Diesel
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Posts posted by Diesel
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When I said it was operating in manual mode I assumed it was obvious that the launch wasn't manual.
As for the cold how come stealth was operating last march because it was definitely running with 2 trains with normal intervals. Was something else the cause for that like a ride team were taking a few risks?
The heat thing I was unaware of but raises questions in who designed a thing that a British summer can stop its operation. TTD can operate in far hotter conditions, oh well typical British roller coaster being inferior to its american counter parts.
Every roller coaster in the world has a recommended minimum temperature to run at. I believe Stealth's is around 5 degrees C. However this is only a recommendation from the manufacturers and isn't a strict rule. The problems that occur in regards to oil temperature are not a consistent problem, it is more of a regular occurrence that the oil tends to raise above the line.
I believe Stealth's average normal Oil temp is around 44 degrees C, and the 120 second interval only begins when the temperature reaches 48 degrees C, with a 52 degree C cut off point whereby the ride will be forced to shut down.
Unfortunately it's not a design floor that these problem occur in hot weather, any type of steel, or metal for that matter, expands in hot weather. This is why the brakes getting stuck issue occurs. Unlike other launched coasters around the world, Stealth is not sprayed between launches and relies completely on the lubricant used. Eventually, the lubricant dries out due to the heat meaning the brakes more liable to sticking, as well as this the expansion from the heat causes more friction which also in turn makes them stick with or without lubrication.
The brakes sticking is not a massive problem, and I'm sure even though they have extra help in other parks via nozzles, they may still encounter similar problems.
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Stealth operates fine in the cold, I've been there at -2 degrees in the snow and it was working fine (admittedly nothing else was). The heat it can struggle with as the hydraulic fluid is less dense but it very rarely gets that hot. Kingda ka and TTD will operate in temperatures way above 23 degrees. Most likely the problem with slow loading was new staff which are being trained for summer and therefore may have been running on manual mode. The problem with stealth last year around June was that one of the injectors on one of the cylinders was faulty so the ride couldn't recharge in time.
Whilst I am not directly saying what you have said is invalid I am going to clear a couple of things up.
Stealth in the cold can be somewhat of a nightmare to run in, not only are you running with a risk of numerous roll backs, you have the oil temperature to contend with. The cold tends to send the oil temperature sky-rocketing slowing launches down to a minimum 120 second interval and eventually shutting the ride down completely.
Summer Time for Stealth is also a nightmare to run in due to the fact the ride speeds up as it gets warmer, the warmer it is the faster it goes. The ride has numerous amounts of shut-downs in hot weather due to over speeding. As well as this the ride tends to 'fail-launch' a fair amount of times throughout the day. Another lovely shut-down you have to endure is the 'Brakes Not In Up Position', which is due to the expansion of metal in hot weather.
Stealth cannot launch in 'manual' mode, it is physically impossible. All you can do in manual is move the trains from loading to offloading and offloading to waiting ( as well as offloading to maintenance).
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So it is rumoured that X:\ No Way Out will be a whole new ride for 2013 with massive changes including a re-theme/spruce up and the trains are supposedly going to be modified and will travel forwards as opposed to backwards. The trains apparently will feature individual lap bars and the height restriction will be lowered because of this! Wonder if it is true!
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^ I completely disagree. Whilst Stealth was closed the entire queue was litter picked countless times (as well as all the grassy areas), the train that was on circuit was cleaned of bugs, dirt and grease, the platform was swept of all the dirt hair and other things as well being de-gummed. The bag room was swept thoroughly as well as the counter washed.
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Marc is completely right in this situation, Staff are never sent away from a ride to help out other rides due to the fact the ride could reopen at any moment. If there isn't any staff available they have extended downtime whilst they await the staff return or even worse prolong the downtime if they need help testing the ride. Stealth was open first thing today but only lasted a single launch which didn't complete the circuit ( didn't even make it the length of the launch track) it did open for a short while in the afternoon and after having a minor technical difficulty it was reopened again due to plagued by yet another situation which brought the ride down for the remainder of the day.
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Stealth reopened today, albeit for about 5 minutes before having a shut down and not reopening but the ride did open. The ropes where changed and it should of been open the next day following it's early closure Wednesday. However there was a slight hitch in the delivered product, which meant that the switch from old to new was postponed due to the old ropes already being removed (the old ropes are cut into smaller to be taken off so there wasn't a chance of putting them back on).
