Slammer

[tomglazed]

I believe the problems have been a combination of both throughout Slammer's life but I guess the most recent issues have been more mechanical. I think when a white paint substance appeared on various different joints and places on the ride structure, that would be as part of crack detection to ensure everything is sound structurally.

[TPJames]

Still operating or has it broken down again?

[Marc]

Was open all day yesterday

[adam_sparks1]

I have been there 2 times since slammer has been back open. The ride has been operating all day both days. The ride runs really smooth with no pain and it's comfortable. There's never a queue for It either. Even on the weekends. The only bad problem is that the time it takes to offload and onload again. To long.

[JoshC.]

So was looking around old planning applications (I do have a life, promise...), and found this little thing in Slammer's original application...

 

 

So one of the old MTDPs proposed that an existing water ride could be moved to what is now Slammer's site (as, bare in mind, that MTDP would've been written in the early 2000s).  Given the water-based rides at the park during that time, the only feasible option would've been Depth Charge.  Unfortunately, the original MTDP plans aren't available (there seems to be a nice habit of removing them off the council's site after a couple of years!), so who knows.  But yeah, slightly interesting maybe.

 

 

Also, near the end of the application, there's a report written by someone from Thorpe about the Sky Swat prototype built in Utah:

 

How true it was that the world became familiar with the Sky Swat, but unfortunately for all the wrong reasons!

[c1hrisin]

pfft restrain system that is extremely comfortable pfft

[Cal]

Slammer hasn't yet opened today according to the app Apparently people got stuck on it for half an hour yesterday according to someone on Instagram, so not sure if that's true. Hopefully it will be back open soon

 

EDIT: Slammer has re opened this afternoon  

[Diesel]

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.

[TPJames]

Would just like to note that slammer reached a 70 minute queue today despite being down the whole morning, we still got on it twice though and it was amazing, best ride in the park without a doubt I would hate to see it go.

[dragon2000]

Slammer opened up late on Sunday - speaker issue. Was taking them 15mins to load each cycle so not surprised to hear it got a 70min queue during school trip season... speed it up please!

[TPJames]

The ride broke down about 3/4 times today though. The first time was a restraint problem, the second was then the main arm refused to raise itself and would just go up a bit then lower itself. Not sure about the third problem but it reopened within 20 minutes. Would like to see operations faster but at least it's open!

[Cal]

Are they batching people through to the airgates while the ride is in operation? I know that last year they didn't really do it, but that was probably because it was dead.

[TPJames]

Are they batching people through to the airgates while the ride is in operation? I know that last year they didn't really do it, but that was probably because it was dead.

It the same as always, the people are batched into the air gates after the ride cycle has ended and people have got off. I think it might be something to do with having one member in each control box at all times while the ride is running. The queue wasn't that long as far as I remember, we only waited about 20 and when we got off he announced it was 70. I think it was more due to the slow operations than the fact that it was busy but it was busier than I have ever seen it.

[Mattgwise]

They were batching people today whilst the ride was in operation.

 

Once we got on it the ride was closed as it was noticed a metal fence panel had half come off. on the second to back row on the left side when looking from where the queue splits.

[paige]

I don't understand why Slammer takes so long to batch, maybe it's as there's a considerable amount of new staff and Slammer hasn't been open for a while so they may not really know it well, or what.

 

On Saturday, the queue time was advertised as 20 minutes, but we ended up waiting about 40 minutes, and honestly they only went through two, maybe three cycles (although they spent about 5 minutes looking for someone's phone as it fell out during the ride). They were taking atleast 10-15 minutes to load, I just didn't understand it- there was probably a throughput of about 280pph IF THAT. I get there's things with balancing etc. but I don't see how it could be that hard just to count the right number or people? If there's a major factor which affects the batching time, I would be keen to know.

[kinnaird]

I don't understand why Slammer takes so long to batch, maybe it's as there's a considerable amount of new staff and Slammer hasn't been open for a while so they may not really know it well, or what.

 

On Saturday, the queue time was advertised as 20 minutes, but we ended up waiting about 40 minutes, and honestly they only went through two, maybe three cycles (although they spent about 5 minutes looking for someone's phone as it fell out during the ride). They were taking atleast 10-15 minutes to load, I just didn't understand it- there was probably a throughput of about 280pph IF THAT. I get there's things with balancing etc. but I don't see how it could be that hard just to count the right number or people? If there's a major factor which affects the batching time, I would be keen to know.

we did have to wait an extra cycle due to there not being 15 seats spare

[paige]

Still over 40 minutes though.

[dragon2000]

On Sunday they were not loading people until the end of the previous cycle. Looked like they really needed one extra staff member to load up while the others have to stay in their control booths.

 

Once people finally get on the ride there always seems to be quite a lot of time until the restraints can be locked and then the ride seems to be quite fussy with recognising that all the harnesses are locked down properly. Staff members peering through the floor to see if lights are on etc!

 

3 cycles in 40mins was painful.

[paige]

Things like this really make me wonder how people can say Thorpe aren't understaffing.

[Pickles]

Because most other rides are fine.

[paige]

A fair few rides still suffer though, for instance, the baggage systems on X and The Swarm.

[GladiatorFanKyle]

That sound is the most disconcerting sound ive ever heard. I don't think many of the general public would want to ride something making that noise.

a lot of rides make noises like that. For example a kmg freakout or inversion makes a noise similar to that of slammer but you cant hear it due to the loud noise as a lot of these rides are only at funfairs. You can only hear slammers machines whirring as it does not have loud music to drown it out.

[paige]

It does now  

[Flipper]

A fair few rides still suffer though, for instance, the baggage systems on X and The Swarm.

 

Thank you!

On paper, Swarm's baggage room isn't understaffed as it has to open with two. It needs more than two. It needs about ten people in there.

[Benin]

Or they could've saved all the monies, not had a baggage hold and just had bag cubbies in the station...

 

Twas a solution for a problem that didn't really exist...