Page 14 of 15

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:19 am
by stretchy
Maybe Alton Towers needs a new area

The Coaster Graveyard. An area where old coasters can go to die.

p.s. Sod VHS - Its Betamax all the way for me.

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 3:41 pm
by PeteB
[quote=""stretchy""]

p.s. Sod VHS - Its Betamax all the way for me.[/quote]

Betamax was actually a much better format! :wink:

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 3:49 pm
by DomB
I don't know why, but I like the roughness of corkscrew, it adds to it's character.

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 5:31 pm
by bobblebob
Do you think they would replace Corkscrew with another coaster? Im fine with it going if another one replaces it, but im worried we will just get porr flat rides in its place.

Trying to design and build a coaster with Rita very near by cant be easy to do

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 9:25 pm
by becca
They should leave it! its bumpy etc...but it gives it character!

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 9:43 pm
by Matt
I don't really care as long as they just leave the lift hill running in the corner somewhere.

That noiseeeeee :) :) :) :)


Matt
:)x

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 9:53 pm
by stigzy
I've just had news in that its not going anywhere...

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 9:54 pm
by AstroDan
Indeed. I would put £100 on that it's leaving sooner rather than later.

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 10:07 pm
by Matt
[quote=""stigzy""]I've just had news in that its not going anywhere...[/quote]

Pleaseee tell all :D


Matt
:)x

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 10:07 pm
by stigzy
Ahh y'know possibly the same source that spread the evil rumour that its going. But I wont go as far £100 because my sources aren't that realiable as it goes, but how about a Snickers AstroDan?

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 10:22 pm
by AstroDan
A Picnic, perhaps.

Hmm - the thing is Stigz, I know for a fact that the ride is getting to a stage where it simply cannot go on without major expense.

Just keep your eyes peeled.

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 10:34 pm
by stigzy
A Picnic for you and Snickers for me - deal! Theres no doubt about it that its getting old and needs money spending on it to keep it alive. But no one, but Mr Alton Towers big cheese himself will know what the craic is. Managers and the like do not spread rumours, its more than their jobs worth, so don't believe everything you hear on the Grapevine.

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 10:56 pm
by BIan
Are you going to put a date down on this bet, sooner rather than later is a big vague.

I just hope that what the replaces the Corkscrew with has a corkscrew in it as a tribute to Corkscrew.

I hope it does not become another Blackhole where they stop using it, and it gets forgotten about for several years.

Ian

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 12:43 pm
by jordi20012002
I may have commented on this topic before but I actually feel that the ride should go now...the queue times are nowhere near as big as the other rides in terms of popularity plus its very uncomfortable to ride in my opinion...doesn't really look like UG Land anymore neither...I know corkscrew is a landmark of the park...but think of the possibilities if it was removed

Everyone was gutted when the black hole was removed but people just get on with it and enjoy the other facilities, and I am sure in time something will be in the black holes place

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 5:44 pm
by Sazzle
Well the Black Hole track was being hauled out of the tent into a truckbound for Bulgaria the other week, so if removals are anything to go by then I should imagine there'd be little reservation about heaving ole' Corkie out and sending it packing (be it to a scrap yard or otherwise - the prices paid for scrap metal these days could very well start a theming fund for the resort!). I heard a whisper on the grapevine that it is indeed on its way out with a rather sad ending sooner rather than later, and to be honest Stigz never makes the effort to go to the park when he's invited, let alone making the effort to get his facts right! :P (Hahaha, I jokes, I jokes, friend).

Obviously there are a few conflicting stories as to what the fate of Corkscrew will be, though I'm inclined to believe the rather sad truth - that this iconic coaster has come to the end of its operational life and will get the boot at the end of this season. Remember its over 25 years old, its Vekoma, its an 'old skool' design, and it has a fairly revolutionary coaster sat next to it.

I'm not going to agree that Corkscrew is unpopular, as the past few times I've been mid-week the queue for Corkscrew has been a lot longer than that for Rita.. Though watching Corkie riders slide into the brake run is funny - 20 odd people all giving the consensus chorus of 'ouch!'.

Personally I haven't ridden it in years - I despise the thing. Its old, uncomfortable, painful and annoying in the respect that you have to take all your baggage onride with you. As much as I was attached to The Missile at American Adventure (which, if any of you konw the park, will remember its iconic status), I only rode it as a matter of tradition - it hurt!

Corkscrew looks an absolutely eyesore, too. I was sat in my seat on Rita and looked over at a dirty, unkempt heap of metal that passes for Corkscrew. Not a good look!

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 7:16 pm
by AstroDan
A good post, Saz. I tend to make the effort to ride Corkscrew as a matter of tradition myself, and as I used to work on it. However, it is. fundamentally a very poor coaster these days and one which could easily be bettered on the same site.

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 7:37 pm
by smeg_head
Corky stalled on the lift hill yesterday, then after unloading something happened to cause the ride ops to shut down the ride due to technical issues.

I would have been on the next ride but after waiting 10 mins decided to move on towards Mutiny Bay.

Yesterday was the first time I really noticed how old and sorry-for-herself the corkscrew is looking. I love the ride and if it could be refurbed in anyway I'd prefer it, but I do think her time is approaching its end.

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 7:55 pm
by scottw92
[quote=""seanyboyuk""]
just ride flamingolands corky![/quote]

Pfft... last time i went on it about 5 times in a row cos me mate liked it :shock: haha

Had a bad shoulder for like a week.. :x

Anyways.. I think AT should keep corkie for its 30th, then have a big birthday bash like nemesis x. Then do something reasonable to ugland; but its gonna be hard everyway its looked at; i have noo idea where rita can go. The only place i can think of is KC and theme it as some sort of rally car blitzing threw puddles and narrowly missing trees, basically rita interacting with surroundings. But even thats not a plausible idea space/theme wise.

Ugland really is a state and is gonna cause some major problems in the near future...

Only if they had more time, money and Wardley for rita :cry:

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 8:44 pm
by stigzy
Saz I am always there, even when I'm not :D. Anyway, realistically everything does seem pretty much against Corkscrew. If I'm being totally honest and as much as it actually pains me to write this I really can't see the old relic lasting much longer. I'm not having a sudden change of mind & opinion on the issue, because I never really did have a mind & opinion on the issue in the first place.

I'd just be sad to see it go I think, and in a way feel sorry for the old beast because it was popular and pulled in the queues before Rita was stuck in front of it. It was in an area with a pretty decent theme which more or less got flattened and wrecked by such an average roller coaster, Rita! So I suppose that's why I sit more on the Corkscrew side of the fence.

Ug Land at present is squashed, cramped, squished, way, waaaay too over populated. It's only big enough at the minute for one roller coaster, in my opinion. Any more than one, regardless of how good a possible new coaster would be, I think wouldn’t improve the area at all. I think Corkscrews home is only good enough for a decent flat ride, possibly a go kart track? That’s not to say I'd be bitterly disappointed mind if Corky got flattened for a go kart track or another ride on Rita's calibre for that matter!

Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 1:00 pm
by MostMagicalCat
The arguments are firmly against the corky. as much as i love her it does not look good.But if replaced i would like to see a ride similar and of the same sit down(lift hill) inverting fun. like another corky type coaster. the two corkscrews need to be kept in the park as part of theming or part of the new ride(as theming) as Alton owes allot to this old girl(my first coaster, my daughters, and im sure thousands of others).

I still don't really want her to go, but i can understand why she needs to go.