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Alton Towers Discussion Thread

p. 235: Nemesis Reborn announced for Spring 2024!

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Seems like an overreaction. I assume the waterguns and waterfalls are still turned off? And I also assume there are no longer extra people supervising the ride (that's the kind of thing I can't imagine Alton Towers sticking with)?

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^In a normal situation this would be an overreaction, but you've got to think that Merlin/Alton have to keep a perfect safety record after The Smiler accident in order to gain a lot of the public's trust, so this makes sense after what happened at Drayton. I guess they're trying to make sure that there's no possibility of a serious incident happening on park at all again, hence why a lot of fences around their rides have also been made higher or new ones added and quite a lot of safety related changes made.

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^In a normal situation this would be an overreaction, but you've got to think that Merlin/Alton have to keep a perfect safety record after The Smiler accident in order to gain a lot of the public's trust, so this makes sense after what happened at Drayton. I guess they're trying to make sure that there's no possibility of a serious incident happening on park at all again, hence why a lot of fences around their rides have also been made higher or new ones added and quite a lot of safety related changes made.

Anytime you try to make something more idiot proof, the world creates a bigger idiot.

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^In a normal situation this would be an overreaction, but you've got to think that Merlin/Alton have to keep a perfect safety record after The Smiler accident in order to gain a lot of the public's trust, so this makes sense after what happened at Drayton. I guess they're trying to make sure that there's no possibility of a serious incident happening on park at all again, hence why a lot of fences around their rides have also been made higher or new ones added and quite a lot of safety related changes made.

Anytime you try to make something more idiot proof, the world creates a bigger idiot.

giphy.gif.abd063211bfdf9d4cbe4809954dbd647.gif

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The issue with requiring someone aged 18 and over to ride the rapids, assumes that there is a magical force that makes people sensible and responsible on their 18th birthday, which is blatantly not the case.

 

To me this seems like more of a case of limiting liability. The Drayton incident took place on a boat that had no adults on, so ensuring that there is an adult on every boat, would take some of the focus off the park in the instance of a similar incident occurring. If some one ignores the safety rules and stands up and falls in, it's much easier to protect the park if there was a 'responsible' adult with them at the time, who should be stopping them from being stupid.

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Those images really show the gradient changes on the lift hill/launch. I've never seen that before on a coaster so its very interesting to see what it will be for...

It is straight, it's just an optical illusion because the top bits of wood are just temporary bracing until they put the track in. I've illustrated this below with a pink line showing where the track will be.

straight.png.49b324ab714ae5b15a7d34ccad4e5afe.png

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The plans definitely show the gradient change, and also indicate a form of launch lift to mitigate chain lift noise. The change in elevation is to allow room for the brake run to pass underneath the lift You can see that if you continued the shallow gradient for the full lift, the track would not meet the track that exits from beneath the station building.

 

This video is a recreation of the plans that were submitted to Staffordshire Moorlands Council, and any theme / hidden elements aside, is a good indication of what we will get! There is a possibility that the plans hid some inversions , similar to the submitted plans for The Smiler featuring only 8 inversions, but this remains to be seen...

 

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My pink line (and the plans for the ride) disagree!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Some additional windows were cut into SW8's construction fence in the last week, with posts and electrical outlets alongside them. As expected, TV screens have been placed in these windows, interestingly with speakers. Whether we'll be getting a POV like Icon's at Blackpool or something to build the ride's story we'll have to wait and see.

 

20375697_2031580800201205_8824104662118342390_n.jpg.90df721e8f95bae261558aa8da1ffce0.jpg

Source: Theme Park Worldwide

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Source: Theme Park Worldwide

001.jpg.7f3a6d4a2ddc8c8481a5faebf6e193f5.jpg

Source: Theme Park Guide

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Source: Theme Park Guide

 

Universal Rocks, who did the rock work for Taron at Phantsialand, have also been on park today.

20479485_1380676681987627_5065858485368468299_n.jpg.97b0bd509be31ebecd8c269002a2182b.jpg

Source: Theme Park Guide

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The path that runs alongside the construction fence was closed for a few hours on Monday, allowing the bents for the turn by the large theming feature to go up. Across the site, the tiling on the roof of SW8’s station and maintenance buildings is now almost complete, with the frame for the pre-show building now being constructed.

