Drayton Manor's single - train coasters

[CoasterCrazy]

Has it ever occured to you that ALL of Drayton's coasters have a single train?

Shockwave (when I went in summer 2011) - 1 Train, station and brake run could easily accomodate two!
G - Force - 1 Train (Brake run and switch track could easily accomodate two!)
Buffalo Coaster - 1 Train (because it does two circuits)
Ben 10 - 1 train (because it is a shuttle)
Troublesome Trucks - 1 Train (because it does two circuits)

What I really want to know is...WHY??? Why make us suffer by queueing (Shockwave's loading is already super slow) and if there is a problem with the train or it needs maintainance...then why close it for days?

The only reason in favour of this is perhaps...energy bills??

Or perhaps, for Shockwave, there isn't enough demand for two trains?Shockwave's train isn't always full...

But couldn't they just take one off the track? (Does Shockwave have a switch track?)

Anyway, I would love to know!


Please reply! :--D

 

[Martyn B]

Shockwave does have 2 trains. The second train is 9 times out of 10, sitting in the maintenance shed, which is well hidden. I never even knew it had a second train and maintenance shed after my first couple of visits.

 

[Jake]

Shockwave doesn't ever need to run two. I've been various times when they have had two running and it doesn't increase throughput in the slightest due to the ridiculous amount of time it takes to load a train. At the end of the ride you just end up waiting for several minutes for the other train to leave the station. Even on busy days, the queue is rarely long (except school trip season </3).

G Force really does need a second train though... I've been on days where everything else is walk-on and the queue is still over half an hour. Even though the ride is short, loading only takes a few seconds so they could run two quite well if they hadn't been so tight </3. Meh, I usually spite it anyway because it's awful.

 

[Colossus]

^ All of this.
I have only ever been once when Shockwave ran multiple trains, every other time there has only been the single train in operation and I could not notice a difference between the two. Mainly I think because apart from when the ride opens in the morning, Shockwave is always near walk-on, even with the slowest throughput.

G(imp)-Force however, has always had a ridiculous queue whenever I have been, I have seen it stick out of the station building on many occasions, the ride really would benefit from a second train, even if it wasn't run all the time, it would benefit that ride no end in peak season. G-Force could easily accommodate multiple trains. But again, I don`t care too much because I loathe this ride.

 

[Martyn B]

I would have to say that Shockwave does require its second train more often, at least every time I've been anyway.

 

[Danzibarr]

Shockwave was running both trains more frequently last year.

Yes it does take a long time to load, and this is exactly the reason why running two is a benefit over running just the one. At least whilst train 1 is out on the track, train 2 can do a minute and a half's worth of it's load/unload routine. You're not doubling throughput, but essentially trains are leaving that station at a faster rate than they would be with just the one.

 

[Danzibarr]

Wow. My post was simply a response to Jake's comment; "I've been various times when they have had two running and it doesn't increase throughput in the slightest". But thanks for the patronising comment all the same!

 

[Uncle Arly]

I've only ever been to Drayton when Shockwave was running two-train operation, so I can't really comment on weather it benefits from this, as the loading times are VERY slow.

G-Froce I agree needs two. It could run two easily, but Drayton management obviously think one is enough.

Ben 10, Buffalo and TT are moot arguments really.