Benjsh
TS Member
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It's years since I last went so I honestly can't remember what i got when I last visited. I really didn't enjoy my day though hence why I haven't been back in a long time.
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Drayton Manor Park
It's years since I last went so I honestly can't remember what i got when I last visited. I really didn't enjoy my day though hence why I haven't been back in a long time.
jon81uk
TS Member
Intamin have a product called the Suspended Twin Hammer, this would look incredible done to a Viking theme (maybe though they might think it was too similar a ride to Pandemonium but it would look awesome).
There’s one of these called Doomsday Destroyer at Warner Bros Movie World in Australia.
Thats surprisingly not as intense as it looks. I quite enjoyed it.
Less intense than I recall Pandemoniom being.
Shaggy_Dog_
TS Member
It’s operating in combo mode this season, it’s a fantastic ride and running really well, it packs way more of a punch than Ice Blast (and I found the drop more forceful than Apocalypse).
In the TPWW vlog from Mingo Land couple of months back Shawn was wondering if it had maybe had some work done to it in the off-season by S&S to get it running so nicely.
Skyscraper
TS Member
Yeah I'm really looking forward to experiencing it in combo mode when I go next month
Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
If they wanted a drop tower they could easily move
Vemon from WMSP
Or Jolly Roger from pleasure wood hills
Both could be easily be themed to fit into the vikings area.
Vemon from WMSP
Or Jolly Roger from pleasure wood hills
Both could be easily be themed to fit into the vikings area.
Shaggy_Dog_
TS Member
But then again if they did that they’d be taking a ride out of one of the other parks and so they’d have to replace it with something else. In that case they may as well just get a new ride in specifically for Drayton rather than losing one of the better rides from their other parks.
George W
TS Member
Staff member told us last year they were thinking about axing apocalypse and at some point replacing it with a much bigger drop tower.
Quite often worth chatting with a lot of the staff because they'll be more than happy to tell you insider information and gossip if it's quiet however never take it as gospel because I've been told many things that doesn't come to life.
Quite often worth chatting with a lot of the staff because they'll be more than happy to tell you insider information and gossip if it's quiet however never take it as gospel because I've been told many things that doesn't come to life.
Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
From talking to Staff at the safari park they know the safari and the other animals is the main reason guests go to the park so it wouldn’t suprise me they they decided to remove the amusement park and add more animal experiences.
Shaggy_Dog_
TS Member
You know I was actually thinking if it might be an idea one day for Drayton to actually lose the zoo (seeing as some of the enclosures aren’t great and it probably costs them a lot of money in animal upkeep) and just concentrate on being a theme park and benefit from being able to use the extra space.
I think having the amusement park at WMSP isn’t actually a bad thing, but you never know, certainly the Monkey Mayhem spinning coaster would go down a treat at DM if they ever did decide to move the amusement rides across.
Willemgorman1
TS Member
DistortAMG
TS Member
Are we back here again, has no one in here recently been reading and learning from the Duel thread? Seems like we go around in circles. Suppose this sort of discussion has done, for decades...
Regardless of what their social media team say, Shockwave is reaching the end of it's working life. As are the other major coasters that were built at the same time in the UK.
The difference between those and Shockwave however, is those rides have had or are going to have MAJOR engineering works to extend their lift. Shockwave on the other hand has been cannabilizing it's second train to keep the other one limping on.
Whatever way you look at it, it is going to need major works soon to keep it going. Will looping spend that or not. Who knows. They have chosen not to with Apocalpse, which to be fair is probably a more extreme ride. But, that fact, along with the cannabalising of it's second train, paints a rather bleak picture.
Actions speak louder than words. Always.
Regardless of what their social media team say, Shockwave is reaching the end of it's working life. As are the other major coasters that were built at the same time in the UK.
The difference between those and Shockwave however, is those rides have had or are going to have MAJOR engineering works to extend their lift. Shockwave on the other hand has been cannabilizing it's second train to keep the other one limping on.
Whatever way you look at it, it is going to need major works soon to keep it going. Will looping spend that or not. Who knows. They have chosen not to with Apocalpse, which to be fair is probably a more extreme ride. But, that fact, along with the cannabalising of it's second train, paints a rather bleak picture.
Actions speak louder than words. Always.
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BigShadowtinytree
TS Member
Good to know that there doesn’t seem to be any plans to remove Shockwave in the near future at least, although I still think it’s days are numbered. I can’t see it getting a retrack or anything like that but happy to be proven wrong. Time will tell.
I haven’t ridden it in a good while as my visits to Drayton over the last few years have been focussed on my kids and the rides they can go on. Going to make an effort to get on it on my next visit. Hopefully in the next month or two, new cred for my other half too - he recently discovered that he actually likes coasters, so has a lot of catching up to do.
