• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Thorpe Park: General Discussion

Surely given these lights are common to the ride type, there is a set method to replace them. I'd be surprised if they had to build scaffolding to get to them.

Laura91 said:
Also wasn’t it jungle escapes opening today? Didn’t see a single person enter or leave the attraction when we walked past.
Click to expand...

Yesterday, while sitting on derren browns wall for about 5 minutes, I saw one group enter (3 people). I also saw about 5 groups go up to the entrance, get confused, read the sign and then walk away. Can only assume they weren't happy to pay.

GameFX had about 10 people visible though the two side doors. While I was sat on the picnic benches outside there were a few kids running over excitedly too.

Bouncezilla looked exactly like what it is, and it doesn't interest me. I used to like sitting in that area looking over the lake, it's a shame for me personally, but I assume most people aren't too fussed about a good sit down with a view while they recover from colossus.

Rick said:
I read post after post, page after page on here about how there's nothing to do at Merlin parks other than ride coasters, when something else is offered, naturally it's the wrong something... people want another coaster so they can further complain that there's nothing to do at Merlin parks other than ride coasters.
Click to expand...

I've read this criticism of Alton Towers, much less at thorpe park. Thorpe park have a superior set of flats, plus 3 water rides, more than Alton towers.

I think events are excellent, and keep the parks fresh. I'm happy to try as many different things as they can think of to find out what's popular.

The park was fantastic yesterday, there was forecasted rain, which I think helped keep it quieter. But the weather was fantastic, and the queues short. Great day out!
 
Last edited:
Rick said:
After a painful day at a kid's party, all is redeemed when the kids are sent to bed and the adults get free rein on the bouncy castle. Despite the sketchy reputation in recent years, I do think they're fun when run properly.

I read post after post, page after page on here about how there's nothing to do at Merlin parks other than ride coasters, when something else is offered, naturally it's the wrong something... people want another coaster so they can further complain that there's nothing to do at Merlin parks other than ride coasters.

Massive bouncy castle > fairground jets ride and you didn't swerve that?!

3970.jpg
Click to expand...

Haha I've done that bouncy castle before when it was at Bestival on Isle of Wight. It's bloody knackering so yes, I swerved it. As for the jets, I love vintage fairground rides so I'd put them above a bouncy castle any day.

Anyway, in terms of what Thorpe needs, it's been 7 years since Swarm and 10 years since Saw so they definitely need a new coaster.
 
Swarms station and queue was looking a little in need of some maintenance. The TVs were all off (which is a bit crap when they form an integral part of the queue line, either remove them and make it a radio news show, or fix them/turn them on).

The station itself had a couple of places where the fiberglass and inner foam were showing in the window arches (which 'ruins' the illusion).

Generally I think the swarm area is one of the better themed areas of the park, but it needed a bit of a refresh and some of the themeing being brought back that has broken or been removed over the years.

The flames were on the fire engine, but I didn't see any water splashes (which you'd think is the easier effect to upkeep).

I'd appreciate some more areas to sit in this part of the park too, it's a nice ride to watch running and the few boxes that are splattered about are usually occupied. Could just do with some themed picnic benches.
 
Stuntman707 said:
As it's above the track, i've come to the conclusion that it would be a health and safety nightmare to replace. Merlin are beyond cautious about health and safety now. They won't even dispatch the Flying fish with anyone or staff on the bridge, Imagine all the BS they would have to go through to install a platform over the track just to change a lightbulb.
Click to expand...
Nah not at all. As soon as you lock-off the ride, you can access it just as easily as any other mildly-inconvenient area to access. Simple risk assessment, and job hazard analysis, and you're off :)
 
Islander said:
Nah not at all. As soon as you lock-off the ride, you can access it just as easily as any other mildly-inconvenient area to access. Simple risk assessment, and job hazard analysis, and you're off :)
Click to expand...

So exactly why he said then? You would be required by law to use a platform to access those lights, a ladder will be a serious H&S breach, my dad is a sparky and they have to use towers to change light bulbs in shops and that is a relatively safe environment compared to the platform of Stealth.

Even the guys who cleared our gutters had to build towers to access them, when a ladder would have been easier, it literally took them ten times as long to build the towers as it did clean the gutters.

Yes, you could use a ladder, but your insurance wouldn't cover you against injury and your public liability insurance would be invalidated, no sparky of a sane mind will use a ladder nowdays to access those lights considering the potential consequences of something going wrong.
 
How hard is a little scaffold tower going to be to put up though? It's not the grand canyon, one of those cheap ones from B&Q would probably do the job, and it's not that high up either

H&S has become a very convenient scapegoat for when companies just can't be bothered.
 
Islander said:
^ What @Dar said. You're completely right, using a ladder would be a no-no, but using a scaff tower would be possible. Makes the job a little longer, but we're talking like an hour? Seriously, it's not a big deal lol.
Click to expand...
Is it complicated paperwork wise by it being in the ride area?

Sent from my Swift 2 Plus using Tapatalk
 
Islander said:
Not really. Would need a risk assessment (easy), that would just dictate that the ride is locked off and thus inoperable whilst completing the work.
Click to expand...
So it's just normal LOTO rules? In which case why the hell hasn't it been done.

Sent from my Swift 2 Plus using Tapatalk
 
The simple way to get to it would be to use a cherry picker parked next to the station, and cantilever the basket out over the track.

If they had any sense, they should have built the lights in such a way thet they could be swung round over the platform.
 
Network Rail assemble these scaffolding towers to remove obstructions from their overhead power lines. They assemble them, remove the obstruction and then disassemble them all within an hour. Basically it can be done if there's actually a desire to do it.

In any case @ihaveaspergers said the light was out last year, in which case Thorpe Park have had an entire closed season to change one light bulb. I can feel a joke coming on...
 
That light on Stealth has actually been broken for years.

Thorpe would probably reply saying its a environmentally conscious park and doing their part :rolleyes: just like they used to use that excuse when they’d run one train even with massive queues
 
There is one very nice engineer there who is lovely to talk with.

It looks like they are hiding saw’s wheelchair lift from view now because the top landing is boarded up and I’m guessing the bottom one will follow.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top