Mark9

I know it's your opinion. That's all TPM is, a place of opinions and viewpoints. I'm throwing out the opposite view which is based in fact. Thorpe has had massive rollercoaster investment since 2000 and even though you've jumped into rides since 2009, you've still had massive rollercoaster investment compared to anything else. Would another rollercoaster be the answer to all of Thorpes problems?

If it helps Dean, you've had 15 years of Thorpe building things purely for a thrill basis, maybe now is the time to try something a little different. Still I like the word spited, as if five major rollercoasters in ten years was the industry norm.

Go and spend a lot more money I suggest, might encourage them to open longer hours. Five years ago we didn't even have Tues/Weds/Thurs opening.

Mainly because the block system that rollercoasters employ is infallible. Block breaks automatically close until the next part of the track is clear and this is what happened at The Smiler because we know from witness reports that the train was stopped on the lift hill. What shouldn't be possible is that you can just over-ride the safety systems particularly in the event of a stalled train.

Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland.

I don't even see why Chessington has to open weekdays through September and October. It's guest numbers barely reach 500 at that point.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3207431/Two-workers-quizzed-human-error-Alton-Towers-horror-Engineer-turned-automatic-safety-lock-operator-let-truck-slam-stalled-carriage.html Looks like the Daily Mail is the first to run with the story; human error.

Josh C linked to the artwork on the previous page of the kind of thing we should be expecting.

That's hilarious. Imagine if Bubbleworks, Tomb Blaster or Haunted House had been built with that level of disregard for aesthetics. It's like they couldn't give a toss.

I've got a feeling that it's operations. It, as a ride is far more primitive a ride system then Fury and Spinball and it's very very easy to make the cars bump into each other. It can also easily be toggled from manual to automatic, part of its close down procedures for example is to have five cars in the station.

Done!

Thanks for the find Mattg, that video is awesome.

The effects I've listed have pretty much been working on every trip I've been on since 2013.

Dare I say it, could Chessington not be a little bit more ambitious perhaps. Magic Carpet was great for 1987 and Samurai was great in 1999 but that was over 15 years ago. It's the same thought pattern that wants Bubbleworks to return to its Professor Burp days, it's not pushing the park forward, just keeping it in the past. I accept that the period between 1995-2000 was the parks greatest days but if the place is to have any future it needs to strive to lead, not keep relying on the rides that made it what it was. Chessington.

I've put out the special TPM balloons in Benin's honour.

You mean like the fireball or the red lights on the train or the water spraying from the fire engine or the helicopter propellor or the Swarm sound effects as the train goes through the top of the church or the crashed ambulance light or the blinking lights on the advertisement board or the all the queue line TV's. The only effects I couldn't see working was the water skim and the smoke in the plane. That's not too shabby for a company renowned for poor upkeep on effects.

Not many bright sparks left I'm afraid.

Back on Thorpe Park Guide forums I wanted to be called Mark, but that was taken. So I added a 9. Another member joined and then called himself Mark9w. SO yeah, Mark9w.

Why is it on the Market Square compass?

Really enjoyed Inferno last night. I love it so much and it really comes into its own in darkness.

Have to say that even with the terrible reliability yesterday, the park operations were awesome. The ride crews were working their backsides off even with the short queues. Particularly on Swarm, Vortex, Colossus, Inferno and Detonator. Was mucho impressed. For all the crap we give Thorpe, the staff were awesome yesterday. Friendly, engaging and damn hard working.

So Disney announced lots of stuff yesterday, particularly with Hollywood Studios in mind http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2015/08/live-updates-from-walt-disney-parks-and-resorts-presentation-at-2015-d23-expo/ In a nutshell we have:- Toy Story Playland which will feature a Slinky Dog rollercoaster and an Alien UFO ride and a third track added to Toy Story Mania Star Wars 'land' which will feature a Millennium Falcon attraction Upgrade to Star Tours at Hollywood Studios and Disneyland, a new scene featuring parts from Star Wars 7 Animal Kingdom Pandora - the world of Avatar will be the official name for the area Avatar Flight of Passage is our Soaring type E ticket for the area.You fly on a banshee over an alien world. Rivers of Light is the name for the new night time show at Animal Kingdom Kilimanjaro Safari wil start sunset rides with the addition of Hyenas and African wild dogs. Soarin' will be updated to a new film, 'Soarin around the world' Yay, investment.

You say all this stuff like it's a bad thing. If it takes an IP and someone else to bring Merlin product to a higher standard, whats the problem. I don't really mind if Merlin don't sign something off personally.

Thats where my sympathies lie, not with the man who died I'm afraid. If high fences and danger signs all round aren't enough of a deterrent and you think an item is worth more then your own life then unfortunately this is nearly always the outcome.