Monorail Refurbishment

[Dave]

Just a point on the falling onto the track monorail versus railway station. Although you don’t want it to happen in either scenario, at a railway station so long as there isn’t a train coming you have a 4 foot drop on to relatively flat surfaces. The drop on the towers monorail platform is closer to 8ft and you will probably hit the beam on you way down. It’s not really comparable.

Here's a reason to not use EV buses. And it's at a theme park too. Admittedly, this was probably due to the extreme Floridian heat but based on what we've had this summer and could start getting in future summers, are EV buses in their current form something Towers would want to invest in given that in extreme heat they'd probably have to stop using them to keep them cool? The guy in the video even asks why Universal don't install a people mover/monorail as they're much safer!


From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HahhrLWZBKE

Pretty much every other week a diesel lorry catches fire on the M62, yet we all happily get into diesel vehicles. This obsession with electric vehicles catching fire is weird, yes it happens but to no greater extent than ICE vehicles. Fact is however you store and transfer energy into motion there is a risk of fire.

 

[DiogoJ42]

I think the trouble with EVs is that once a lithium battery burns, it cannot be put out. You just have to let it burn.

And as far as people who FAFO on a platform to get a selfie, or whatever, goes..... Well, there's a famous quote from James T Kirk about Klingons, that I feel applies.

 

[Kraken27]

Buses / land trains can work. Just look at the sheer number of guests that Disney (in particular) move around on them in a day, between car parks & TTC / park entrances. This obviously excludes the park to park / hotel bus system. On a much smaller scale, look at Universal too.

It's all a matter of the size of Merlins' cheque book. Either invest in a pretty decrepit monorail system to keep it running, or go for option B - land trains. It's not as though Alton Towers hasn't had land trains or buses in the past - they have had both.

 

[Hid]

How long has it been since the Cow Train ran haven't seen that one either in years

 

[Slugjc]

And as far as people who FAFO on a platform to get a selfie, or whatever, goes..... Well, there's a famous quote from James T Kirk about Klingons, that I feel applies.

Je will never forgive them for killing his son?

Buses / land trains can work. Just look at the sheer number of guests that Disney (in particular) move around on them in a day, between car parks & TTC / park entrances. This obviously excludes the park to park / hotel bus system. On a much smaller scale, look at Universal too.

The difference In scale is fundamentally different.

 

[DiogoJ42]

Je will never forgive them for killing his son?

... Sure, let's go with that.

 

[Skyscraper]

I think the trouble with EVs is that once a lithium batter burns, it cannot be put out. You just have to let it burn.

Electric fish and chips? Buzzing

 

[Squiggs]

It's not as though Alton Towers hasn't had land trains or buses in the past - they have had both.

Always worth remembering that they have only really used buses for small scale events during the closed season. And the reason they got a Monorail in the first place was in part because the land trains weren’t suited to the terrain and road systems at the Towers.

 

[flyingguitar]

Just a point on the falling onto the track monorail versus railway station. Although you don’t want it to happen in either scenario, at a railway station so long as there isn’t a train coming you have a 4 foot drop on to relatively flat surfaces. The drop on the towers monorail platform is closer to 8ft and you will probably hit the beam on you way down. It’s not really comparable.

I would agree with this, i think there are a few reasons AT dosn't allow people on the platform:

compared to rollercoasters trains are more injury prone, thus they want to keep all their rides at a similarly relitivly fool proof saftey system

train tracks and the monorail are differnt things, train tracks require a 4 ft drop but the monorail tracks are barely a 1/2 foot drop from station level, in addition the top of the rail is flat, this can make it seem like you could easily just walk onto the track and over to the exit side. It is quite stupid for people to do this, however given that groups of teenagers may be riding this, daring / pressuring someone to walk on the rail.

as I mentioned, the people at railway stations are differnt from at AT, one wants to get somewhere the other wants fun, in addition because of young people they may mess about and think that because the monorail trains are small (compared to a train they are tiny) they are easy to stop.


The thing with the monorail is, the track is probably one of the most expensive part, which they already have, and because it is a steel on rubber connection, they probably won't wear down much within its current running life.

the trains may break down but you can buy new trains, and in comparison to an electric bus the price of just the trains is probably not too far off for a similar pph (electric buses are expensive due to the required amount of batteries) and the running costs are likely lower (not having to get dedicated drivers, just attendants, less people required to opperate, etc)

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

I would agree with this, i think there are a few reasons AT dosn't allow people on the platform:

compared to rollercoasters trains are more injury prone, thus they want to keep all their rides at a similarly relitivly fool proof saftey system

train tracks and the monorail are differnt things, train tracks require a 4 ft drop but the monorail tracks are barely a 1/2 foot drop from station level, in addition the top of the rail is flat, this can make it seem like you could easily just walk onto the track and over to the exit side. It is quite stupid for people to do this, however given that groups of teenagers may be riding this, daring / pressuring someone to walk on the rail.

as I mentioned, the people at railway stations are differnt from at AT, one wants to get somewhere the other wants fun, in addition because of young people they may mess about and think that because the monorail trains are small (compared to a train they are tiny) they are easy to stop.

Neatly forgetting that for most of its history the Monorail operated with passengers waiting on the platform.

 

[flyingguitar]

Neatly forgetting that for most of its history the Monorail operated with passengers waiting on the platform.

not really, I was essentially saying in some aspects the monorail is more risky as it appears as more safe compared to a train.

I also pointed out that merlin would probably want the ride to be as safe as their rollercoasters (which are more safe than trains statistically)

I would honestly be very surprised if someone hasn't tried to jump over the monorail track

it is changing safety practices happens in every industry.

 

[DiogoJ42]

At least 60 of the 84 pages in this topic would not exist if they'd just fit some frelling air gates.

 

[Dave]

At least 60 of the 84 pages in this topic would not exist if they'd just fit some frelling air gates.

60% of all the Towers pages in this forum wouldn’t exist if they maintained the majority of the resort so I feel this is a lost cause….

 

[QTXAdsy]

60% of all the Towers pages in this forum wouldn’t exist if they maintained the majority of the resort so I feel this is a lost cause….

Would have made this forum a blissful life and not dealing with such discourse...why can't we have nice things?

 

[Squiggs]

why can't we have nice things?

Generally because they cost around 10% more than Merlin is willing to budget.

 

[DiogoJ42]

Generally because they cost around 10% more than Merlin is willing to budget.

I tried to work that out. I don't think my calculator likes anything involving "÷" and "0", no matter what order you type them in.

 

[Poisson]

Alstom now have an empty shed in Derby as the Cairo Monorail project is finished. Wonder if they could rebuild or replace some rolling stock?

 

[Hid]

Why doesn't the Monorail Sidings have a shed over the top to store the trains to protect them from the elements even when the Monorail was first built it never had them would prevent them getting dirty so quick.