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Note, The Swarm has and is currently running reduced capacity due to essential maintenance. Normal operation will continue shortly.
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You are aware that tourism in and around london is phenominal. With Thorpe Park, Chessington and Legoland being in close proximity to the London Orbital (M25). I'd say that they are not in the middle of nowhere being right next to the capital of England.
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I'm sorry but if anyone thinks Thorpe Park or any neighbouring attraction including Alton Towers is bad, go to Blackpool Pleasure beach. http://riderater.co.uk/?p=1715
£9... Jog on mate...
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At Thorpe Park, the vast majority of rides will continue to run in heavy rain with the exception being Nemesis Inferno & Rumba Rapids which can shut down due to obstruction of the sensors. In the event of a thunderstorm ALL rides and attraction will commence running closedowns due to health and safety. In the event of hail, Stealth will usually shut down to the nature of the ride.
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To be fair, the vast majority of the rides have weather announcements. Colossus has two for example, one with a precautionary warning the ride may shut-down due to be affected by adverse weather and the other being a shut-down due to the weather. You will also find one on Stealth which advises it will be uncomfortable to ride and if you do not wish to ride please stand aside and allow others to continue forward.
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Thorpe work in conjunction with local Hotels to bring cheap breaks. Hence the 'Thorpe Breaks' part of the website.
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Ahh the Depth Charge pigeons! They have been there for quite some time now, I think there is two of them!
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Like what Jack said tpkabz, the whole point of a clubbing night out is to get smashed. Nobody goes to a night club for a 'quiet drink', they go to get drunk, get laid and have a good night. I can assure you the park knows what is in store for them when they arrange events such as Ministry Of Sound Club Nights and the event will be heavily monitored by security.
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But ride hosts have the right to turn anyone away, so they would be allowed to turn away those who seem dodgy. Isn't that one of the park rules?
What? You can't just turn someone away without having justifiable reason. I.E, Ignoring staff members requests, queue jumping & and smoking.
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I noticed someone said sub terra could work? Seriously? How bad would that look that sister parks open identical rides especially when I've read nothing but bad reviews about it...
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I personally feel the parks temporary
Measure is justifyable due to the stupidity of guests.
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As it goes things are running very smoothly at the moment. Rush unfortunately however is having some major teething problems after the extensive work over closed season.
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Swarm seems to have 4 platform staff at peak times, maybe only 2 are needed with less frequent dispatch?
In regards to THE SWARM, it will always have 4 members of staff on the platform. This is due to having 4 separate dispatch buttons which need to simultaneously pushed along with the operators two dispatch button in order for the train to be sent. Unlike let's say Colossus, where you can alter the amount of attendants between 2 and 4, THE SWARM has a a corresponding minimum and maximum of 4.
In regards to cost cutting, 1 train and 2 trains whilst seemingly have no effect on electricity usage , it is in-fact the opposite. Take Stealth for example each launch costs around £20, 1 train has a less adverse effect on the hydraulic oil's lifespan whilst two trains has a more accelerated effect on the lifespan. 1 train means less oil changes whilst 2 trains means more oil trains. Cost cutting isn't always about here and now it can be about long term budgets. 1 train means the kicker wheel motors are not stopping and starting on a continuous basis throughout the day but more spaced out. whereas on two trains they are used on a very frequent basis and so on.
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Chart music has been abolished inside the park it seems, the old Colossus ambient has returned in the lower dome, Vortex and Quantum area.http://www.thorpeparkmania.co.uk/page/remote_audio_view.php?ride=Colossus&track=Colossus%20-%20Station%20Music%202006
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As no information for new ride development for 2013 has been released he would of had to say 'it was for cosmetic reasons'. It would of been against his contract to say anything else about the parks development.
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It's been doing quite well this week with a couple days a single shutdown with others having none.
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Really? Funny you should say that! They've just reprogrammed and updated the link this closed season and look what happened, Big Bob Jones is on crack and and the trumpet players of Colossus are on Speed!
Slammer
in The Past
Posted
Slammer was scheduled to open late due to training purposes. As the upcoming months are going to be busy they will need to maximum the matrix to 'green card' the ride and carry out the essential maintenance it desires on a daily basis.