[The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation

[Josh]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

Maybe they're not having the plaza there anymore? And the bit of pit left in the middle will be used for the exit/entry to the batwing element?

 

[Fredward]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

I'd laugh if the reason it is late is because they needed the space around enterprise and submission to properly get cracking and move track pieces around. You can see the dirt on the path around that area, so if they did just shut off that area of the park it will be used and construction may have started earlier.

Just food for thought, It could be all our fault for campaigning Enterprise and Submission to open.

 

[KingNemesis]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

I'd laugh if the reason it is late is because they needed the space around enterprise and submission to properly get cracking and move track pieces around. You can see the dirt on the path around that area, so if they did just shut off that area of the park it will be used and construction may have started earlier.

Just food for thought, It could be all our fault for campaigning Enterprise and Submission to open.

I think i mentioned that somewhere earlier in the year, We are our own worst enemy..

 

[Dylan]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

It's all going to be covered just with the entry and exit points for the track into the staffs knot i would guess, its the wedge of un-used pit that's interesting me as they could have just dug two trenches which would have been much cheaper.

As said this certainly is starting to move off-plan now.

I could never work out studying the plans and elevations, how a plaza and walkway under the staffs knot was every going to work due to clearance issues. Aside from landscaping in that area, I don't think it's really going to be very much different from the plans we have seen.

 

[Dar]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

If this isn't ready for park opening on March 16th, what are they going to do with X-Sector?

The picture shows they are using almost all of X-Sector for construction purposes and I doubt they could do any meaningful construction with the fences up where they were. Also, I can't imagine H&S being too happy with serious work being done so close to Oblivion when it's running.

The paths in and around X-Sector are a mess and I don't see how they can clean them up, and provide a separate pathway to just Oblivion.

I also assume that the track is coming in from the little access road near the toilets, meaning the path from Sonic Spinball would probably have to be closed as well.

Frankly, if this isn't ready for the 16th then I can't see X-Sector being open and I can't see the path from Spinball being open. That would be a massive PR disaster, one of the park's signature rides not running on opening day.

 

[CGM]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

I can't really see it being a 'PR Disaster'. Most people I know don't have a clue there is even going to be a new coaster next year. They haven't heavily marketed it to the public yet, the countdown has vanished from the mini-site. It's only us lot who are following construction, that are aware of these things. As has been mentioned before, plenty of new coasters around the world don't open on park opening day. It's really not a big deal if this is delayed (aside from people who have booked hotels I guess).

It depends just how late it is. If it's a few weeks, they could probably get away with opening late without causing too much of a stir. But if it's months behind and upon opening, the ride is plagued by technical issues that they haven't had chance to iron out which isn't that unlikely, Alton could be in a bit of trouble with the press.

The image uploaded today doesn't look to me like a coaster that's behind by a few weeks considering when it's supposed to open. I just can't understand how they let themselves get into this situation. There's so much left to do. Even when the track's finished, there's the electronics, pneumatics, the queueline and the theming. Then there's the testing and all of the safety checks that need to be carried out. These things can't be rushed and usually take a long time to do.

 

[Fredward]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

I'd laugh if the reason it is late is because they needed the space around enterprise and submission to properly get cracking and move track pieces around. You can see the dirt on the path around that area, so if they did just shut off that area of the park it will be used and construction may have started earlier.

Just food for thought, It could be all our fault for campaigning Enterprise and Submission to open.

I think i mentioned that somewhere earlier in the year, We are our own worst enemy..

I can't think of anything else that has gone massively wrong, weather has been pretty good thus far.

So unless a serious problem has emerged unseen to the public eye, I can't think of anything else.

I very much doubt Alton Towers would go to all this effort and potentially delaying the project just to hide the track construction from enthusiasts. I doubt they even care that we can see track going up.

Maybe the access road next to submission is the only road to carry heavy loads, only really we had landscaping while the park was open. So they couldn't start any track raising until the park is closed or if they closed 2 rides, but we being cynical fans only assumed they are closing them for money saving and complained till they re-opened. If thats the case...

 

[Dave]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

I could never work out studying the plans and elevations, how a plaza and walkway under the staffs knot was every going to work due to clearance issues. Aside from landscaping in that area, I don't think it's really going to be very much different from the plans we have seen.

We will see, though the lead-ins to the element are lower than on the plans based on those images.

As for X-Sector i do wonder if they will maybe have to have temporary access to Oblivion by creating a queue from the upper entrance into the area behind Fried Chicken... and going into the queue via one of the emergency exits. I can definitely see Subs and Ents being closed.

As long as they knock the entrance price down a bit i can live with that too.

 

[Dar]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

Also, from looking at the image, it seems like the area next to the goalstriker building is being used as some form of storage area.

Depending on just how far behind they are, where will they store any excess track (lol), steel work, theming, or concrete slabs? I imagine they can't keep using the coach and staff car parks!

A large area of that corner would have to be closed off.

I imagine, if it is as behind as most of us are thinking, there is a project manager sitting a dark room with the door locked, hoping they don't come looking for him!

 

[Scott]

Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

I'd suggest that they provide all those who visit while SW7 is closed a voucher for £5 or £10 entry next time they come so they have a chance to '#getcorrected' or whatever. They would pretty much guarantee people coming back then.

