The Smiler - General Discussion

[Senator]

Right! I'm sorry if this is going to sound harsh but it's annoying! AGAIN! The Smiler is a brand new type of coaster designed by Gerstlauer. They tried to cram 14 inversions in a space of 30meters! Alton Towers then came to realise on Boxing Day onwards that there was no way in hell that this coaster was going to open in March 2013! Gerstlauer then obviously said the rollercoaster shall be ready in May 2013! Alton Towers accepted! Dates was pushed a shoved! Did anyone notice how all of a sudden from February to April over 100+ pieces of track was installed! I sure noticed! Then they did the testing and as a new roller coaster they didn't know what to expect! Who can predict that it was going to stall! Who can predict that safety had to come first and that's why it was delayed! Then all of you started moaning when a bolt fell of in July! It's a machine! Accidents happen! New or old! Now today! Accidents happen! Probably having nearly 300 rides A DAY! There's bound to be strain in which this happened! Big whoop. Bearings have come off! Like I said its a brand new machine and stuff happens.. So can we please not drag on saying how it needs sorting and that! Its fine! Thanks for reading and sorry if it sounded harsh!

[Dan]

What Towers management should do when they do their investigation is identify the root cause of what is now the third incident of parts falling from the ride, and take the necessary action to prevent this happening again before re-opening the ride to the public.

As much as I love The Smiler as a ride, they really do need to make a massive effort to increase its reliability for the coming seasons if it's to be regarded as a "top" attraction, as at the minute with all the negative press the ride is getting people will head in to next season with this latest incident fresh in their minds, which could massively affect gate numbers during early season.

I will also be surprised if the person who was hit by a bearing doesn't pursue legal action against Merlin/Towers. When you go for a day at a theme park you go to have a good time, not get hit by a piece of an £18m rollercoaster that can't seem to stay in one piece.

[Exterminieren]

The Smiler is in absolutely no fit state to be run at the moment.

People joke and push for it to be reopened soon, but do you guys have any idea what an unthinkable scenario the brand new ride breaking wheels and hitting guests with debris is for the Towers? One passenger got hit in the head! ! I forsee a wave of legal action, and quite right too. Do not expect to see the Smiler open again until the next season, and that's not guaranteed either. There's something deeply, fundamentally wrong with this coaster, and it should well sit unused until it can be made absolutely airtight. If not, it should honestly be pulled down. What a horror show.

Right! I'm sorry if this is going to sound harsh but it's annoying! AGAIN! The Smiler is a brand new type of coaster designed by Gerstlauer. They tried to cram 14 inversions in a space of 30meters! Alton Towers then came to realise on Boxing Day onwards that there was no way in hell that this coaster was going to open in March 2013! Gerstlauer then obviously said the rollercoaster shall be ready in May 2013! Alton Towers accepted! Dates was pushed a shoved! Did anyone notice how all of a sudden from February to April over 100+ pieces of track was installed! I sure noticed! Then they did the testing and as a new roller coaster they didn't know what to expect! Who can predict that it was going to stall! Who can predict that safety had to come first and that's why it was delayed! Then all of you started moaning when a bolt fell of in July! It's a machine! Accidents happen! New or old! Now today! Accidents happen! Probably having nearly 300 rides A DAY! There's bound to be strain in which this happened! Big whoop. Bearings have come off! Like I said its a brand new machine and stuff happens.. So can we please not drag on saying how it needs sorting and that! Its fine! Thanks for reading and sorry if it sounded harsh!

You think paying guests being showered with debris from the heavily promoted new ride is acceptable because it's new? What on Earth? Where was the mass waves of breakages and injuries for Nemesis's first year, or Oblivion's?

If The Smiler hadn't already had so much money spent on it, it would probably be pulled down this close season. The thing's toxic for the brand, and it's not going to be an easy fix, either mechanically or in terms of PR.

Team Edit: Please mind your language and refrain from personal insults.

[halso86]

Would be interesting to know how much B&M would have charged for a ride like this? Seems Gerts have cut corners somewhere resulting in these issues!

Appreciate its a new ride and new technology but so was air, thirteen and oblivion but parts haven't fallen off those rides!!

[Senator]

-.- there's something bound to go wrong! 200+ pieces of track in a small space... Those rides have less then the amount of steel the smiler uses and in a larger space! Accidents happen for god sake! 

[Dan]

-.- there's something bound to go wrong! 200+ pieces of track in a small space... Those rides have less then the amount of steel the smiler uses and in a larger space! Accidents happen for god sake!

Yes accidents happen but not to the point where the lift hill gives up the ghost and riders get hit by parts of the ride.

And if the ride hadn't been rushed then the 200+ pieces of track in such a small space would have no problem staying together. Just look at the faff they had when the last piece of track wouldn't fit.

[badlydrawnkel]

Is it possible to ask for a refund on pre-booked smiler fastrack? I'm not optimistic for when I go on the 9th.

Yes we did today.  Went to guest services and they sorted it out for us.

[Balb0wa]

The smiler is the first eurofighter ride to haul a 16 person carriage up a vertical lift is it not?  quite a bit of weight, they will sort it out.

