The Smiler - Speculation

[Bote]

Looking at the plans like that and coming back to what we were discussing earlier, I wonder maybe we could see some form of trick track due to the smallish space.

Maybe a shuttle (Or maybe even two) leaves the loading area and travels straight onto a piece of track. A door then closes behind it. The track then lowers down gently and turns to face the direction of travel that it is next going to go down. This could give them the chance for some form of preshow or effects to open the ride.

With the right strength piece of track and timings I'm sure they could have two shuttles run together to aid throughput. Think along the lines of Matterhorn Blitz, but going down and turning rather than up :P

If they were going to run single shuttles on it though how cool would something like Winjas' lift be? The track lowers and turns durring some form of show, then it tilts forward to meet the next piece of track. The break is then released and the shuttle goes stright into the first drop. It could be a really good way to catch people out and take them by surprise!

This video probably demonstrates better at the start. When the vehicle reaches the top of the lift where the lights are on it is actually tilting forwards into the first drop, so from the moment it is released it instantly starts going.

After watching that video again I guess something like that could be possible with two shuttles dispatching together. On Winjas two leave the station. The one at the front goes onto the lift, and the second sits in a holding area with doors on either side while it waits for the lift to clear. The doors in front then open and it proceeds onto the lift area.

If Maurer can do it I'm sure Gerst could have a bash at it :P

[Nemesis94]

I'm really going off on the basis of the transfer track. To me I think the way it is show on the plans is it is more of a full transfer track than a turntable or switch track section.

The transfer track is likely too. But it doesn't mean the trains/cars will be as long as the transfer track. It could be long enough so that 2 eurofighter cars can be transfered at once, rather than having to do them individually. Not sure if it will be two tracks wide. The original drawings showed only a single entrance. There's certainly room, but maintenance areas can be quite generous with space. Look at this one for Takabisha:


I'm a little sceptical about SW7 using trains too, all of Gertslauer's major coasters use single cars, most likely because it is a lot (lot) easier to do the designs for them, and allows a vertical lift that doesn't put too much strain on the lift chain.

[Nightfall]

Technically the 8 seat Euro-fighters aren't single carts but a train with a front and back cart as this picture shows:



So it is possible they could just add a middle cart. The design would need to be modified anyway for a lap bar version (which Gerstlauer claim they will already do).

[Rollercoasters4Life]

This, with one seat added on both ends of the rows and equal gap between each seat (this one has bigger gaps the further the row back) - creating 12 people per train.

[Colossus]

This may have been discussed before or not (I have tried to have a brief recap through the topic, so please excuse me if it has) but has anyone mentioned the height of the station and the height that the return track enters.  Its very different to Saw for example where the return track is very close to the roof.  This isnt... Therefore in the case of SW7, why build a building that big when it doesnt need it?? 

Saws station is 36.5m x 20.6m and has a height of 10m
SW7's main station area is 28.2m x 13.9m and has a height of 11.3m

Interestingly in the case of Saw, that includes the maintenance and SW7 has a seperate maintenance area.

To me, it would seem as though there is going to be a LOT more going on inside that building than what has been speculated on the previous page.  Otherwise, why have a station that big?

Thoughts?

[Dormiens-Dave]

I was pondering that the other day, there is almost a whole floor of space above the station level which for Alton Towers is unusual. They never build anything bigger than they need to as its so hard to get planning permission. Lift upwards after the station maybe



There's a whole set of bricked up windows above the station level.

[Boz]

or even more controversial a post show area with the station on the bottom. we just don't know! it's driving me mad not knowing

[adsyrah]

Have a look at the top-down view of the station, though. The back wall is staggered so it's not a simple cuboid building - there's a fair bit of space cut out of the building.

[Dormiens-Dave]

The staggered wall is only the rear third of the building, looks to me like it could house evac stairs and is unthemed. However above the station and a bit beyond we still have the situation where the building is a whole 3.5 meters higher than it needs to be.

It may be nothing but its quite interesting.

[Boz]

i had noticed it myself, and i'm quite puzzled by it aswell

[Rollercoasters4Life]

Just done a overlay of SW7 on how the area is now if anyone is interested:


Bigger View: http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c259/shaney108/AltonTowerSW7Overlay-1.jpg


Bigger View: http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c259/shaney108/AltonTowerSW7OverlaySmall.jpg

All the grey is the footpaths that are/will be accessible to the public. The queue line is on there, but it is white, and not grey like the area footpath. The wooded section is the stilted jetty overlook.

[Charlee]

Hoping to god that the trains aren't Eurofighters, if they are then the GP will just see it as Saw:The Ride 2

[Dormiens-Dave]

Hoping to god that the trains aren't Eurofighters, if they are then the GP will just see it as Saw:The Ride 2

The general public don't take too much notice of the general form of a rollercoaster, they just see it as an experience. Its only geeks who notice these things.

[jamesc]

I think this coaster will drop under the station into brakes then there will be one big launch.

Also maybe new type of trains.

[Big Dave]

Just too add as well. Eurofighters are actually only one car. They can twist in the middle, but they cannot bend in the middle. The front and back are connected in a way that they cannot work without the other. This said, it wouldn't be impossible to add another car onto the back of the current car, but the eurofighter cars where never designed for this so would probably cause all sorts of issues.

More here >> http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Bigdave_15_1985/?action=view&current=Untitled-6.jpg . Rows 1 and 2 on Air and Nemesis and the shuttles on Oblivion work in exactly the same way.

[Skumfidus]

Am I right in saying that the station building was only a few metres above the restrictions for the GDO...whatever is causing that extra height must be pretty important for them to risk not getting planning!

[Rob L]

This is a very good point about the extra height of the building. They wouldn't do it if it wasn't needed as it does reduce the chances of getting planning permission so the ride must somehow make use of it. How exactly I can't quite work out, maybe a vertical lift to gain some extra height without taking up too much space before doing whatever it does indoors? Intriguing though!

[Johno]

Is a true vertical launch a worlds first?

As in the coaster track remains horizontal, but the track itself is launched upwards?

[Nightfall]

Just too add as well. Eurofighters are actually only one car. They can twist in the middle, but they cannot bend in the middle. The front and back are connected in a way that they cannot work without the other. This said, it wouldn't be impossible to add another car onto the back of the current car, but the eurofighter cars where never designed for this so would probably cause all sorts of issues.

More here >> http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Bigdave_15_1985/?action=view&current=Untitled-6.jpg . Rows 1 and 2 on Air and Nemesis and the shuttles on Oblivion work in exactly the same way.

Thanks a lot for this info Dave. I've been trying to work out why the Eurofigher carts have a very fluid twisting motion when they un-bank and this explains it perfectly. I will definitely be checking for this next time I'm looking at Air, Nemesis or Oblivion and it also explains why a zero cart is so useful.

[Boz]

all coaster trains work in that way the first car always couples with the second with a twisting coupler and all others are universal joints some coasters have an extra car at the front (collosus, stealth, kumba, ect) it's called a pilot car. B&M also use this term for row one of their coasters that don't have a dedicated pilot car. the pilot coupler is the most fundamentally important component in keeping a train in a straight line on the track.
eurofighter cars are technically the same and could easily be retrofitted into three or four car trains, although they would look a bit strange if the style of the first two rows stayed the same.