure that can never be achieved.

Oh, absolutely; it would never attain that figure in the real world, simply because load/unload time of some description will always exist. Not even Zamperla’s theoretical capacity would be that high. The figure I specified above would only be achieved if you automatically filled the ride with new guests as soon as it stopped and sent it again, which is not possible in any way, shape or form.

I’ll see if I can find any sort of load/unload time estimate from Zamperla, and I’ll try and work out a theoretical capacity…

 

[rob666]

To be honest, 2018 me would have been a bit stunned that I was able to re-ride it in 2022 under a new Viking-themed alias… I remember making special effort to ride Buffalo in 2018 on the pretence that it was “being removed imminently”…

Out of interest, what sort of throughput does Jormungandr do? I didn’t get the opportunity to time, but I’d imagine that it could be quite decent compared to some of Drayton’s others, what with a big 36-seat train and a ride duration of no more than 2 minutes. With that being said, I’d imagine the load/unload time is at least as long as the ride time, if not longer, which would equate to a throughput of no more than about 540pph, or a train every 4 minutes… so I’m not really sure, as I didn’t get the opportunity to time it. Does anyone have any insight or previous timings?

I might have said this once or twice before...but a park manager told me around the millennium that the ride was being removed very soon because it was clapped out, to make way for a new coaster over the lake.
Twenty years later, it gets a cheap paint job.

 

[Matt N]

I might have said this once or twice before...but a park manager told me around the millennium that the ride was being removed very soon because it was clapped out, to make way for a new coaster over the lake.
Twenty years later, it gets a cheap paint job.

It was on the chopping block 20 years ago? Wow… things must have seriously changed at the park since then for it to have stayed so long!

On the throughput debate, Zamperla’s website describes the theoretical load/unload time for a Powered Coaster as 60 seconds for a 16 rider train, which would scale up to around 135 seconds on Jormungandr’s 36 rider train. With this in mind, the theoretical capacity, taking into account the 188 second ride duration and the 135 second theoretical load/unload time, would probably be around 401 riders per hour, or slightly over 11 trains per hour. An exact 11 trains per hour (or a train roughly every 5m 27s on average) would equate to 396 riders per hour.

 

[Ciaran]

It was on the chopping block 20 years ago? Wow… things must have seriously changed at the park since then for it to have stayed so long!

On the throughput debate, Zamperla’s website describes the theoretical load/unload time for a Powered Coaster as 60 seconds for a 16 rider train, which would scale up to around 135 seconds on Jormungandr’s 36 rider train. With this in mind, the theoretical capacity, taking into account the 188 second ride duration and the 135 second theoretical load/unload time, would probably be around 401 riders per hour, or slightly over 11 trains per hour. An exact 11 trains per hour (or a train roughly every 5m 27s on average) would equate to 396 riders per hour.

Don't forget that Zamperla will be basing those figures off of their newer models of Powered Coaster, not their models from 30+ years ago. These models will have updated restraint systems which I imagine will have higher throughput times. I also imagine that a lot of these Powered Coasters will have air gates, which allow for faster boarding. Drayton's loading procedures have never been great across all of their rides. Take Shockwave for example, the dispatch times are abysmal. I counted 6+ minutes per dispatch last season.

 

[Matt N]

Don't forget that Zamperla will be basing those figures off of their newer models of Powered Coaster, not their models from 30+ years ago. These models will have updated restraint systems which I imagine will have higher throughput times. I also imagine that a lot of these Powered Coasters will have air gates, which allow for faster boarding. Drayton's loading procedures have never been great across all of their rides. Take Shockwave for example, the dispatch times are abysmal. I counted 6+ minutes per dispatch last season.

That is true; do they not still have manual restraints, then?

Yes, I only got Shockwave at around 300pph (or a train roughly every 4.5 minutes or so) on my most recent visit. During the 15 minutes or so I was sat eating lunch on my most recent visit, only 3 trains went by. In fairness, though, I'd imagine that the convoluted loading procedure of a standup coaster probably doesn't help matters there.

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

Yeah before G-Force opened they wanted a launched coaster over the lake think it was gonna be called Barnstormer or that was its code name but they didn’t have the funds so they went for a cheaper coaster in G-Force.
Is Jormungandr speed controlled by a computer or manually by the op? As if the motor was knacked why would it only Speed up on the Helix’s.

 

[Charliemoore93]

We go to Drayton once a month. When the buffalo opened as Jormungandr it was running a two lap cycle but we have noticed that past couple of times we have been on quiet days that the train was only doing one cycle.

