Runaway Mine Train
"It's not exactly 'runaway', is it? It's still on the track, so really it should just be called Mine Train" - Young visitor, circa Summer 2010
The Runaway Mine Train is situated in Katanga Canyon alongside Congo River Rapids, and is themed around a... er.. non-existent mine.
Yes, it's quite evidential isn't it? By the name.
It is admired by both enthusiasts and all those who host and operate the ride during open season. It is in fact admired so much that a ride op coined the phrase Choo Choo! to signify the love and devotion given. The Runaway Train staff at Chessington World of Adventures have tried to steal this catchphrase, but thanks to the underground spies of Alton Towers stationed in Surrey, this has been amicably solved.
A Demi God's Undermined Creation
The ride's track and supports were hand built by Roland Mack himself, using nothing more than an arc welder and several tonnes of scrap metal. It was also assembled overnight by him, with a little help from John Wardley's Guns. It was then painted by the entire Mack family and staff at Alton Towers, meaning the ride was planned, constructed and operational in under a week. Whilst the train appears to be driven by an electrical system, it is in fact powered by magical forces (Good ones), which only Mack have truly harnessed for their wonderful needs as the world's best ride manufacturer.
To this day you wil be able to spot Roland's tell tale sign on each of the supports; The inscription Roland woz ere '92. Over the years, the Chav population have added to this message with their own adaptations, completely overwhelmed by the power that Mack secretly included within the inscribe. However, it is God's belief that this ruins the magic, so is always quick to respond with his trusty brush and tin of brown paint.
It is not widely known that the locomotive at the head of the RMT's composite (first AND third) class industrial-style rolling stock was formerly a genuine steam locomotive. Built at the turn of the 20th century by well known German engineering firm Orstein and Koppel, it was used on road construction projects across Germany until its replacement by diesel locomotives. It languished unused for several decades, until Mack discovered it in a sorry, derelict state. They restored it, fitting it with six castors in each corner in place of its wheels and valve gear, and it ran as a steam locomotive again for many years on Enzian at Mackland. Unfortunately, the locomotive's boiler suffered a couple of broken stays a year or two short of the expiry of its boiler certificate, and Mackland didn't consider the expense of repairing it worthwhile. It lay unused once more at the back of the Mack factory until the order for the RMT was placed, at which point the stricken locomotive was fitted with an electric motor a magic-to-kinetic energy converter and sent to the UK to thrill railway enthusiasts theme park visitors once more.
Rumour has it that at the same time a second, first class train was bought by Alton Towers for the new ride. This is thought to be a British Rail diesel locomotive that was withdrawn in 1990, as BR considered it to go too fast for a modern day rail network. Its rolling stock is reputedly also retired British Rail stock, fitted with luxurious Mack Flying Fish-style seating. It is rumoured to lurk within a secret chamber of the tunnel, and is brought out only on God's birthday, when one lucky enthusiast is given the opportunity to have the pleasure of riding alongside him.
This hidden beauty within the realms of Alton Towers has led to TowersStreet nicknaming RMT Roland's Love Train.
Choo Choo!
Scandal and Rumours
It has been agreed by many fans that the ride is essentially Th13teen without the 'freefall drop' towards the end. Some believe RMT is just better than Th13teen because of this one little extra. And in Closed Season 2008 legend, it has been rumoured that TH13TEEN is the RMT and Frog Hopper's love child; sadly neither ride has commented on this.
