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Thorpe Park | Derren Brown's Ghost Train | VR Attraction

Ethan

Strata Poster
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

"Other guy" haha.

On TPM, we've had the same discussion as people have had here! Lots of members seem to want a Hyper! (And a topspin!) :)
 

jj23w

Hyper Poster
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

People are excepting the top spin more on there. I'd rather a B&M hyper to an intamin. The height ceiling could change at anytime. I would of thought they would do it in 2016 10 years of stealth.
 

Nemesis Inferno

Strata Poster
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

Ethan said:
With Thorpe Park's new target market, I doubt we'll see a wooden coaster, plus the space they use up is far greater than steel coasters! Also I doubt it would suit the park's skyline.

I know everyone says all the GP hate woodies, but they really don't.

Thorpe Park moving into a family market means you doubt they'd build a wooden coaster? A GCI is pretty much the ideal family thrill coaster... And to say the space they take up is far greater than steel coasters seems a lack of knowledge is about, as they can fit whatever space is available to a park... Just look at what Grona Lund did with Twister as an example...


jj23w said:
People are excepting the top spin more on there. I'd rather a B&M hyper to an intamin. The height ceiling could change at anytime. I would of thought they would do it in 2016 10 years of stealth.

Urgh, the Top Spin thing is such a rubbish joke and I'm sick of it on there, don't bring that crap here...
 

DelPiero

Strata Poster
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

I'd love a Gravity Group woodie, fits in the height restriction, family friendly, cheap and airtime galore, preferably in the Wooden Warrior/Roar-o-Saurus mould. Put it down the CCR line with the station in between NI and the Rapids, or rip out the Crust and Saw Alive and put it along that edge of the main island. This would leave the new island and CCR for the Hyper in 2019/2020.

Alas, no Varneypoint on an excellent woodie.
 

Ethan

Strata Poster
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

Nemesis Inferno said:
Ethan said:
With Thorpe Park's new target market, I doubt we'll see a wooden coaster, plus the space they use up is far greater than steel coasters! Also I doubt it would suit the park's skyline.

I know everyone says all the GP hate woodies, but they really don't.

Thorpe Park moving into a family market means you doubt they'd build a wooden coaster? A GCI is pretty much the ideal family thrill coaster... And to say the space they take up is far greater than steel coasters seems a lack of knowledge is about, as they can fit whatever space is available to a park... Just look at what Grona Lund did with Twister as an example...


jj23w said:
People are excepting the top spin more on there. I'd rather a B&M hyper to an intamin. The height ceiling could change at anytime. I would of thought they would do it in 2016 10 years of stealth.

Urgh, the Top Spin thing is such a rubbish joke and I'm sick of it on there, don't bring that crap here...
^ Some people actually want a topspin?

Again, your post is patronising. There's a reason they didn't build the GCI planned for 2009, and it's been confirmed that plans for one have been scrapped. GCIs do take up more space than a steel coaster, and Thorpe Park would probably never build a major coaster as small as Twister.

Just because I said I didn't think a wooden coaster would suit the park, doesn't mean they won't ever buy one. I was just stating my opinion, but obviously because this is CF, every comment anyone makes will get shot down.
 

Nemesis Inferno

Strata Poster
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

There indeed is a reason that they didn't build the GCI, mainly because of the reclaimed land they were going to use would be unsuited to the support structure (although it would also appear the land was just unsuitable, what with Saw's supports sinking too)... Also the costings, manufacture, transport/logistics and training of engineers were also considered as reasons behind the cancellation of the project...

That really has nothing to do with this 'space' point you seem to be putting forward, unless you mean of course that there's a larger density of supporting structure in a wooden coaster... But that's not really a space issue, as the supports on the top of most steel coasters have to be spread out just as much to support the ride suitably...

It's a bit of a generalisation that GCIs take up more space than steel coasters though, as they will create a design based upon what the park wants and the space that is available to them... As an example, Wodan on the whole is actually quite compact in comparison to say Blue Fire next door to it, aside from the bit that goes around Atlantica...

As for the patronising, well you did say that a wooden coaster wouldn't fit Thorpe's new family market, which is a silly comment to make for the reason I gave...
 

Ethan

Strata Poster
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

^ Well I know a lot of families that wouldn't want to ride a roller coaster made of wood, so my point isn't so silly.

The support structures do take up more space though. Yes, steel supports have to stretch out, but you can place the footers anywhere that there's space for it. You can have things in between the track and the supports, because there isn't a dense support structure in the way.
 

Nemesis Inferno

Strata Poster
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

Ethan said:
^ Well I know a lot of families that wouldn't want to ride a roller coaster made of wood, so my point isn't so silly.

The support structures do take up more space though. Yes, steel supports have to stretch out, but you can place the footers anywhere that there's space for it. You can have things in between the track and the supports, because there isn't a dense support structure in the way.

Not really stopped Blackpool over the years has it? Ravine Flyer II goes over a road if I recall correctly...

Like, is your point solely down to that you can't put a ride or two directly underneath a wooden coaster because the structure is dense? I'm really not getting it now, since there are plenty of parks which have things right in the structure, be it a cross-over section, another ride/coaster or the pathways... What makes a Wooden coaster take up more space than a steel one in your book?
 

Smithy

Strata Poster
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

Surely if it's going on a freshly-developed area the only dimensions that matter are that of said area?
 

Ethan

Strata Poster
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

^^ How are you not seeing that a wooden support structure is more dense than a steel support?

