I get that on all of the floorless rides at Thorpe, bit awkward when you've sat facing the people on Detty and you collapse in a heap infront of them.

To be fair, I've only experienced it a few times on Detty- as I usually end up getting stuck for a minute or so because I'm stupid and weak

Well, when I went on The Swarm, I jumped off straight away and then felt like I had been electric shocked! I jumped my out out of the station going 'ooh', 'ow' etc

That would be a problem if my legs were numb when coming off Detty! I would just collapse to the ground in full view of the other riders/those queueing!

Clearly none of you have been on a stand up that really does turn your legs into just a bag of skin and bones. 

Detonator was running - well, dropping today!

Wasn't keen on hearing Dettys theme music had been changed back to the 2007 theme, but after hearing it at the park I actually really liked it. It was being played really loud (I could even hear it well from the top of Infernos volcano) which created a really good atmosphere around it.

 

The speakers have also been repositioned slightly, they are facing upwards and you can now hear the countdown pretty well from the top which is nice. 

It still needs to be all new soundtrack that's completely based on an Angry Birds theme though tbh.

There was no soundtrack/countdown tonight, scared the crap out the poor lad next to me as it dropped without 'warning' (it's alright for us that know when it's going to drop, but it was this lads first go), he looked a bit green coming off haha

So Detonator has received new music for this year, which can be heard on TPMs facebook.

 

Fits in a lot better with the area I guess, but I'm seriously going to miss the old track. One of the best on park IMO.

Did they do this for all of Fright Nights lol https://youtu.be/eyMv-uP2vOI

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They used to do that a lot a few years ago, and stop the countdown and leave you up there for ages if there was a short queue. Don't know if they've been told specifically they're not aloud to anymore or just because it's different staff but I didn't see them do it last season.

Don't know if they've been told specifically they're not aloud to anymore or just because it's different staff but I didn't see them do it last season.

I saw it.

There's a reason I hate drop towers...

Did they do this for all of Fright Nights lol https://youtu.be/eyMv-uP2vOI

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I think I would genuinely have soiled my pants if that had happened to me. After 4 rides on Detty I have vowed never again. Oddly I was probably the most relaxed the first time I went on it back in 2013 then the subsequent 3 other goes, the same year got progressively worse until I was almost in tears. I don't mind small drops like Sub Terra or at The Dungeons, or Magma at Paultons but I am terrified of heights and the intensity of detonator is too much for my anxiety

Interesting stuff. Won't stop me one clicking though!!

8 hours ago, Ivsetti said:

Following on from the subject of appalling rule-enforcement we go on to one a bit more serious: 

 

This (luckily empty) seat clearly has an unbuckled seat belt as the ride goes up. This again (like the Stealth video I posted earlier) is an extremely shocking breach of basic Health and Safety regulations from the park. Sourced from a video of the ride. Whilst one can argue the seat belt does nothing the implications of this are clear - the park's H&S standards are slipping even though The Smiler accident was a short few years ago.

One wonders what other H&S rules are being breached - Nemesis Inferno's supports for example show clear signs of rust as well as areas of peeled paint which haven't been repainted which is a major major major potential structural hazard. 

 

I remember a time when they didn't do the seat belts up on empty seats. I don't remember them doing seat belts up on empty seats on Inferno back in October or come to think of it, Nemesis or Oblivion when I last went to Towers..

Quote

Whilst one can argue the seat belt does nothing the implications of this are clear - the park's H&S standards are slipping even though The Smiler accident was a short few years ago.

The seatbelts serve 2 main purposes:

 

Purpose 1 - In case of an evacuation, it gives greater control to staff. 'Please don't undo your safety belt', etc.

Purpose 2 - A visual check for guests to know they're secure.

 

As time has gone on, Purpose 2 has become more redundant as guests generally know they're safe. But 20-odd years ago, seeing a seat belt was a big thing.

 

Purpose 1 only truly matters when there's people sat in the seat. Plenty of parks around the world don't bother doing seat belts on empty seats. And within Merlin, it's a ride-by-ride thing. This is not an example of H&S standard slipping.

