planenut

Stealth died in a big way last Thursday afternoon; then the engineers took the opportunity to replaced several parts on the "trolley" bed which were in need of attention. It is now up and running and no doubt will have the occasional hiccup on pressure and hot brake plates, but should be good.

It is a tragedy for those injured, and especially a young person to lose a limb, a calamity for the park and the operator. Nevertheless, people are still jumping to conclusions, there may well be no need to change the ride or the trains, but perhaps the enforcement of existing and new safety guidelines. If it's not the ride or the system, then there really is no need to change the ride or the themeing.

All that has already been attended to is to show that Merlin are dealing with it, a lot of the changes will not be necessary when the reason for the incident is disclosed. Merlin are not losing money, they are not making it. They are (imo) reacting in a very sensible way, but I think they are close to starting everything up again. Luckily the moronic press and those commenting about closure and restriction don't have control over the motorways or they would close them too.

TP are always losing staff, therefore training is ongoing, all season, and does cause delays. Luckily, when I was on Slammer on Thursday, the queue was not massive as I think most people are not aware it may be working.

Theories can be dangerous things,and as "boat rocking" as legitimate findings.

I went on Slammer yesterday, well Stealth had "gone down", and they were training staff then, very, very slow. I like Slammer but not a re-rideable item, and as pointed out, not in the same category as coasters.

If one writes a letter of complaint to anybody, please, please, re-read it, check the spelling, not on "spell check", and check the grammar. Correct structure and punctuation adds to the impact of a letter.

Saw is the nearest thing to Smiler in the Merlin stable, so if necessary then they can use it to simulate incidents, but when the result of the investigation has been declared, we can all stop surmising on the fault, and I doubt the systems will be the cause. Training will be necessary to invoke any new guidelines.

According to reports....."Europe’s largest inverted wooden roller coaster".

Saw is made by the same manufacturer as Smiler, so don't be surprised if it gets closed for examination and comparisons tomorrow.

Wow, that is big!

No stick to the normal - the second train broke down.

Ok, I'm an old f... but come on, do the study at school, they can't do it in queues at TP.

Right, it's running, it's running on two trains, so what have we now got left to moan about, oh yes, the paintwork. Just go and ride it!

Oddly enough this reflects the aims of the oldest ride at BPB, "The Sir Hiram Maxim Captive Flying Machines" built by him to fund his research into heavier than air flight; the only reason one can get the new ride to pivot is to use aerodynamics, I.e. alter the wing angles.

Whilst riding Stealth today, it broke down, a ten minute off load and reset and away again, then a couple of hours later, broke down big time, and I had a guy next to me who couldn't speak English, great conversation. They eventually had to offload using the independent release system on each unit, and it was out for over an hour. Back on later. Lots of people in the park, why weren't these kids at school?

Detonator was running - well, dropping today!

How many trains? keep watching!

I like it, the queuing that is, in that the more people tied up with this item means less people in the ride queues, 'cos I wouldn't do a maze.

That's a lot of wood! toofpikk - I absolutely love Wooden Warrior, fantastic ride. toofpikk

I suspect there may be several windy closures over the next couple of days, things will certainly be breezy.

Once again, a double decker bus has hit a railway bridge in Staines whilst carrying school pupils on their way to Thorpe Park. This is a highly marked bridge with signs that flash when a high vehicle approaches. Luckily nobody seriously hurt. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-32088386

Don't expect any change on the number of Colossus trains for a while http://forum.maniahub.com/topic/511-closed-rides/page-91#entry205861 When staff are short, further problems are created by the park moving staff to other areas even though there is work awaiting in the original area.

Sadly, due to reductions in specifically trained staff, there could be some longer term closures if certain rides fail. One would hope that Merlin are watching and preparing for this.

It was impressive last Friday, I could have had a bath in the tunnel.