Yes oblivion does it, but its not vertical.

[Exterminieren]

-.- there's something bound to go wrong! 200+ pieces of track in a small space... Those rides have less then the amount of steel the smiler uses and in a larger space! Accidents happen for god sake!

No. Competent constructions do not have vital pieces of ride equipment breaking loose and hitting riders in the face. That's broken, dangerous and negligent, not "something bound to go wrong".

[Senator]

Negligent! How on earth is it negligent

[themealgang]

In my opinion, I've had my last ride on The Smiler for the season. That was when I queued three hours to ride it in the rain during the Scarefest.

The ride was never fit to open- even in May. It was half completed, the toilet blocks towards the lift hills have been left in a real mess and they have crammed in 14 inversions in a space that's hard to comprehend. It's an ambitious ride, but the reputation for the coaster is becoming a bit ridiculous.

I think the ride will now no longer operate until March. Hopefully then, everything will be in full working order and we can enjoy one of the most ambitious coasters to ever be built in the world.

[Ladyofthelake]

Guys, can we try and keep this topic to calm discussion.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and we need to respect that we all have out own views on this topic. I appreciate that this has caused some strong feeling amongst you all, but lets try and keep it friendly

Thanks

[Dan]

The smiler is the first eurofighter ride to haul a 16 person carriage up a vertical lift is it not?  quite a bit of weight, they will sort it out.

Yes oblivion does it, but its not vertical.

It is, but Gerstlauer should have taken the extra weight of the trains into consideration when designing/constructing the parts for the v.lift. I'm not saying they didn't, but they obviously underestimated how much difference it would be to a standard Eurofighter.

[Exterminieren]

Negligent! How on earth is it negligent

How on Earth isn't it? Guests have been injured because of shoddy ride construction. That's textbook negligence.

[DavidRock]

And to quote a famous game........

I'm not going on Rollercoaster 1 ....it's too dangerous......

In all seriousness though....I'm off to the fireworks next week with my partner and got gold fast passes. I'm really hoping its open by then.

I just think Alton Towers have taken a battering with the luck they have had with the Smiler this year..... Changed opening times, breakdowns, stalls etc... Would this have happened if it was a B & M coaster??.

Still hope the people that did get hit all recover quickly.

Here's hoping the World record breaking (for all the wrong reasons at the min) coaster the Smiler is back up and running soon

[bluesonichd]

Negligent! How on earth is it negligent

How on Earth isn't it? Guests have been injured because of shoddy ride construction. That's textbook negligence.

But it's not really shoddy ride construction. A bearing, a common off the part shelf, most likely not even manufactured by Gerstlauer is what failed. That's something that's unforeseeable.

Unfortunate but unforeseeable.

[Exterminieren]

Negligent! How on earth is it negligent

How on Earth isn't it? Guests have been injured because of shoddy ride construction. That's textbook negligence.

but its not really shoddy ride construction, a bearing, a common off the part shelf, most likely not even manufactured  by Gerstlauer. is what failed. thats something thats unforeseeable.
Unfortunate but unforeseeable

The BBC report says that guide wheels failed, which you'd assume were bespoke for the ride.

Even so, it's not like this is the first time bits have fallen off the ride. It just so happens that this is the first time anyone has been struck.

[Kirsty25]

Guys,

You have already been asked once to cool it, please don't lose respect for others opinions no matter how much they may differ to yours! Any further comments deemed to be disrespectful by the team will be removed and may result in the topic being locked for the evening to give everyone a chance to calm down!

Thanks

[bluesonichd]

Just my opinion, don't hate me.  :O

The biggest fault with The Smiler is the technological age we are now in, internet-web-twitter-cam-phone.
The slightest thing that goes wrong, within minutes everyone connected knows.

Bits I'm sure have been falling off of coaster for years, did this happen with Nemesis? Corkscrew?
who knows, everyone is a photographer now, everyone has a phone.

Yes, it's no good anyone getting whacked with a bit of plastic falling from a coaster, but 20 years ago, if a bolt had fallen from Nemesis, would anyone have know... maybe not.

Too much information sometimes is not a good thing.

Do I still ride Nemesis?  Of course.

Will I be riding Smiler next season - Oh yes 

[audiobookman]

This is typical!

We went up to Alton in May, only to miss The Smiler opening by 24 hours. We then went up a couple of weeks later, only to be closed again the day we arrived for 5 days.

Went up in August, with the kids so I could could not ride.
Going up on Saturday and guess what....

I am really feeling sorry for Towers now, they payed their money, got a fantastic looking machine, and it keeps on failing. I would love to be a fly on the wall in one of the meetings.

The guide bearings that have failed isn't a big deal, BUT it should never happen - they have been very lucky not to cause a serious injury.

I can see a lot of changes being made on The Smiler now, all new designs go though re designs etc to get rid of bugs.

Example, the trains I drive on the central line have been running for over 20 years now, and even to this day we are doing modifications to the stock due to bugs and mechanical problems arising (remember chancery lane!).
The Smiler will go though this modification process right up until the day it's scrapped, its really just a shame it's so public when these faults occur.