Do you reckon it's gonna have 2 trains like all the other coasters at the park? I imagine some have an extra in the sheds but I mean 2 in opperation. Also that queue line looks so confusing lol

Edited August 9, 201114 yr by TPGG
Post moved from "LC12- Updates: The Swarm"

I would say it is very likely to have 2 trains in operation. I wouldn't have thought it would even have a 3rd at opening but I'm not sure if anyone could be certain on this. Maybe taking Raptor for example, doesn't it have 2 trains in operation but no 3rd train?

Swarm will almost certainly have 2 trains operating. It can't have 3 operating as there aren't enough blocks for that (it would need an MCBR or second lift). And 1 train would just be stupid... it won't happen It might have 3 trains like Stealth so if one needs to go for maintenance for whatever reason then there is another on backup to bring out so the ride isn't forced to run on 1 train. I don't know of any B&M's which have this though, on the other hand Intamin and some other manufacturers do, but at the end of the day it's just up to the attraction/Merlin. Ah well, it will have 2 trains minimum, 3 maximum.

I think it'll be a similar story to how Stealth's trains are managed (two trains in operation at any one time and one in storage) I think it'd be foolish of Thorpe to do it any other way - particularly if they chose to have just one train in full operation; it's just illogical. I think it's say to assume that there'll be two in full operation and one in the maintenance shed.However, reading about ride experience on other forums and personal reviews of Raptor, I hear that because the trains are so much heavier than any other train design, the transition between elements is very disjointed and slow. After watching many video of Raptor I must confess myself underwhelmed (even though I know videos aren't not the be all and end all of ride experience), but when reading people's thoughts on the ride itself it seems like it really does lumber quite clumsily through the elements. Maybe it's just it's layout - it's hardly as flowing as The Swarm's (Raptor's over-banked turn after the drop just screams wasted opportunity) and reports say it feels very pedestrian and almost like it's at a constant speed throughout.Hopefully B&M have learnt from this and are building The Swarm's trains to be more suited to undertaking inversions at high-speeds (perhaps use a zero-car?). The larger drop will increase acceleration but looking at how Raptor moves just makes me wonder whether the same will happen to The Swarm after the Zero-G roll - the inclined loop might just stunt the flow, resulting in a very same-y pace therein because there's no real high-point/low-point. Other train designs might get away with this because if you look at Colossus' layout it a similar story, but the lighter trains sustain the speed very well. I', just apprehensive that The Swarm's train will act as more of a drag force around the last few elements of the ride. One thing is for sure though if The Swarm ends up like Raptor - the front seats won't be worth queueing for simply because it'll feel like your dragging the rest of the train around the track; back seats it is for me then.

Silverstar operates with three trains most days, however still has the rolling maintenance programme like Stealth. Or should I say, Stealth is 'apparently' using the rolling maintenance programme however when is the third train not in bits..

Hi all,I normally don't log on much but I do read the forums a lotFirst of all I think that The Swarm is a brilliant idea for the ride and I hope that next year all our ideas are disappointed.However, looking at the ride and all the theming coming from it, a thought has passed my mind.With thirteen at alton towers, Rita was rethemed slightly to fit into the surroundings.IS anyone thinking that the same might happen to Stealth with it's close proximity to The Swarm, even with a little bit of extra theming, slightly destroyed control booth etc I think it might enhance the excitement for the ride a bit more.Sorry if this is in the wrong topic, but its just somewhere I thought I could fit it in.

Edited August 11, 201114 yr by Sidders
Post moved from "LC12 Updates- The Swarm"

It's hard to say, but the cynical me would say that Thorpe won't re-theme Stealth at all. The Swarm looks to be set on it's own island; it's own themed area, with possible flats joining said area between now and 2016, as outlined on the 2010-16 MTDP. The only reason I can fathom that Alton would've wanted to re-theme Rita slightly was due to the close proximity between the coasters and the fact that both Rita and Th13teen are in the same area of the park.

Hi all,I normally don't log on much but I do read the forums a lotFirst of all I think that The Swarm is a brilliant idea for the ride and I hope that next year all our ideas are disappointed.However, looking at the ride and all the theming coming from it, a thought has passed my mind.With thirteen at alton towers, Rita was rethemed slightly to fit into the surroundings.IS anyone thinking that the same might happen to Stealth with it's close proximity to The Swarm, even with a little bit of extra theming, slightly destroyed control booth etc I think it might enhance the excitement for the ride a bit more.Sorry if this is in the wrong topic, but its just somewhere I thought I could fit it in.

I dont think they will do anything to Stealth, The Swarm will be very much within its own area away on its island, Thorpe Park dont really do "themed areas" as such any more so there wouldnt be any real need to do anything to Stealth.

They won't retheme Stealth. Not that it has much of a theme at the moment anyway. Swarm looks to be very self contained, think of Tidal Wave when it first opened for a good example of how one ride in an area really works well.

