pluk

Air (5) Battle Galleons (5) Duel (6) Enterprise (5) Frog Hopper (5) Galloper's Carousel (5) Heave Ho! (2) Hex (5) Marauders Mayhem (5) Nemesis (5) Nemesis Sub Terra (6) Oblivion (5) Ripsaw (5) Rita (5) Runaway Mine Train (5) Twirling Toadstool (3) Blade (4) The Flume (5) The Smiler (8) Th13teen (5) Sonic Spinball (6) Skyride (5) Blade - NST +

Dragons Fury (6) Vampire (5) Rattlesnake (6) Dragon Falls (5) Bubbleworks (5) Black Buccaneer (6) Kobra (1) Monkey Swinger (5) Rameses Revenge (5) Tomb Blaster (5) Sea Storm (5) Tuk Tuk Turmoil (6) Tuk + Kpbra -

Great that this becomes a proper eatery rather than what was really a large stall. I've always liked the authentic look of it though, it's hard to tell from the plan exactly what it'll look like. It looks a bit nondescript UPVC box, I hope it's not and remains on theme.

Bodes well for the future though, well done!

As far as I know only one of us is, it's Holly. So statistically you should be fine.

I have never heard it said aloud like that before! Did they have permissions for all those characters do we think, or did they just go to the local fancy dress hire place?! Simpler times!

Please. 'Health and Safety' do not in any way shape of form prevent people from queuing in a building / tunnel / cave, it's just an excuse for the parks laziness and lack of imagination. If they want to build an immersive, multi-level, indoor and outdoor queue line then that's what they can do. If they can only be bothered to build a cattle pen then that's what they will do.

I remember when in the same building Henry Hound would serve you your burger at Alton Towers. Those were the days!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26098700

I think when some of the planting grows in it will look a lot better, it will make it feel permanent and complete even if it isn't strictly realistic. It will help it feel like a viewing of a natural place rather than a disconnected drive round fairly standard zoo enclosures. It doesn't feel like you are part of an adventure at the moment, more like something you are viewing from elsewhere and I'm sure the growth will help that. There's a lot more fundamental problems with the ride than the planting though. I'm intrigued to see if any meaningful improvements are made, I doubt they will as I'm sure the feedback will just slip into the 'good enough' category. Who needs excellence eh?

0.51 - That queue on Depth Charge!

I really have no idea, I wish I did. I would guess either Space Station Zero (Fish!) or some fairly crappy unmemorable pile at an early Pleasurewood Hills may have been first, but they're not big. 'Roller Coaster' at Great Yarmouth was probably one of the first bigger ones, or Scenic Railway at BemBom Brothers (Dreamland). Mine obviously pre date the bigger (now) Merlin coasters so those were the biggest around at the time. I would guess Corkscrew would have been my first inversion or maybe Thunderlooper, I'm not sure I was tall enough for Corkscrew on earlier visits to Alton before Thunder Looper turned up. The Alton Beast seemed huge when I first rode it, that was probably really early on. Asking the question has made me want to know, I'll ask my Dad, see if he can remember!

Hello to all the new (and new-ish) people!

Mumbai coaster derailment, two injured. http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-mumbai-two-injured-as-roller-coaster-ride-tilts-at-adlabs-imagica-1959603 Tis this ride, a fairly large kiddie coaster http://youtu.be/_u0gPnRlLNo Made by Italian manufacturer 'I E Park' who I can't say I've ever heard of but they have a few rides in the UK.

Well I never knew that, I fully expect it to fall in to many pieces at any moment then. I've always considered 'chance rides' a statement of caution to riders, they don't have the best record around.

After having a decent amount of money thrown at it last year this can't be a planned move, it must have failed something terminally during closed season works. For me it is a shame, I didn't love it but didn't find it that bad - I've been working on growing my own padding for many years for such circumstances. Totally understand people not caring though, it's probably the big ride that would be missed least. Biggest problem is how it'll look being either a big rusting sculpture or hole in what is currently their flagship adult area.

For fans of 90's dance this is pretty amazing... http://youtu.be/ZunTLndtJtw?t=1m58s

It'll never work as described and so will never be introduced. I see it as a trial for an electronic fastrack replacement (which should be able to make that system much more efficiently managed) not a separate system.

But without the 'light lock' the drop created it will never ever be properly dark in there.

My cars windscreen wipers packed up a couple of weeks ago, it's been raining ever since so I haven't been able to drive it to the garage to get them fixed. Annoying. I borrowed my Dads spare car in the mean time, driving home tonight on a pitch black foggy single lane national speed limit road that people scream along and all the lights go out. Scary for a few minutes, then maddening. Mobile phone battery knackered and holds little charge. Get it out of my pocket to call for help, it dies. Infuriating. Flag down a taxi after about half hour of trying, he spots that I'm pretty screwed without him and turns me over for a tenner to get about 2 miles home. Fffffff.

Sorry, but no. The terminal velocity of the train is the point at which it will not accelerate further as the drag equals the gravity acting on it, the very point of the term is to work out the maximum speed that can be reached at any length once the T.V. is achieved. If it can be reached after 100ft it won't be going any faster at all in 235ft. But it can't, it would probably take a drop of full 10s of seconds to reach it on a steep coaster, so I'm just being pedantic. Overall the point is the aerodynamics and friction (reduced by gradient) play a much more crucial role in determining the speed of the train than the height. That was dull wasn't it. Boo to all the parks lying to us in the name of promotion.

lols at discussion about what to do with a tunnel that doesn't exist, and probably never will again.

Dragons Fury (5) Vampire (5) Rattlesnake (6) Dragon Falls (5) Bubbleworks (7) Black Buccaneer (6) Kobra (5) Monkey Swinger (3) Rameses Revenge (6) Tomb Blaster (7) Sea Storm (5) Carousel (4) Flying Jumbos (4) Tuk Tuk Turmoil (6) Griffins Galleon (0) Reset... Dragons Fury (5) Vampire (5) Rattlesnake (5) Dragon Falls (5) Bubbleworks (5) Black Buccaneer (5) Kobra (5) Monkey Swinger (5) Rameses Revenge (5) Tomb Blaster (5) Sea Storm (5) Carousel (5) Flying Jumbos (4) Tuk Tuk Turmoil (6) Jumbo - Tuk Tuk +

Air (5) Battle Galleons (5) Duel (5) Enterprise (5) Frog Hopper (5) Galloper's Carousel (4) Heave Ho! (4) Hex (6) Marauders Mayhem (5) Nemesis (7) Nemesis Sub Terra (5) Oblivion (5) Ripsaw (5) Rita (5) Runaway Mine Train (5) Twirling Toadstool (5) Blade (3) The Flume (5) The Smiler (4) Th13teen (6) Sonic Spinball (6) Skyride (6) Submission (4) Blade - Sonic +