 

The TVs that were mentioned in the last update have now been switched on, with them currently showing the image seen elsewhere along the fence. I'm assuming Leek Signs, who do the vast majority of outdoor graphics for the Resort, will be on site again in the coming days to install similar framing graphics to those seen around the other windows along the fence.

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And another from ground level through one of the construction fence's viewing windows

Source: UK Theme Parks

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Another viewing window highlights the scale of the excavation towards the centre of the site and a view of the tiling on the station buildings.

Source: UK Theme Parks

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A view from the River Rapids exit path showing the seemingly finished roof tiling on the station and maintenance buildings, as well as progress with the pre-show building that sits alongside them.

Source: Towers Street

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Source: Towers Street

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A view of the newest bents from the Skyride

Source: Towers Street

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And another...

Source: Towers Street

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And a third.

Source: Towers Street

Edited by Moley
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This coaster excites me, but that's the sad thing, cause I don't have any will to go back to Alton towers until they add a couple flats and make it just generally a nicer place to be.

 

Because besides possibly this and Nemesis the park doesn't have any standout attractions that you have to go to Alton towers specifically for and just a few coasters doesn't make me want to spend a whole day at a park anyway, but it would be nice if they spent money on making the park a bit less "british" (In the sense that the park generally feels like just a "park" not a theme park in many areas) and more atmospheric.

 

TL;DR Positive about the new coaster but I feel the park needs many other improvements besides just a coaster

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey everyone. I'm heading from Utah out to the UK for a work trip and have a spare day on Saturday, September 16th. I have never been to a UK park before (although I had the privilege of visiting Phantasialand last year), so I'm not entirely sure what to expect. I'd be appreciative of any advice or heads up you could provide. I'll be making the trip from London to Alton Towers by myself. I decided to extend my trip for a day specifically to visit this park, and my co-workers are all heading back to the states a day before me.

 

I'm thinking the best option for me (since this is quite possibly a once in a lifetime opportunity for me) is to buy the day pass that gives me early entry and a Fastrack for Nemesis (£36). Given what crowds are *typically* like on a September Saturday, should I spring for one of the bigger Fastrack packages? Or just wait and see until I get there?

 

I've been to the major US parks, so Oblivion and Galatica aren't as high on my list (as I'm guessing that Valravn and Tatsu provide at least similar experiences - and I'm not a big fan of the VR rides) as Nemesis and Rita are (nothing quite like those in the US, I don't think). How would you tour the park to be able to do the rides and see the attractions that shouldn't be missed? I'm not a big fan of stage shows, but the grounds at Alton Towers look beautiful from the pictures, and I'm guessing I'll want to check that out a bit.

 

I am also planning on driving a car from London up to Staffordshire, rather than using transit. The reason for this is that I don't think any trains/busses/taxis can get me to Alton by early entry, and quite frankly, the bus system in the countryside make me a little more nervous because I'm unfamiliar with it. I can get around London just fine (I've been out there 4 times in the last year), and have driven along the southern coast through Wales and such. Is there any specific advice when driving a car? Would you recommend a different way to travel the 150 miles that might be better for a foreigner?

 

Any and all help is GREATLY appreciated!

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You're definitely better off driving to Alton Towers as the transport links are pretty poor. I live in the same county as the resort and it would take me 3 different buses/trains and between 2 and 3 hours to get there. Your best bet is to head to Uttoxeter and the resort is a well signposted 9 miles from there. I'm not sure if it is still the case but sat navs were sending people through Stoke and Cheadle (rather than Uttoxeter) and a route that was a few minutes quicker but almost guaranteed your car's bodywork would have a souvenir of the trip from one of the many extraordinarily narrow roads.

 

Fastracks are a definite wait and see purchase. You might get lucky in regards to the crowds as schools will have reopened by the time you're making the trip and in my experience the first few weekends after the school holidays tend to be on the quieter side as weekends go.

 

In regards to the grounds, they're absolutely worth a portion of your day. Unfortunately the 'Towers' themselves are closed for Scarefest preparations and a couple of the features within the gardens are undergoing restoration but there is still plenty to admire. Now, the Skyride does go over the gardens offering some rather great views so there is that option if you don't fancy the walk around.

 

As for touring the park, I don't think you'll find 5 people who will agree on the same method. Personally I make use of the splitting path at the bottom of Towers Street and go with the smaller crowd at the start of the day.

 

It might be worth posting this on one of the Alton Towers focused forums (i.e. TowersTimes or TowersStreet) as the people on those visit the park considerably more often than myself.

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