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Towers Loving Care

PuddoBearBoy said:
Like as been previously mentioned, you don't notice something is clean, only that it's dirty. It's not a particularly inviting entrance to the "UK's No.1 theme park" to have roof tops charcoal black with dirt.
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It's not really something that's gonna make a whole difference to guest experience in the grand scheme of things.
Like I say though I'm glad they have done it but the colour of the rooftops is far from people's thoughts


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kris3012 said:
It's not really something that's gonna make a whole difference to guest experience in the grand scheme of things.
Like I say though I'm glad they have done it but the colour of the rooftops is far from people's thoughts


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That's the thing though - It's "far from people's thoughts". It's a subliminal feeling that people have. No one but us will know this has been done, but for the GP visitors, the place will feel fresher, cleaner and brighter "somehow".
 
Does anyone know if maintenance have their own areas? What I think should happen (if it doesn't already) is you get a small team in each area, they are responsible for ride/area upkeep. They are responsible for the area including managing ride breakdowns and doing odd jobs like pressure washing/painting in between, I think this would solve all the TLC problems. I think it would also boost moral too having something to be proud of and something they are responsible for.
 
Croftybaby said:
Does anyone know if maintenance have their own areas? What I think should happen (if it doesn't already) is you get a small team in each area, they are responsible for ride/area upkeep. They are responsible for the area including managing ride breakdowns and doing odd jobs like pressure washing/painting in between, I think this would solve all the TLC problems. I think it would also boost moral too having something to be proud of and something they are responsible for.
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There are two maintenance teams, Maintenance Team 1 and Maintenance Team 2. One team looks after half the park and the other looks after the other half. Team 1's half includes X Sector.
 
Croftybaby said:
Does anyone know if maintenance have their own areas? What I think should happen (if it doesn't already) is you get a small team in each area, they are responsible for ride/area upkeep. They are responsible for the area including managing ride breakdowns and doing odd jobs like pressure washing/painting in between, I think this would solve all the TLC problems. I think it would also boost moral too having something to be proud of and something they are responsible for.
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I would be 90% certain the engineers who maintain the coasters are not pressure washing and painting, they are very different skill sets. Pressure washing is often just done by ride ops team, or they might have an gardens & grounds team. The painting I think was being done by external contractors (particularly the bigger tasks) but they may have a small general maintenance team. But coaster maintenance is going to be a more specialist skill.
 
Spike said:
I cannot understand how Towers go through projectors/bulbs so quickly either on The Smiler or throughout the park. They are either buying cheap crap or projectors which aren't designed for the amount of use they get. Shell out for industrial grade projectors or decent bulbs because the optical room barely runs all 4.
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Most domestic and commercial projector lamps are guaranteed for at least (AT LEAST) 2000 hours. Usually more nowadays. If Towers were running the projectors for 8 hours per day, that's 240 hours per month. Doesn't take a genius to work out that the lamps should be lasting at least 1 to 2 full seasons.

I don't think The Smiler's projectors are suffering from constant burnouts however, instead they just have the projectors switched off. It's also pretty clear the projectors were never clamped down with a proper anti-vibration rig, that's why the alignment is always off. Vibrations from the trains in the station just throw them off straight away.
 
I doubt its anything to do with staff being paid, more likely do i walkin there and turn off a projrctor that is burning itslef and merlins electric meter. OR do i walk away and go home since in few mins i wont be being paid for this. Nor willa projector come out there wage. Why would they care.
 
Rick said:
This is an extremely pessimistic thread. Painfully so.
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I don't think anybody on TowersStreet would deny that there are elements of positivity about TLC, but when it is factually more of a smokescreen to try and hide the cuts from guests, it's no wonder there's more contempt, abuse and concern on not just TowersStreet - but TowersTimes, Coasterforce, Maniahub and a great many other online forums include their facebook pages, than I can ever remember in the 12 years I have been on them.

Alton Towers said Charlie / Hex / Driving School / Wobble World were closed in 2016 for refurbishment under TLC.
No refurbishment took place during the calendar year of 2016.

Porky Pies don't help.

When I sent my last, and final, letter to Merlin HQ last year - they told me they felt the parks were getting better constantly. If they believe that, then we can all just give up now. As I have!
 
I still find TT fairly positive, but maybe that's down to them being a somewhat younger forum. Towers still has a fair few fanboys who seem to celebrate en masse every Tweet/Facebook announcement from Towers, but there is definitely an increasing amount of displeasure regarding the closures and the smokescreen that is TLC.

As for pessimism, there is a lot to be said for expecting little so as to allow yourself to be pleasantly surprised.
 
Unfortunately this is what you're up against:


It's sad that most of the news that comes out of the place is greeted with such negativity, but when you know the parks hands are tied by Merlin I think some of us (myself included) lose hope before it's even begun.

It's a shame because I remember following the construction threads for Air, Rita, Smiler and Thirteen which filled with such hope and optimism. I think back in the day I had high expectations which were subsequently dashed, whereas now I go in with low expectations hoping to be pleasantly surprised, an approach I think many other people are taking also. Which is why the forums give off a pessimistic vibe.

As for the TLC program itself, I don't think we should be criticising Alton Towers for doing anything that improves the look of the place, no matter how trivial. There are probably other things that should have been prioritised but they are doing something, which is better than nothing.
 
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It's especially bad for Towers when BPB are improving every season and are really trying given their limited funding and resources. BPB are demonstrating ambition and determination to make their park as good as they can for all ages and tastes and given the state of Towers at the moment I now feel they are the number 1 theme/amusement park in the UK.
 
Slugjc said:
I doubt its anything to do with staff being paid, more likely do i walkin there and turn off a projrctor that is burning itslef and merlins electric meter. OR do i walk away and go home since in few mins i wont be being paid for this. Nor willa projector come out there wage. Why would they care.
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Nobody has to walk up to the units themselves and turn them off. It's all handled via projector control software which im assuming will be located in the same place as controls for all the other effects - lighting sequences, fog, marliser effects, audio repeaters, video servers etc, most likely will be in the actual ride control booth.

Plug-in timers can't be used becasue when a projector shuts down it keeps the fans running for 2-3 minutes to cool the lamp before finally going in to standby. You can tell all the projectors are in standby mode because the little green lights can clearly been seen when you walk past them.

So somebody, whoever is in charge of switching on all of the ride's effects when it opens on a morning, is intentionally keeping the projectors switched off (stand by) for a reason. What that reason is could be anyone's guess. Merlin weirdo's.
 
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