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Drayton Manor Park

Ian said:
The ride system was built by Mack, and it’s a fairly basic free-flow boat system.

There’s been a number of reasons suggested/rumoured for the closure, and it seems likely to be a combination of factors, but one of the main issues with the ride system itself is supposedly that the pumps are knackered.

The whole ride relies on the flow of water being pumped around the circuit to push the boats forward, but as the pumps age that flow is reduced. It not only slows the ride, but as we saw with the Dreamworld incident, can lower water levels which can cause issues with boats being able to move safely. The area I expect would be most impacted would be the bottom of the drop. If the water is too low you could end up with boats not having enough drag to slow them down and overspeeding out of the runoff.

I also don’t know what condition the boats themselves are in, but the last time I rode it before it closed (on a TS sandwich meet, maybe 2015?) there only seeemed to be 2/3 boats in service. We queued from the top of the ramp in the first room, but with no cattlepens at the end and it took what must have been 40-60 minutes or more before we boarded. I’ve never been in such a slow moving queue in all my life. I also seem to remember us getting absolutely drenched on it...
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The way the pumps work in this sort of ride are totally different to how the pumps operate on a log or rapid ride specifically. Rapids and log flumes work by having the pumps at the lowest point of the ride (usually the end). The pumps then bring the water back to the highest part of a ride (usually the station on rapids) the track then has a slight gradient along the whole course, this provides the water with flow. The pumps just provide water to the highest point and do not directly contribute to the waters flow. Consequently when the pumps are switched off, the majority of the track drains leaving a large body of water at the end of the ride near the pumps.

Free flow boat rides. Like Europas pirate ride that burnt down, and Pirate adventure have a huge body of water, like a lake. Still sitting. The guide track sits in this lake with no gradient what so ever. Inside that there are just pumps that pump water to give it directly a flow. Turn the pumps off the flow stops. But the body of water remains.

Infact this system is almost idential to how the Splash Battle ride works at Alton which is also Mack. The track sits in a constant body of water, just pumps create a flow in that water. With no gradient whatso ever in the track along the course. You will have also noticed with that, when the ride is closed the huge lake it sits in remains. Exactly the same with Pirate Adventure, except the lake is indoors. Infact with Pirate Adventure, like Splash Battle, the ride was never drained until closed season. Leaving most repair work to the pumps until closed season. Pirate Adventure actually has two static bodies of water. The main ground level one which the bulk of the ride sits in and the much much smaller upper level one. Both were static bodies of water and never drained at the end of the day.

I should hopefully have a pirate adventure layout to show tomorrow. Started on it, ive just been so busy.
 
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Don't want to divert the topic as I'm extremely invested in Pirate Adventure and may have some very interesting stuff to post soon (after this upcoming schema ^ is posted at least :) ) but I have a few questions about another major Drayton ride; Stormforce 10.
I know a fair bit about Stormforce already, but more so about general stuff like the ride system. From what I've heard, it used to have more effects than it currently has,so I was wondering if any of you were able to experience it when these effects were working? I'm talking going on it around 1999-2003, during the time when I was too young to experience it.
I've heard numerous stuff from reading about it over these past few months:
-Not so much a question but just something interesting I thought I'd share, the top of the lighthouse actually had (maybe still has) a large light that I remember once on a fireworks night before the display started actually created a beam that moved around in a circular path like a real lighthouse, I haven't seen it in recent years at all though
-The Oil Rig section where the backwards drop turntable in it looks like it has alarms like those on Apocalypse, was wondering if they were ever used? And I'm sure I heard something about smoke effects as the boats left the area to go down the drop, would love for someone to confirm this.
-Was the launchpad pre 2006 any different to the launchpad post 2010? Or was it simply a case of replacing worn out gears? The first time I went on it I'm sure it moved faster than it does now as I remember the whole thing was rather scary and unexpected.
-I know next to nothing on the construction story of this ride, I'd like to know how it was built so quickly, given the log flume was operating (as I understand it) right until the end of the 1998 season. If anyone has any stormforce construction pics, I would really want to see them.
 
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Well, my first trip to DMP was in 2000, but I'm not an expert on the place. Also, I was.... shall we say "far from sober"? ... That day. ;)

But there being smoke in the oil rig does ring a bell, if that helps?
 
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@Ciaran go for it - the number of fan created websites that have gone in the past decade is astonishing. I think in part because the 'official' websites got better and Facebook groups and the like created a new platform for discussion.

@Sauron97 the smoke machine was still in the rig until not that long ago under a very thick layer of dust!
 
Ciaran said:
I'm actually still in school and I am doing the GSCE Computer Science course. My controlled assessment is at the beginning of next year, I think I'll be very good at it since I have been doing Python for the past 6 years ;)
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Ah right. We might well be in the same year group then! But I've only been doing Python for 2 or 3 years, so that's probably why I don't understand some of your website code.
P.S. Sorry for going off-topic!
 
If I remember correctly, whilst both had the exact same layout, no. Python was closed for some critical safety reason or other, and replaced with the newer and well themed Klondike in 95.
I never went on Klondike (something to be thankful of I guess?) but I remember a conversation with a ride operator a while back who explained the whole thing was held down by a relatively small water tank in the middle of the ride, where all the supports conjoin! There are some things best not known when you go on a ride, and that is probably one of them! Just imagine if that water tank was accidentally moved!
 
It does indeed seem silly. But yeah that is what they did infact do.

Here is a rough layout of Pirate Adventure at D.M.P. The track layout is almost exact to what it is in real life. It is still very much a work in progress, I want to add actual scene layout to it going forward. The few sections of the layout I was unsure of, I reffered to POV's on Youtube where you can see the roof beams of the building, knowing the way they go you can then work out (pretty accurately) the orientation of the ride track. I have also added the indoor que line. You can see from this, that what used to be the Pirate Adventure shop, which you walked right into from the Exit. Is now the main Thomas Land shop.



EDIT: Directly before number 1, the light green bit of straight track. That is the lift hill, I forgot to add it to the key.
 
Nice work! That seems very accurate to the Pirate Adventure I know :) I noticed you did the queue line as well, with the ramp section and old town area next to the Onload section!
Hope you don't mind me using your image to point out a couple of interesting things we all forget @DistortAMG
I believe I briefly mentioned it before, back when it was one of the flagship rides at the park before Thomas Land was built, Pirate Adventure had a burger bar and a shop themed and dedicated to the ride.
I've highlighted in grey and orange where the Pirate Adventure shop and added exit path used to be respectively.
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I'm in the process of doing something Pirate Adventure related that I hope all of you will like. Might take a long while though. Watch this space!
 
It is great to see and no I don't mind, by all means. Yeah I remember before Thomas Land the ride used to exit into Robinsons land directly, before being divirted.
 
Where the lockers are by the indoor play area. Can you still walk up the Pirate Adventure exit area?

Also the Python and the gold mine were the same coaster just returned to turn the park into a theme park as back then it was classed as a amusement park.
I found a video of the current state of the coaster
It’s been turned back into traveling rollercoaster and the circle thing is filled with water again as It had rumber and stones inside it as theming at Drayton Manor.
 
Do the Bryans own Hayling Island Funland as well? Or do they just particularly like Drayton's rides?
 
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