JoshC.

Simworx are still relatively young in the theme park world, so it's hard to judge. I feel like they'd be more like the Gerstlauer of transits though, in a few years time.

In the most recent MTDP which Thorpe submitted to the council, they said that they would not plan to build coasters that "did not exceed 850m in length". There's no obvious reason for it though (unlike with say, maximum height or number of supports in the lake, where the reason they have limits introduced is rather obvious). So no one really knows I guess. I don't know if the number had been a reoccurring one in all the MTDP or not, so it's hard to even say if this is a long term thing, or if in 2010 Thorpe simply didn't expect to introduce a particularly long coaster. But given Colossus is the longest coaster on park, at 850m, it could well be. Of course, as we've seen with WC16, the MTDP is by no means binding, so in theory, they could have applied to build a longer coaster if they wanted. When the next MTDP appears (either this year or next), we'll no doubt see whether Thorpe have the chance to build a longer coaster.

Purple headrests are purple.

The latest rumours I heard were that Paulton's were spending anything up to £8-9 million on the Lost Kingdom investment. I don't know how true that is, but if it is, then they've gotten a pretty good deal for being able to get 2 new coasters, a few new attractions and what looks to be good theming for the most part.

Since last Tuesday, I have had trouble breathing, and indeed living. I've now realised what the problem was... THERE'S NO AIR, NO AIR

Wrong subforum

I believe Dynamic Attractions retweet several articles and announcements about several attractions, some of which they have nothing to do with. It could be an indicaton that Dynamic ate involved, or just shows how exciting this actually could be within the theme park industry. Either I'd be happy with to be honest.

It's alright, the latest rumour I've heard is that they've stretched the budget to £43.30.

Th13teen is a decent family attraction in itself, but when it was marketed as a "psychoaster" that would have 16+ age restriction, where you had to sign a waiver and could only ride it once a day, some people just can't trust the press releases any more.

Just realised I didn't actually contribute to this thread. Whoops. UK stuff: Aside from the Merlin 4, Paultons should almost definitely happen. Might be able to do Blackpool, Dreamland and maybe a couple of little places elsewhere. Europe stuff: Walibi Holland, Phantasialand, Plopsaland and Efteling are high up on the list. Moviepark Germany, Europa, Liseberg, Hansa and Heide are also on the radar, but seems unlikely at the moment. Maybe a few smaller places depending on travel arrangements. So not as much new stuff for me this year, but should still be relatively varied.

Whilst I get the point being made by Liam and others, but the way I see it is that the building is meant to be an abandoned train depot / warehouse. And based on what we have seen so far, it looks like a pretty decent replica of that in my opinion. Which is good. Though, the red tin shed does look terrible in comparison, even taking that into account.

No idea to be honest. The name was on a Pop Badge last year, and there seemed to be pop badges with area names on. So I'd guess it's meant to be the same area as Canada Creek and Saw. But with no official confirmation, there's no way to be definite!

Unfortunately it will be difficult to get such clear cut areas in such a small space. This particular space is in the centre of the park and shows you anything up to 4 areas of the park (Amity, Jungle / Calypso, Lost City and Derren Brown area, which could potentially be part of 'Old Town', an area which currently only has its own pop badge).

@Benin: Oh yes, I do agree, and completely understand the concerns. I was more thinking about filler attractions that use live action, and they'd be more likely to be cut than live action in a major attraction. I'm still worried that in a few years time either the live action element will be gone or reduced or something, but hopefully this can be popular enough that Thorpe don't have to consider that.

Just as a point which I think people might have missed, the main warehouse / depot exterior has actually been modelled from a real life, Victorian-era built, train depot near Willesden Junction. Whilst I'm not a fan of having another dilipated / abandoned theme, I'm happy to hear they've gone the full hog in getting it right. And indeed, it shows the level of detail that they want to put into this project, especially when we consider the detail they're putting into this suspending train carriage too. The name is a bit of a mouthful to be honest, but I think it gets the point across well. It's Derren Brown's interpretation of the classic ghost train. I do worry about how people will respond to it, as their expectations might be skewed by thinking of the traditional ghost train type ride. Hopefully marketing can do a good job at setting people up correctly for the ride (sorry attraction, or experience, or concept, or whatever this thing should be called). I do see some people's concerns about the project, but I do feel like since this is a major project, comparing it to filler attractions might be a bit of a skew comparison to be honest. My greatest fear is what happens in 5 years time with this, when people have probably found out one way or another about what actually happens inside, the different possibilities have been explored by many and it's not the big thing of the moment. Does this have the same sticking power as other major attractions at the park, or major dark rides at other parks across the world? So all in all, this announcement has got me pretty excited now. I genuinely think that this has the potential to be an amazing experience if pulled off correctly. Whether it will is of course a different matter, but I'm still happy with what we've got so far. (Also, the Periscope interview was great! Hope Thorpe continue to do stuff like that!).