As for Ents and Subs, they may have needed them closed at the end of the season - and nobody would have moaned about that. What was ridiculous was the thought of them being closed for the whole year! Something I don't believe would have been necessary.

Also, it looks like Blivvy is set to #getneglected again


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk.

 

[Dave]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

Though i do think most actual "construction" will be done by the 16th, it will be queue-lines and theming that will need to be finished during open season.

 

[Fredward]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

I'd suggest that they provide all those who visit while SW7 is closed a voucher for £5 or £10 entry next time they come so they have a chance to '#getcorrected' or whatever. They would pretty much guarantee people coming back then.

They did that when Th13teen had it's little ill stage a week or so after opening, so I can see them doing this again. Depends if they clearly advertise it as not going to open on the 16th soon. There's already been an almost fully booked hotel for that date and they need a new opening date to give those people a chance to reorganise there stay.

 

[Tim]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

I'd laugh if the reason it is late is because they needed the space around enterprise and submission to properly get cracking and move track pieces around. You can see the dirt on the path around that area, so if they did just shut off that area of the park it will be used and construction may have started earlier.

Just food for thought, It could be all our fault for campaigning Enterprise and Submission to open.

I think i mentioned that somewhere earlier in the year, We are our own worst enemy..

I can't think of anything else that has gone massively wrong, weather has been pretty good thus far.

So unless a serious problem has emerged unseen to the public eye, I can't think of anything else.

I very much doubt Alton Towers would go to all this effort and potentially delaying the project just to hide the track construction from enthusiasts. I doubt they even care that we can see track going up.

Maybe the access road next to submission is the only road to carry heavy loads, only really we had landscaping while the park was open. So they couldn't start any track raising until the park is closed or if they closed 2 rides, but we being cynical fans only assumed they are closing them for money saving and complained till they re-opened. If thats the case...

Nice theory but I'm afraid it doesn't add up. Track work didn't start for at least a month until after the park closed. This can only mean that the landscaping and basic infrastructure was not complete prior to this point. We also know this to be the case because they are still working on the landscaping even now of the upper part of the site.

Infrastructure and landscaping would not have been interrupted by the lower end of X-Sector being open because the excavation vehicles were already on-site prior to closed season which means access was not an issue. It might have made it slightly trickier but the park would never have opened those rides if there was a chance of 3 month delays.

Also the weather has been awful this year, not all in one go but consistently bad over many months.

 

[Scott]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

They did that when Th13teen had it's little ill stage a week or so after opening, so I can see them doing this again. Depends if they clearly advertise it as not going to open on the 16th soon. There's already been an almost fully booked hotel for that date and they need a new opening date to give those people a chance to reorganise there stay.

Fortunately the hotel will let people amend their stay up until the day before the booking... So whilst a moved opening date may not be ideal, the hotels will at least be sympathetic to guests and presumably allow them first refusal at the new dates?

 

[Ian]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

The way I see it now the sooner Towers admit that this is running late, and may not be open for 16th March the better. The longer they leave it the more confusion it is going to cause for those visiting on opening day and expecting to find the ride open. It strikes me that the best thing they can do is announce the theme park is opening on 16th March and X-Sector and the new SW7 coaster shall be opening on X date. If they set a new opening date for the project which is realistic for them to finish it in it will allow people to get planning their visits. And if it finishes early then just open if for soft launch. But the longer they keep putting off giving a date the worse it's going to be for them. People will start getting really wound up with them.

 

[Poisson]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

The way I see it now the sooner Towers admit that this is running late, and may not be open for 16th March the better. The longer they leave it the more confusion it is going to cause for those visiting on opening day and expecting to find the ride open. It strikes me that the best thing they can do is announce the theme park is opening on 16th March and X-Sector and the new SW7 coaster shall be opening on X date. If they set a new opening date for the project which is realistic for them to finish it in it will allow people to get planning their visits. And if it finishes early then just open if for soft launch. But the longer they keep putting off giving a date the worse it's going to be for them. People will start getting really wound up with them.

Plus they could spin this by making some sort of teaser advert with a false reason why it is opening late (the GP don't need the truth )

 

[Ian]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

Why do the public even need to be told it's late? They just want a date They were already vague on the publications and only said "March 2013". No one said when in March though, so if they could finish it before the end of March most would be none the wiser. If they should need to run into April though they still don't need to shout that it's late. Just release a date. There aren't many traces of the March date left now that many will have seen or remember, so they could easily cover it up. They don't need to go through the bad press of saying it's late. Just that they are ready to give a date

 

[BigT]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

Well I quess that's why the boys from Gert went home for Christmas, there is nothing for them to build.
Again from my experience and looking at that photo I'd be surprised to see this open by the school summer holidays, it's months away from being ready.

As for what has caused the delay, weather has been poor yes but not enough to delay it that much, so it's either landscaping but if the ground was that bad there would be more piling being done so I don't think it's that, or the ride itself is not ready.
Now this is what I think, there is a secret element that is not ready yet and they know this so are not rushing the rest, why pay overtime to construction workers when there is no need to.

Nothing seems to have been rushed on this job though except the planning, so it's all abit confusing tbh.

 

[Poisson]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

I have to admit I would rather see a good job late then a rushed job on time.......... Also the Gerst lads probably went home because they don't work over Christmas anyway.

 

[BigT]

Re: Secret Weapon 7 Discussion Continued

Also what is that crane up to next to Oblivion?