The Smiler - General Discussion

[rob666]

Ohh goodness this is an interesting juxtaposition…

On the one hand yes it is two rides welded together, and I’m surprised they didn’t go down the launch option for the second half

On the other hand the mid-course lift creates an interesting dynamic and if it had been executed well it works as the vertical lift hill is a feature all in itself. That said I don’t think the simple fact it rides for more than a minute makes it worth the queue. Length is not always equal to pleasure and yes I intended that!

According to my good lady...yes it is, sadly.
On topic, it isn't just "two rides welded together", is it?
The imagination in creating such a long ride, with all those close clearances, means it is a single ride, created, and constructed, with real skill.
Not two coasters shoved together.
The second lift is better than a launch, it gives respite between the two halves.

 

[Jb85]

According to my good lady...yes it is, sadly.
On topic, it isn't just "two rides welded together", is it?
The imagination in creating such a long ride, with all those close clearances, means it is a single ride, created, and constructed, with real skill.
Not two coasters shoved together.
The second lift is better than a launch, it gives respite between the two halves.

Remove the constructed with skill quote and your correct.

It really is a marvellous piece of engineering to get that much coaster into that space. It's just a real shame the end product doesn't do the design justice.

 

[rob666]

Everyones a critic, I assume you could have done a better job!
Constructed with great skill, in a very confined, sloping site, surrounded by protected trees...the environmental factors at the time of construction were absolutely appalling.
Over a kilometre of track, on a 80m by 40m site, built in a saturated environment.
The fact that a few of the joints came out less that prefect in those circumstances is no suprise...and there are far rougher coasters out there.
Can you imagine the logistical planning that went into the construction of the ride...this isn't standing over a mechano kit.

 

[Blackhole_Sun]

Everyones a critic, I assume you could have done a better job!
Constructed with great skill, in a very confined, sloping site, surrounded by protected trees...the environmental factors at the time of construction were absolutely appalling.
Over a kilometre of track, on a 80m by 40m site, built in a saturated environment.
The fact that a few of the joints came out less that prefect in those circumstances is no suprise...and there are far rougher coasters out there.
Can you imagine the logistical planning that went into the construction of the ride...this isn't standing over a mechano kit.

Can’t stand the old “let’s see you do a better job” or “let’s see your rollercoaster” terms, it’s pointless. Of course we couldn’t make a better coaster than anything Towers have ever had, we don’t work in that industry.

What we can do is give an opinion on a ride and all points for and against how good it is are valid.

A launched second run wouldn’t really work as a lot of riders benefit from the rest after the first half. I have been to towers with some people who avoid the ride purely based upon the vertical lift hill. It’s sort of intimidating I guess. It is pretty much two rides in one.

It’s a great spectators ride when there are multiple cars running.

 

[Dave]

Sorry to be boring after the previous post, but why is there such a wait before the lift hills start and engage with trains on The Smiler? It seems the same can be said for Saw The Ride too. Is this just a Gerstlauer thing?

I haven’t ridden Saw but after the first inversion on The Smiler you seem to be sat there for a good few seconds stationary before the lift chain starts up and engages. Most other coaster trains seem to roll onto an already moving chain.

Gerst use a puck that is attached to the chain to effectively push the car up the hill. You wait at the bottom as the puck has to be positioned behind the train after the train passes over it.

 

[Ethan]

Well from what I heard in a Q&A with Wardley he said there were a couple reason why the 2nd lift was necessary.
1) Space is too small to do all the inversions in one go, train would run out of momentum.
2) They wanted to increase the throughput of the ride by being able to send 2 around at a time

 

[rob666]

Can’t stand the old “let’s see you do a better job” or “let’s see your rollercoaster” terms, it’s pointless. Of course we couldn’t make a better coaster than anything Towers have ever had, we don’t work in that industry.

What we can do is give an opinion on a ride and all points for and against how good it is are valid.

A launched second run wouldn’t really work as a lot of riders benefit from the rest after the first half. I have been to towers with some people who avoid the ride purely based upon the vertical lift hill. It’s sort of intimidating I guess. It is pretty much two rides in one.

It’s a great spectators ride when there are multiple cars running.

Every opinion is sacred, but there was an awful lot of mitigation for the occasional bump in a complex permanent engineering build on a massive scale in awful weather.
Sloping muddy site in shade.
I worked outdoors that autumn through spring, it was wetter than wet right through, no respite of a lengthy dry spell fro six months.
That was my first spring of underwater weeding.

 

[Ethan]

In terms of the ride profile, like @rob666 pointed out, the conditions and small site to work with play a part. I can honestly only think of 2 noticeable jolts on the ride. First being after the 2nd inversion and the other going into the 12th inversion. I honestly think the rest of the ride, given the complexity of building it, is actually very good quality. Even the last 2 inversions feel fine to me

 

[Danscott22]

In terms of the ride profile, like @rob666 pointed out, the conditions and small site to work with play a part. I can honestly only think of 2 noticeable jolts on the ride. First being after the 2nd inversion and the other going into the 12th inversion. I honestly think the rest of the ride, given the complexity of building it, is actually very good quality. Even the last 2 inversions feel fine to me

I mostly agree, but think inversion 13 does have a little bit of "after rattle" I guess from inversion 12. I do think the ride has been impressively designed also, it's hard to argue otherwise.

