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The Smiler - General Discussion

Secret Weapon said:
A number of vloggers have said that The Smiler is running unusually smoothly this year (although I cannot confirm this first-hand).

I heard speculation that the wheels were changed following the constant rollbacks between 2013 and 2015 (similar to Hyperia's wheels being changed last year), and - as a result - the trains ran faster but rougher?

Maybe the park is no longer too concerned about rollbacks and so have decided to prioritise comfort over speed once again?

(The fact that some of Oblivion's old theming has been brought back this year may suggest that the park is willing to reverse some of the changes that were made in 2015 and 2016 ?)
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I don’t personally think it’s running much different to what it always has. It’s the usual smooth up until the final 3 inversions. Think the only noticeable jolts on the ride (exiting the 2nd inversion and also going into the 12th) both feel the same as they always have. It’s certainly never been silk smooth but at the same time I don’t think it’s ever been really rough. Tbf though it’s running better than Nemmy is. You sometimes get a headache coming off Nemmy now if the rattle is bad but I never get a headache from Smiler
 
The only ride I have ever considered rough and given me a headache is Colossus.

The Smiler can admittedly jolt in two or three places but I don’t find it rough.

I think a lot of the feeling of roughness is actually down to the pressure being exerted on the body as opposed to the profiling
 
I always hear people use The Smiler as proof that Gerstlauer rollercoasters are inherently rough, but I think this is a bit unfair, as I suspect the bigger culprit is the layout rather than the steel fabrication itself, caused by the difficulty of trying to cram so many inversions into a tight space; John Wardley mentioned this in his first book, and said that there was a risk of the transitions being rough as there wasn't much track between each inversion - except for the indoor heartline roll, as it was the only inversion that was by itself and thus featured no transitions to or from other elements.
 
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Riding The Smiler Towards the end of last season, I felt there was a real headbanger turn. Second half of the ride, on the Western end.

Was so bad I let my kids single rider it while I went to get (disappointing) food…
 
Squiggs said:
Last year I rode it for the first time after quite a long break.

It was definitely smoother than I remembered it... I only came away with two visible bruises. So that's something, right?
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The fact that you could remember it at all is a good sign, as at least you miraculously managed to avoid a concussion !
 
Shawn Sanbrooke said in a recent vlog that some of the restraints on the Smiler trains have been replaced, with the old ones lying around the ride (see link below at the 10:53 mark).

Is it hypothetically possible to replace the restraints with lap bars instead, or would this simply involve far too much modification and thus an entirely new train would be needed?


From: https://youtu.be/lyMqTIpaF7Q?t=653
 
entirely new trains would be necessary for lapbars - it's also impossible due to the increased clearance lapbars require (which smiler fails) and likely issues with forces also. wish it had just been built with them
 
I had assumed that lapbars were unavailable at the time that The Smiler was built, but you are right: it seems that Gerstlauer had already begun using them around 2011.

I'm not sure why Alton Towers therefore chose OTSRs instead? Maybe it was to keep the trains smaller, but this is purely a guess on my part.

(According to Park Vault, lap bars are not possible on Gerstlauer rides that use both a launch and a lift, as the components won't fit - but I don't think this applies to The Smiler; see: https://parkvault.net/tag/gerstlauer/#:~:text=Ride Entertainment represents and installs,the shoulder restraints are required.)

According to Coaster Dad, Paulton's Park have allegedly chosen OSTRs for their new 2026 Gerstlauer ride because the public see lap bars as unsafe for inverting rides, but I totally disagree with the park's logic because people said the same about inversions in general at one point (regardless of the restraint type), but it would quickly become clear that this is not the case (the Thunder Looper had also used lap bars).

Also: there were no major safety concerns surrounding AT when the ride opened, as the 2015 incident had not happened at the time, and thus there was no real reason to worry about public perception back then (incidentally: I wonder whether the injuries in the 2015 incident would have been less severe if lap bars had been used instead, as the T-bars may have absorbed much of the impact?).
 
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New gen OTSRs seem to not have the smelly pads but look less forgiving with poor trackwork. Not sure if Smiler could ever get a retrofit of those.
 
Restraints on 1 train have all been fully replaced, but they're all the same exact restraints as before though
 
I wish that they would have the courage to at least change 1 train to lap bars, but it's probably difficult to persuade others within Merlin that this is a good investment as most of the public wouldn't even notice (until they were already on the ride, and thus already paid their entry fee), and thus the money would probably be 'better' spent elsewhere, in their eyes.
 
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