9 hours ago, Ivsetti said:

This (luckily empty) seat clearly has an unbuckled seat belt as the ride goes up. This again (like the Stealth video I posted earlier) is an extremely shocking breach of basic Health and Safety regulations from the park. Sourced from a video of the ride.

The only thing that's extremely shocking here is the amount of time you must have dedicated to try and find another crazy thing at Thorpe to complain about.

Yeah this has been happening for years; hell I remember not doing seatbelts up on empty seats on Vampire when working on it...

 

Closed season really gets to some people I guess... This is something that happens worldwide...

From my experience while working with the seat belts on Vampire, they are used to indicate if a larger guest can get the restraint on properly, if it won't clip in, they can't go on.

But the seatbelts remain a purely cosmetic thing, the ride will function fine without them. For someone's restraint to come undone the locking system would have to have completely eroded and broken inside, and the seatbelt probably wouldn't save you anyway.

The policy now is that you can send an empty train with no seatbelts done or all of them done, (although we pretty much always did them up since they swing around and damage the train if undone). All belts must be done up if guests are on the train.

18 hours ago, Ivsetti said:

Following on from the subject of appalling rule-enforcement we go on to one a bit more serious: 

 

This (luckily empty) seat clearly has an unbuckled seat belt as the ride goes up. This again (like the Stealth video I posted earlier) is an extremely shocking breach of basic Health and Safety regulations from the park. Sourced from a video of the ride. Whilst one can argue the seat belt does nothing the implications of this are clear - the park's H&S standards are slipping even though The Smiler accident was a short few years ago.

One wonders what other H&S rules are being breached - Nemesis Inferno's supports for example show clear signs of rust as well as areas of peeled paint which haven't been repainted which is a major major major potential structural hazard. 

 

Could someone please send me the Merlin and Thorpe park manual for health and safety on detonator. This needs clarification. I was mortified the other day when I went on hangover and there was no seat-belt.

The bulletin posted earlier in the topic don’t suggest the seatbelts are needed anymore - it suggests more regular checks are needed which Thorpe no doubt carry out.

 

Seatbelts are often left undone on empty seats - it’s not a H&S breach. As for rust on supports, it’s not a major structural hazard, these things will all be checked, it’s purely cosmetic.

16 hours ago, Glitch said:

Could someone please send me the Merlin and Thorpe park manual for health and safety on detonator. This needs clarification. I was mortified the other day when I went on hangover and there was no seat-belt.

Any-one willing to leak you the official ride document would be in serious breach surmounting to Gross Misconduct; I'd be surprised if any-one will reach out to you with it or if they even have it on their person as in some cases / rides / parks / sessions they are signed out and in again within a classroom setting..

1 hour ago, daboywunda said:

Any-one willing to leak you the official ride document would be in serious breach surmounting to Gross Misconduct; I'd be surprised if any-one will reach out to you with it or if they even have it on their person as in some cases / rides / parks / sessions they are signed out and in again within a classroom setting..

He was joking.

 

Also the health and safety manual contains no secretive information, simply how to operate the ride. They're not signed out/in, and they don't give you the magic ability to operate the ride, you still need the key.

10 minutes ago, EpicSmatty said:

They're not signed out/in

Then you obviously know something I don't.. Or the other way around. Either way, that statement is incorrect.

1 hour ago, EpicSmatty said:

He was joking.

 

Also the health and safety manual contains no secretive information, simply how to operate the ride. They're not signed out/in, and they don't give you the magic ability to operate the ride, you still need the key.

 

58 minutes ago, daboywunda said:

Then you obviously know something I don't.. Or the other way around. Either way, that statement is incorrect.

Health and Safety documents such as COSWPs (Code of Safe Working Practices) can be printed out any number of times and given to any number staff at any one time. When printed, they live in a sort of uncontrolled state (in the sense that they cannot be edited after being printed). So it makes sense for there to be very few printed out to ensure that new versions don't get muddled.

 

When staff have them to be trained from / to read over, they sign a document to say what COSWP they're reading, what version they're reading and what times they read it from and to. This sort of thing is rarely done in a classroom setting though.

 

So in that sense, they're 'signed in and out'. But it's more in the sense that there's a paper trail that shows where any copies would have been at any given time, rather than a central document .