 

[Altonadvocate1]

Gotta agree with Rob666 here. With all the spatial restrictions, inclement weather, demand to beat the inversion record, etc, I think they did a remarkable job. Personally I think The Smiler is an excellent coaster.

I don't find it rough and I'm ancient now! (and don't I know it).

Is it glass smooth like the incredibly precision engineered B and M's?... No... is that a problem? No!

It's nice to have different ride experiences. I love the comfort, smooth ride and sturdiness of a B and M, but the clatter of a Gerst can add it's own charms.

I think they both have a great product! (Coming from a true Nemesis aficionado).

 

[Dave]

All I will say on the construction of The Smiler is construction stopped for months in the winter and Merlin have never used the construction company that built the Smiler since.

There where lots of rumours at the time around the issues, including footers being out of alignment. I would say it has profiling issues as outlined above, it also has its stall issue which necessitates the hard compounds and therefore harsher ride.

 

[Steve74]

For all us nerds out there who like mechanical things, The Smiler is a phenomenal piece of engineering to watch in action; you could also say its a work of art in some ways. All the clunks, hisses of air, brake fins moving up and down, chains, sensors etc makes it (for me) one of the most interesting coasters to watch, and even better when in the queue line as you are so close to it.

The only other coaster I like watching for similar reasons is Spinball, with its simple lever mechanisms that unlock and lock the cars at various points (top of lift hill and final brake run). And I would love to watch Thirteen's drop in action properly.

 

[Josh]

Well from what I heard in a Q&A with Wardley he said there were a couple reason why the 2nd lift was necessary.
1) Space is too small to do all the inversions in one go, train would run out of momentum.
2) They wanted to increase the throughput of the ride by being able to send 2 around at a time

Being able to have 2 trains on the track at the same time can be done without a 2nd lift hill. Mid-course brake run anyone?

Although in the case of The Smiler it needs the second lift due to the loss of momentum as you said in point 1. A launch would have been cool but there really isn't enough space.

 

[Connor98]

Being able to have 2 trains on the track at the same time can be done without a 2nd lift hill. Mid-course brake run anyone?

Although in the case of The Smiler it needs the second lift due to the loss of momentum as you said in point 1. A launch would have been cool but there really isn't enough space.

Launch tracks also act as Block Sections and allow multiple trains on the circuit at the same time. Just seems it was more to do with site/space constraint like you say. In a way I’m happy it got the vertical lift but I’m intrigued to see what it would have felt like with a launch! Maybe a bit too much for most

 

[Mikw]

Well, i had 8 rides on it today, the last 4 in the pouring rain - was an absolute hoot!
And many congratulations to the "Smile Assistants" who kept pumping out the cars in a almost military fashion despite the awful weather.

 

[Ethan]

Well, i had 8 rides on it today, the last 4 in the pouring rain - was an absolute hoot!
And many congratulations to the "Smile Assistants" who kept pumping out the cars in a almost military fashion despite the awful weather.

It's great fun in the rain not having a clue where you're going with the rain hitting your face like nails

 

[George W]

Absolutely, was lapping it in quite heavy downpour last Halloween at night, was really fun actually obviously I can't say it was entirely pleasant but sure hell of a experience.

Honestly though those nemesis night rides in the rain on the back rows were awesome too and didn't feel the rain hit your face so much.

 

[Jb85]

Everyones a critic, I assume you could have done a better job!
Constructed with great skill, in a very confined, sloping site, surrounded by protected trees...the environmental factors at the time of construction were absolutely appalling.
Over a kilometre of track, on a 80m by 40m site, built in a saturated environment.
The fact that a few of the joints came out less that prefect in those circumstances is no suprise...and there are far rougher coasters out there.
Can you imagine the logistical planning that went into the construction of the ride...this isn't standing over a mechano kit.

Not a chance could I do a better job but I'm not a civil engineering company.

It was a hard build as you've stated, but it's their job to perfect their trade, and they haven't. I couldn't get away with producing my group y/e accounts and forgetting to consolidate one of the subsidiaries numbers into the figures, I'd be slated, so rightfully so should they.

I do admire the design, I've never once said I havent. That amount of track in that space is amazing. My issues are the whole finished package is ageing poorly and I feel a lot of that is down to poor build, leading to delays (in part by shite weather) and also the concrete slab mess we now have.

 

[rob666]

With accounts, you can always crunch the numbers.
Real world technical engineering, combined with absolutely awful, continuous bad weather, is not an equal comparison.
Sloping, clay ridden site surrounded by "stuff" on all sides, with roughly six months of bad weather.
Nothing was "forgotten" or unconsolidated that I am aware of, the ride was completed, whole, working, and presumably, signed off.
With a couple of rough spots and no planned mid ride plaza, because it wouldn't actually fit safely.
So why slate them, unless you know better?
Poor safety management and upkeep on the ride since opening are a different matter.

 

[Poisson]

I work with civils equipment and we'd be slaughtered for such an imprecise job and the retaining wall collapsing multiple times and for breaking through to Oblivions tunnel.