The carriage is modelled on an antique version of this carriage: For all the train enthusiasts out there, it's a North Eastern railway clerestory bogie composite coach no.3071, first built in 1903.

Thorpe have posted the "1" image now.

It was repainted over the 12/13 closed season, so I guess you could argue that it was to do with a new attraction, since it was reinvigorating X Sector, etc. It'd be a silly argument to make though imo. And at least people do remember Oblivion was repainted; most seem to ignore that fact...

*plans to renew pass next Saturday* Seems to be a steam train at the bottom? Would make sense given the Victorian era and train theme..

As part of the 'Towers Loving Care' scheme, the park have set up a Twitter account: https://twitter.com/altontlc The cover photo shows some repainted Nemesis track! The current rumour is that Nemesis will be getting that elusive full track repaint over the closed season. As I've said in the past, I'm not a huge fan of the park making a big deal out of this TLC scheme, since what they're suggesting is stuff which should be done as standard. However, if a Nemesis repaint does indeed happen, then I'm glad that it's (hopefully) going to see some worthwhile changes to the park.

Technology can be a really useful learning aid, let's not forget that. I don't think there's a need for students to have iPads in lessons though - in a lesson, you should be reading, writing and listening; all those things can be done with no technology whatsoever. I was always amused by people's reactions when I told them that my lectures were delivered by 'chalk and talk'; anyone not doing my subject seemed to be mystified by the idea, seeing it as old fashioned, since all their lectures were done by slideshows and other pieces of tech. Just seemed needless to me though. Anyways, rambling thought to be summed up by this: like with anything in life nowadays, there's a place for technology and all that, but only when it's used correctly..

Should of course be said, to be crystal clear, that this is a fan made trailer.

Thorpe basically need something with airtime. It'll offer a very different sensation to all the other coasters on park. They also need a major family coaster if they want to seriously be considered as a family park. So get a coaster satisfying those two boxes is a must in my eyes. Also, just thinking out loud here, and this is more an idea for a low-key investment, but I'd actually love to see Thorpe get a Junior Vekoma Boomerang. Yeah, so the throughput is naff, but if it's marketed as a coaster aimed at kids / younger families, it might balance itself out at a park like Thorpe.

I think it's been said by Thorpe that this isn't the last clue, but instead a generic announcement. And even if it is the last clue, the time at which you submit it won't make you more or less likely to win. Hmm, a very interesting view point, and one I disagree with... As I'm sure you know, when your child is at school (especially primary / secondary school), the school are in loco parentis. So, they can do what they want if they believe it is in the student(s)' best interest. So, if a teacher believes that a student having their phone out is going to be negatively affecting their learning, then they can act in the student's best interest, and confiscate that phone. Personally, I think confiscating it for any more than until the end of the lesson is harsh and unnecessary, but that's a different subject matter. And, of course, there is the question of whether having their phone out actually is negatively affecting their learning, but again, a different subject. The "imprisoning a child against their free will" is an odd argument. Many children are of course grounded by their parents, usually against their free will. So why can't a school do a similar thing, within reason? I worry a bit about you saying you'd give a teacher "a good talking to" if you had a difference of opinion. It sounds very confrontational. Teachers are there to teach and help children, and what they think is in their best interest. Of course, have a chat with that teacher, see if a happy medium can be reached. But just because you don't see a problem with your son doing one thing, it doesn't mean that a teacher can't have a problem with 25 individual students doing it. Anyways, this post has been slightly hypothetical and whatnot, and there's no right and wrong answers with these sorts of discussions. But, on a serious note, I completely agree with Jack - the announcement is still going to be there at 9:01am, 9:30am and 5pm on Monday. It's no once in a lifetime opportunity or anything. Just have a bit more patience.

To prevent any more derailment of this topic (see what I did there?), I've decided to move the school-discussion to this thread: http://forum.maniahub.com/topic/7386-education-exam-results/page-10#entry226235- Happy schooling! Anyways... I'm pretty certain this will be a "thrill ride" of some variety. I'm guessing that Thorpe are going to be sort of alternating investments, having a thrill investment one year, then family investments for the year or two after. Not to dissimilar to Alton I suppose. It's the only way I could see the family market working for Thorpe right now. How thrilling exactly, I have no clue. But I have no doubt it will be a "thrilling" dark ride.