Going back to the trains, I did some digging of old documents and found this, a press release from Thorpe Park's PR team back when planning permission had only just been granted: http://www.thorpepark.com/press/releases/2011/31-03-11-2012-Coaster-Approved.doc The second page confirms there will be two trains, each carrying twenty-eight passengers.

Good find! Thought so.Ps, high five for being online at 3:50 am. We're cool

Hi all,I normally don't log on much but I do read the forums a lotFirst of all I think that The Swarm is a brilliant idea for the ride and I hope that next year all our ideas are disappointed.However, looking at the ride and all the theming coming from it, a thought has passed my mind.With thirteen at alton towers, Rita was rethemed slightly to fit into the surroundings.IS anyone thinking that the same might happen to Stealth with it's close proximity to The Swarm, even with a little bit of extra theming, slightly destroyed control booth etc I think it might enhance the excitement for the ride a bit more.Sorry if this is in the wrong topic, but its just somewhere I thought I could fit it in.

I dont think they will change the theming of stealth because The Swarm is on a seperate island.

Good find indeed. Looking back at the 3rd train speculation, I'd say that (please correct me if I'm wrong) the actual design of the ride just could allow for one if they had one.Help me out here but if there was a spare train stored in the shed and they did want to swap out a train in use for the spare, it looks like the only way they would be able to do it is by:

• Run the train they want to take off through the course and onto the break run
• Move the train that will remain in use in the station
• Move the spare train out of the shed and onto the track
• Move the train in the station out and onto the lift hill
• Move the spare train into the station
• Move the train they want to take off onto the transfer and remove it

Or if they have more than one maintenance bay, just move the train they don't want onto the transfer and into the shed and the spare train onto the transfer track and onto the ride.Why does this matter anyway?

Or if they have more than one maintenance bay, just move the train they don't want onto the transfer and into the shed and the spare train onto the transfer track and onto the ride.Why does this matter anyway?

The plans only show one maintenance track and it looks like it is just one train long (or the same length as the station atleast). It might not matter in many people's eyes but it is a discussion point for the ride; we managed to squeeze two pages upwards out of whether a tank for advertising the ride is real or not so...

We should also consider the reason that many parks, for example some of the American parks, have 3 trains for a coaster that runs 2 / 4 trains for a coaster running 3. AFAIK no other manufacturers do this, but B&M insist that each train is fully stripped and examined after each year of running (and that's 365 days from first use, so even if you ran it on 1st Jan then not again until October, it would still need to be done in December). As a result, parks like Busch Gardens Tampa or Islands of Adventure which both have 3 B&Ms but don't have a closed season have to have an extra train which is always the one being stripped and examined. Thorpe simply don't need it because we have a closed season, so both can be done at the same time between November and March. If they want to run two trains, they buy two.I'm fully expecting someone to now ask "Why does Stealth have three then?", to which my answer is I have no clue.

Inferno could (If I'm right) run three trains but it doesn't because it would mean a lot of stacking, hard work for the staff and a logistical nightmare. And not having a third train helps matters. . Lets be honest though, even on two trains this thing will have a very high throughput anyway and a third train will only create more problems for the staff particularly as Swarm isn't all that long.

The plans only show one maintenance track and it looks like it is just one train long (or the same length as the station atleast). It might not matter in many people's eyes but it is a discussion point for the ride; we managed to squeeze two pages upwards out of whether a tank for advertising the ride is real or not so...

Sorry I haven't looked at the plans in such depth.I understand that three trains or less can be a discussion point, but not how they would be stored or swapped?True, but it was pointed out that it didn't matter and it was great advertising.

I'm fully expecting someone to now ask "Why does Stealth have three then?", to which my answer is I have no clue.

It's a spare, since Rita proved to be a rather annoying ride and was often down to 1 train in it's opening, Thorpe elected for the third train to ensure that 2 train operation occurred at a regular basis...

Ha. Yet still doesn't.

Not once have I seen Stealth on a 1 train operation

Not once have I seen Stealth on a 1 train operation

You must be so lucky then!I remember all the fuss about two train operation everyday it operated and then its first day of operation in 2006 it was on one train only...

Not once have I seen Stealth on a 1 train operation

I haven't this year but I have been a fair few times in the past with it only on 1 train operation.

I haven't this year but I have been a fair few times in the past with it only on 1 train operation.

That's good to hear, maybe the problem is fixed then :)When Swarm opens, I'm gonna ride on the right (preferably at the front too) because you get the height on the 'inverted drop' and all the near misses when your hugging the water surface. I can imagine that this ride will be fairly re-rideable too because you'll get a different ride experience depending on where you sit. The edge seats will be rougher and the inner seats will be smoother (judging from Furius Baco), The front will be fun to see where you're going and the back will have some intense drag

^Judging by reviews of Raptor neither side will be rough... It's traditional B&M smooth and flow... Hmmm, wonder if a trim will be put on and how much panic it will cause...