Also hoping apocalypse doesn’t give up the ghost completely before I can get on it one last time. Would have been cool to have done stand up floorless as I’ve never done that side, but that is looking very unlikely.
I haven’t ridden it in a good while as my visits to Drayton over the last few years have been focussed on my kids and the rides they can go on. Going to make an effort to get on it on my next visit. Hopefully in the next month or two, new cred for my other half too - he recently discovered that he actually likes coasters, so has a lot of catching up to do.
Also hoping apocalypse doesn’t give up the ghost completely before I can get on it one last time. Would have been cool to have done stand up floorless as I’ve never done that side, but that is looking very unlikely.
Stand up floorless was working on my last visit in May but heard it was down more recently. Stand-up seems to be completely dead now but stand-up floorless may reopen before end of season. Depends what's wrong with it I guess. Going Saturday so will get lots of rides on Apocalypse then. The new ride will have a big void to fill. I'm hoping Looping know that though. They must be aware it's still a very popular ride in the park. Pandemonium and G Force people were less bothered about. Pirates on the other hand...
BigShadowtinytree
TS Member
What ever takes its place certainly will have a lot to live up to. I really hope Looping have something good up their sleeve for that area of the park.
Don’t get me started on Pirates! I would give my soul for that to be revamped and brought back some day. The park needs a decent dark ride. I’m sure that discussion has been done to death on here though!
Don’t get me started on Pirates! I would give my soul for that to be revamped and brought back some day. The park needs a decent dark ride. I’m sure that discussion has been done to death on here though!
Themeparksandy1981
TS Member
Shockwave may have a new design train in the future. It’s hard to say when it will be removed when the looping group has re-themed a 35 year old coaster.
Skyscraper
TS Member
Only issue is they are only two-across, so would reduce Shockwave's capacity. Wouldn't be too bad if it ran more than one train!
With some modifications to the ride system, the ride could easily accommodate dual trains. The ride used to run two trains a good few years ago, but I believe they stopped this after The Smiler accident happened as the trains were manually dispatched with no proper block sections.
DistortAMG
TS Member
I think Shockwave is going to need much more than a new train though. Seeing that both of the other 1994 major coasters are having large scale track re works. It would be safe to assume that Shockwave will at least need at least some type of track work, as is common with almost every old coaster. Even though it is nothing special, the ride does pull some forces at parts, which will be transferred on to the track and structure. So I think it is much more than just replacing the aging trains.
As far as I am aware, there has not been any substantial track work on the ride to date.
That said, even with it's height requirement, it does fit the top end of the 'family thrill' spectrum I would say. So who knows. Personally, I could not imagine a Drayton without it, it would look weird not seeing that ride at that end of the park.
The ride operates at least 3 block sections. Trains have stopped at the top of the lift hill before, waiting for trains to clear the end brake. (In testing mainly). I am not sure if the transfer and pre lift section is classed as a block. But the lift, main ride, and station are all block sections. Allowing 2 trains to safely run without colliding. You always need 1 more block than the amount of trains you are running. But the ride 100% does use a block section system. The block system also allows a train to be stopped by the main brake, before moving forward into the station but behind the loading section. This would clear the main ride block then allowing a train over the lift hill, before the train has fully parked in the loading platform. Nemesis has a similar setup, just they have a transfer track there instead. As in once the train clears the main stopping brakes, the previous block is considered clear, even though it is not in the station position just yet. So if a train were on Nemesis transfer track section, a train could crest the lift hill - in theory.
By 1994, Intamin and Giovanola were building block sections into pretty much every coaster they built. Especially large coasters like Shockwave.
As far as I am aware, there has not been any substantial track work on the ride to date.
That said, even with it's height requirement, it does fit the top end of the 'family thrill' spectrum I would say. So who knows. Personally, I could not imagine a Drayton without it, it would look weird not seeing that ride at that end of the park.
The ride operates at least 3 block sections. Trains have stopped at the top of the lift hill before, waiting for trains to clear the end brake. (In testing mainly). I am not sure if the transfer and pre lift section is classed as a block. But the lift, main ride, and station are all block sections. Allowing 2 trains to safely run without colliding. You always need 1 more block than the amount of trains you are running. But the ride 100% does use a block section system. The block system also allows a train to be stopped by the main brake, before moving forward into the station but behind the loading section. This would clear the main ride block then allowing a train over the lift hill, before the train has fully parked in the loading platform. Nemesis has a similar setup, just they have a transfer track there instead. As in once the train clears the main stopping brakes, the previous block is considered clear, even though it is not in the station position just yet. So if a train were on Nemesis transfer track section, a train could crest the lift hill - in theory.
By 1994, Intamin and Giovanola were building block sections into pretty much every coaster they built. Especially large coasters like Shockwave.
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