pluk

Although that could create its own problem, with people making B.S. posts in the main forum to get their count up to gain access!!So maybe a minimum rep would be better?

The threat level has not gone up to critical, which it would if they were concerned by a specific threat, so should be nothing to worry about. I hate that my branch line has a really early last train, leaving me to fork out for taxis after a late night. Would it kill them to run one late night train so I could stay in town at least until the pubs close?

I take it you have not riden Toy Story Midway Mania then? It is immense and we have nothing like it here. If it is basically the same ride then it is lot better than either of those.And as both of those are about 20 years old, why can't we have nice new things?

If that daily charge is transferable across all the locker sites in any one day that is much more convenient, Alton is too spread out to have to keep returning to one place every time you want your stuff. It's easy to spend a fiver in a day on repeated single use ones a at a pound a go, so not bad value really.But if these are like the ones in IOA they were nothing but a pain in the arse, partly because of stupid people not working it out and partly because some lockers felt like taking your possessions prisoner occasionally.

I don't think it's there yet. I was at Peter Pans (as it should be called!) last weekend and didn't notice it. I think a big new shiny ride would stand out to me, but I was not really looking for it as I didn't know it was coming.Quite intrigued by the idea of an in house ride, love that they try this sort of thing. Can't wait to know what it is going to be.

There's no point in this discussion going round and round in circles, I still don't understand the point of this powered backstop idea and hope it is correct. I don't know who on here has first hand experience/knowledge of these things or who is having a guess and opinion is split. As I said initially, my assumption IS that an alternative safety measure is in place. But nothing is ever completely safe, risks are managed with safety features and this safety feature appears to me to not have been maintained. If it were 100% true that any attraction would not be operating if it were not safe then accidents would never happen. We know they have happened and we know that Thorpe/Tussauds have previously been fined for breach of health and safety in relation to this, so I think this was a legitimate question to ask.

Fair enough then, maybe they are. Would seem crazy to spend tonnes of money sending people all the way out there with so many different parks they could use a lot closer to home. Would be quite a good prize for the UK version, to go and compete against the yanks.There is a full American version being made at 6 flags though, so if there is a brit version filming out there it's likely to be a MM.

I've always wondered why they bother on a lot of rides. No one physically checks them on vortex - if the light is right they know it is locked properly. Saw also has these lights, so why bother. It just slows down dispatch.

It's being recorded at 6 flags magic mountain, but it is an American version of the show with American hosts/guests, not our version being recorded in America. So no one is getting flown around the world courtesy of a low budget tv show I'm afraid!

That's what I thought Smiffy, and as you say the anti slip grips to the belt. But if that belt breaks it is gripping to nothing so backwards it will go along the rollers. Other things can also effect the belt grips effectiveness, like this...http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=5507982It's a long way up there, I was kind of exaggerating when I wrote it but I'm quite sure a log coming right down from the top to one at the bottom would be going fast enough and be heavy enough to kill.

Clasic... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLSIU9BG41U

Yeah, I did see that discussion, but couldn't see it resolved with any kind of explanation. I'm (kind of) sure they wouldn't run it if it was unsafe, but it seems bazaar to build in an operating system to something which works fine if it's just left alone.

Fair enough if that's the case, but do you know this to be fact or is it just presumption? It just seems a bit odd to me - too much noise pollution from little clickers, rush booming and people screaming on Colossus a few yards away. Every other log flume type that I can remember riding (and I'm sure Thorpe used to) has them out all the time, so they don't require any power or sensor control and are therefore totally fail safe. I know the boats don't move when the belt stops, I'm talking belt breaking (which can happen, I've seen it myself on dragon falls).

I've always wondered - why do only 2 or 3 (or sometimes none) of the clicky clacky backstops on the main lifthill work? Can I presume that Thrope have worked out a super high tec invisible way of stopping the boats flying down backwards in the event of a belt snapping? Or will they just wait until it happens and a few people are killed before they bother spending a few quid repairing them?

It actually is the same site, but if you log into coastercounter instead of ridecounter it only shows you your coasters. I never knew the ride part existed, so thanks for that!

Looking at that coaster count site - water coasters - yes, water chute/log flumes - no. Dark rides only if they house a coaster. There seem to be a million ways of doing it, a lot of people don't seem to like counting powered coasters, like mine trains.

I've never thought about this before, just spent 20 mins on coaster count and it's amazing how it adds up. 105 steel, 16 wood and that's without really thinking about it, sure there are quite a few more. They do count racers and duel tracks multiple times though (space mountain, steeplechase, grand national etc), which I'm not sure I agree with.

oooo, like this idea

That's exactly what I mean!!The thing with woodies in this country is they are all so old (except the Welsh one in the arse end of nowhere). The modern ones I've riden elsewhere are something else. GhostRider is comfortably in my top 5, Terminator not far behind, and I'm reliably informed there are even better ones out there. Something on that scale would be a modern icon for the park.

Yes! This country needs a modern woodie, and AT is the place for it. Stick a loop in it and what have you got? A worlds only attraction (although not first), an obvious hole in the worlds first/only stats that needs filling. But it does not have to have a gimmick like that, if whatever they build is done well enough it will sell itself. Not sure about a floorless though, I've never ridden one on that's really blown my socks off.

Disco crisps have half price vouchers on the back at the mo. Quite unusual and very handy if your going in an odd numbered group.

Both true, but a few signs could do it. And if they were really hidden away they could have other 'adult' entertainment on offer. Now that would make a revisit well worth while!

Thanks for that Sheepie, think I understand the picture thing now.Vampire was only on 1 train op, so it was the sitting in the middle that was causing the problem, feels like the couplings need to be tighter so the train moves as one. It is their most iconic ride, but when I got off the first time I was so disappointed by the overall experience I thought they may as well tear it down if that's the best it can do, and I never ever thought I'd think that. I warmed to it after better rides, but it kills me that quick wins to put it right are so cheap and easy (around the station I mean) but just not done.One thing I forgot to mention in the report are the smoking areas. I do not mind at all that we have to be segregated in some way, but I hate the way it is done. Behind the rope of shame you feel like an exhibit in the zoo, and they are put in such prominent positions. I'm sure it would have been easy to tuck them away somewhere, which would also have been better in achieving their aim of not letting the suggestible little kiddies or easily offended adults see or smell it.

Just this Monday I went round Dragon Falls 4 times in a row, just swapping groups of other peoples kids in our boat as they didn't have enough adults to supervise a coach load.The same thing happened on Buccaneer, with the ride op begging adults to stay on again and again to occupy edge seats as the coach loads of kids had not enough adults with them. We only bothered to stay on once extra because it was taking them an age to load the damn thing with the new seating arrangements.At Thorpe I'm pretty sure I've had multiple rides on everything other than Saw, Stealth and X/WTF. The only one of note was 3x on Colossus, which I loved but my wife thinks she fully lost consciousness on the last time round and then felt like crap for the rest of the day.

Nice report, oh it takes me back. A very weird and wonderful place. And I spy a hidden Mickey in your photos! Yay!!