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

Went to the park today. Forgot my phone to take pictures anyway.
I can understand why they offering a free return offer on August tickets as I couldn’t understand how quiet it was today for the main school holidays.
Apocalypse floorless was still closed so that pic on FB must be a old picture.
Loki got 3 members of staff now and loading/unloading was quite fast.
They put a fence up across the walk way from Pandemonium to Jormungandr with the foundations gone in for a new gate to go in.
The Haunting in the Skeleton room the left skeleton was missing. Also the main ride was having audio problems.
The rapids non of the jets were on at the end but think the pumps have been cranked up as both times I went on it today in the tunnel area got soaked.
Went on stormforce 10 also for the 1st time this year and OMG I was soaked from head to toe.
The Reptile house has had a lot of work done on there enclosures with some new animals been added.
I notice the entertainment staff get moved around a lot as 1 of the Sir Topham Hatt was a Viking today and in between shows the girl who is rusty was also walking around adventure cove with Rory.

 

[Skyscraper]

I'm a bit worried about the free return visit thing. I'm going on the 19th September, which fall within that window, so if it's packed with people redeeming the offer I won't be happy. I'm specifically going in September because it's usually extremely quiet as the schools have just gone back. Plus it's my parents wedding anniversary, so my sister and I chose that date so our parents can do something special together.

 

[AT86]

I wouldn’t worry about it, you’ll be fine.

It’s primarily a family park and the kids will be in school, so free ticket or not, it’s unlikely they will be redeemed in any significant number on the day you are visiting.

 

[DistortAMG]

Went to the park today. Forgot my phone to take pictures anyway.
I can understand why they offering a free return offer on August tickets as I couldn’t understand how quiet it was today for the main school holidays.
Apocalypse floorless was still closed so that pic on FB must be a old picture.
Loki got 3 members of staff now and loading/unloading was quite fast.
They put a fence up across the walk way from Pandemonium to Jormungandr with the foundations gone in for a new gate to go in.
The Haunting in the Skeleton room the left skeleton was missing. Also the main ride was having audio problems.
The rapids non of the jets were on at the end but think the pumps have been cranked up as both times I went on it today in the tunnel area got soaked.
Went on stormforce 10 also for the 1st time this year and OMG I was soaked from head to toe.
The Reptile house has had a lot of work done on there enclosures with some new animals been added.
I notice the entertainment staff get moved around a lot as 1 of the Sir Topham Hatt was a Viking today and in between shows the girl who is rusty was also walking around adventure cove with Rory.

You cannot turn the pumps up or down on the rapids. They have a set flow rate. In any case, turning them up, contrary to what many people think, make the rapids less rapidy. Having more water flowing over the pipes strapped to the channel base will dilute the turbulence created by the pipes.

If you turned a pump off to make the rapids more rapidy, the turntable and lift would very quickly stop automatically. Due to the water level sensors being activated.

SF10 is a soaker isn't it. I have a specific set of trainers at home now just for that ride. I have let them dry out and they are rock hard, says a lot about the water. Ah well, it is great fun.

I'm a bit worried about the free return visit thing. I'm going on the 19th September, which fall within that window, so if it's packed with people redeeming the offer I won't be happy. I'm specifically going in September because it's usually extremely quiet as the schools have just gone back. Plus it's my parents wedding anniversary, so my sister and I chose that date so our parents can do something special together.

I would not worry too much. The park is very quiet apparently, so there will not be too many people picking up the offer. Plus, they have a range of dates to choose from, meaning your day is even less likely to be affected by crowds.

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

You cannot turn the pumps up or down on the rapids. They have a set flow rate. In any case, turning them up, contrary to what many people think, make the rapids less rapidy. Having more water flowing over the pipes strapped to the channel base will dilute the turbulence created by the pipes.

If you turned a pump off to make the rapids more rapidy, the turntable and lift would very quickly stop automatically. Due to the water level sensors being activated.

SF10 is a soaker isn't it. I have a specific set of trainers at home now just for that ride. I have let them dry out and they are rock hard, says a lot about the water. Ah well, it is great fun.


I would not worry too much. The park is very quiet apparently, so there will not be too many people picking up the offer. Plus, they have a range of dates to choose from, meaning your day is even less likely to be affected by crowds.

I did think that but that’s the 1st time since it’s reopened I got wet. It hit the side so hard in the tunnel and a lot of water went down my back and you think how high the backs of the seats are now. I thought it was odd then went on it again and it soaked me and my daughter as they filled the boats yesterday.
Then she wanted to go on both water rides in Thomas land so we were soaked and I promised her at the end of the day that we go on stormforce 10.
I always promise her that we go on it once a year and she even regrets going on it.