^ And Smithy, I'm saying this because many people seem to think that a new coaster will go over Loggers Leap and Canada Creek.
 

Smithy

Strata Poster
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

Ah alright, I thought it was gonna be like Saw in that it'd be on it's own new island sort of thing.
 

furie

SBOPD
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

Ethan said:
^^ How are you not seeing that a wooden support structure is more dense than a steel support?

He is seeing it, he's just saying it's not actually a cause of any problems where space is concerned.

How does Saw's metal structure help it? How does The Swarm's? Inferno?

It makes no difference and a wooden coaster could have been added to any of those spaces.

As Benin says, Ravine Flier crosses a highway. In Blackpool at one point you have two wood, one hyper and the Steeplechase all crossing within meters of each other.

I agree that if the ride was to completely run over the area of multiple other rides, then wood couldn't be used. If it's just crossing at cleverly designed points though - structural density really isn't an issue.

It's not going to happen because Merlin are just aren't going to buy one, but not because of structure.
 

marc

CF Legend
Thorpe Park construction?

As said a few pages back it was reported years ago that Thorpe could not build a woodie as it's reclaimed land. They cannot get the foundations deep enough and the under soil is too wet.

Maybe the rules have changed and construction has but going by what was said then this won't be a woodie.
 

DelPiero

Strata Poster
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

marc said:
As said a few pages back it was reported years ago that Thorpe could not build a woodie as it's reclaimed land. They cannot get the foundations deep enough and the under soil is too wet.

Maybe the rules have changed and construction has but going by what was said then this won't be a woodie.
Forgive my ignorance Marc, but why do Wooden coasters require deeper foundations than Steel? (Did a quick google search on foundations and drew a blank)
 

Jordanovichy

Credit Whore 2016
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

I was wondering that. I also couldn't help but think a B&M Hyper would need fairly deep foundations too... I'd imagine they're pretty darn heavy. Having said that wooden coasters have a much more dense support system so maybe that ends up being heavier?
 

silenthillXD

Hyper Poster
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

As much as I'd love a wooden coaster, I really doubt it. Atleast not a traditional GCI or even a GG woodie. I do agree though that woodies are family friendly, whilst on my recent trips to oakwood and blackpool, there were a ton of families riding Megafobia and Nash. Even though they're both relatively intense rides, they are very popular with families, probably due to their lack of inversions.

I think Merlin are making a great mistake overlooking wood, but as I said I really can't see a traditional woodie going in. I wouldn't necessarily be surprised if an RMC went in, but even that's a push. (Though I would imagine that a unique RMC would fit Merlins remit for impressive looking and unique coasters quite well)

In all seriousness though I can see this being a B&M hyper. I'd love an intamin hyper, but I just doubt it.
 

marc

CF Legend
Thorpe Park construction?

DelPiero said:
marc said:
As said a few pages back it was reported years ago that Thorpe could not build a woodie as it's reclaimed land. They cannot get the foundations deep enough and the under soil is too wet.

Maybe the rules have changed and construction has but going by what was said then this won't be a woodie.
Forgive my ignorance Marc, but why do Wooden coasters require deeper foundations than Steel? (Did a quick google search on foundations and drew a blank)

No idea tbh it's just what was said ages ago and I've tried to find the topic but the search thing on here is not the best. It was said in the saw topic.

The same is being said on thorpepark mania tower street TPR. Wooden coaster require more dense supports so are heavier so will sink.
 

DelPiero

Strata Poster
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

marc said:
No idea tbh it's just what was said ages ago and I've tried to find the topic but the search thing on here is not the best. It was said in the saw topic.

The same is being said on thorpepark mania tower street TPR. Wooden coaster require more dense supports so are heavier so will sink.
I'm guessing that would depend on where exactly the coaster would be built though, if it's recent reclaimed land then you would guess that the creep settlement would be too frequent and the land would be too unsafe for any coaster, but the longer the land's been reclaimed for the higher chance that it would be classified as stable land.
http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/460/460-115/460-115.html used as reference.

How about a low groundhugging woodie which really only has a lift hill as major weight? Would that really be much heavier than a steel? I'd say that a woodie could be built on the oldest part of the reclaimed land without any issues(beach perhaps?), but the new island, no chance.
 

shawnoc

Mega Poster
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

I think it's more down to the concentration of footers for a woodie, as traditionally the coasters footprint is fairly compact. With a steel coaster the footers are place fairly far apart meaning loading on the ground is spread out over the course of the coaster. The footers would still have to go deep for steel footers due to the unstable land, but must be cheeper than doing the same for the concentration of footers that a woodie would involve. I feel that this is why they have been teasing an el toro type coaster as the layout is fairly drawn out and if planned to skirt from the new island towards the back NI to Canada Creek the land may be more stable due to how long the land has had to settle. If you look at the original plans for the woodie for Saw Island the coaster was very twisted and compact layout meaning the new island may have had issues with subsidence. I'm up for any airtime coaster steel or wood, I just have a wee incling that it might be a woodie. Although a decent steel hyper would be amazing.
 

shawnoc

Mega Poster
Re: Thorpe Park construction?

Sorry for the double post but stated before my first post, even if it's a ground hugging coaster you would still have stresses on the ground over as a larger coaster due to the kinetic motion of a woodie. Every member of timer flexes and twists with the forces of the coaster train running over the track. Which I think is why Thorpe have gone with steel as far due to even though steel flexes, it's not as much as timber.
 
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