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Toxicator: General Discussion

Inverted tops spins require a lot of clearance below the ride for the platform pit. It probably wasn’t a ton more money in the grand scheme of things to build upwards than dig downwards and the extra money gave it a bit of a wow factor.

I don’t think the decision making was anymore complex than that.
 
Poisson said:
It's a major through route and spectator zone.
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but it isn't,

if you are comming from TCAAM then that route is very obscured, comming from the sky ride it is more open, however there is the ramp bypassing the wet area and because of how they have layed it out most people tend to walk towards the heliopter and not down that route, the only way it looks like a main route is from the galactica side, but the alternative isn't far from it (just walking the other side of the coffee place) and often it is quicker anyway.
 
Dave said:
Inverted tops spins require a lot of clearance below the ride for the platform pit. It probably wasn’t a ton more money in the grand scheme of things to build upwards than dig downwards and the extra money gave it a bit of a wow factor.

I don’t think the decision making was anymore complex than that.
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Maybe that's where the rumour came from regarding the soft land beneath?

Maybe digging a big pit would have caused problems for some reason (e.g. disrupting drainage* or a water table) and so it was decided to build higher instead? (As you say, this also looks more visually impressive as well)

*That area has already had 2 opening day water-related disasters within the past year (sewage pipe leak in 2025, and Bunker 94 flooding in 2026)
 
Secret Weapon said:
Maybe that's where the rumour came from regarding the soft land beneath?

Maybe digging a big pit would have caused problems for some reason (e.g. disrupting drainage* or a water table) and so it was decided to build higher instead? (As you say, this also looks more visually impressive as well)

*That area has already had 2 opening day water-related disasters within the past year (sewage pipe leak in 2025, and Bunker 94 flooding in 2026)
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The land has two B&M coasters on it, and it’s on the top of a valley, I’m pretty sure there is no rumour about soft ground.
 
I'll try to find the source of the soft ground statement if I can, and I'll edit / update this post if I find it (it may have been on TS)

In the meantime - I found this quote from Towers Times:-

...bring a Huss Top Spin back to Alton Towers in the same location as Ripsaw. With the desire for this to be the Suspended model, site constraints meant that excavating would be impractical hence it was very quickly decided to elevate the ride and rotate it 90 degrees...

...Reinstating the bridge that formed part of Ripsaw’s queue line was considered, although it was decided against for budgetary reasons.

I'm not sure what the site constraints were.

Source: https://www.towerstimes.co.uk/news/2025/03/14/toxicator-spins-into-alton-towers-resort-for-2025/
 
AT86 said:
The deer park wall runs right behind where Ripsaw was located.

It could well have been deemed too close for the excavations needed for the floorless model.
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I think this is actually the correct reason, they were worried about disturbing the deer park wall. Can’t remember where o read it but I’m sure if you dig deep enough on this forum, there’s evidence to suggest this is why.
 
Secret Weapon said:
I'll try to find the source of the soft ground statement if I can, and I'll edit / update this post if I find it (it may have been on TS)

In the meantime - I found this quote from Towers Times:-

...bring a Huss Top Spin back to Alton Towers in the same location as Ripsaw. With the desire for this to be the Suspended model, site constraints meant that excavating would be impractical hence it was very quickly decided to elevate the ride and rotate it 90 degrees...

...Reinstating the bridge that formed part of Ripsaw’s queue line was considered, although it was decided against for budgetary reasons.

I'm not sure what the site constraints were.

Source: https://www.towerstimes.co.uk/news/2025/03/14/toxicator-spins-into-alton-towers-resort-for-2025/
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As @AT86 says it’s probably the risk of damaging the deer park wall.

So heritage rather than the fabled quicksand pit of Alton….
 
I'm still a bit confused, because the TT article implies that - if not for the hassle of excavating a pit - their original plan was to have the back row facing the trees.

I'd always heard that the opposite was true, and that the plan was always to rotate it by 90 degrees so that the back row would have a better view, and the decision to elevate it was made afterwards (possibly in order to allow a walkway below?) - but who knows!
 
DistortAMG said:
To be fair, the impracticalities of digging down in that area can be seen with both the Nemesis pit and the old Thunder looper / Blade pit.....rock, rock and more rock.
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So maybe the story I heard about the ground being problematic was half-right, but the problem was that the land was too hard rather than too soft

Your explanation makes more sense, as it also explains why the land was able to support such a heavy concrete structure
 
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