Attraction Source Forum

No, sw8 is set for 2018 not 2017.

gddevey1012 wrote:Does this article mean SW8 is not going to be a GCI woodie ????

http://www.dailyitem.com/news/northumbe ... dc1d4.html

Considering the first line in the article is:

Great Coasters International Inc. has been tapped to build four new coasters for 2016, including the Kings Island wooden coaster that was announced last week.

and SW8 isn't opening until 2018, this means nothing in relation to SW8.

The planning application for SW8 hasn't even been approved yet so GCI definitely won't have started construction.

Yeah I would set that SW8 will technically start construction in 2017 as there is a lot to clear out before it all begins so I'd say not being mentioned in the article just means they have construction slated for 2017

http://www.towerstimes.co.uk/sw8/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've only just realised, the Towers Times SW8 mini-site is up!

EDIT: Currently looking at the plans, what measurement are the high points and low points? All it says is 201, which obviously is feet so what is it?

The measurements are given in metres above sea level.

The mini site looks great! With every Secret Weapon, the mini site gets more modern and better! It is also an easier way of seeing plans rather than foraging through the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council website! :lol

I was on park today and one of the staff members on the rapids was talking to us about SW8. Two key things he said:

It will be a steel coaster with a wooden theme...

It won't be a world's first, but a UK's first.

I would dispute the first claim due to the fact Bradley Wynne states that he is "Creative Lead on the new 'SW8' Wooden Rollercoaster at Alton Towers Resort" on his LinkedIn profile, not to mention all the details of the planning application point to a GCI woodie. I'm not quite sure what constitutes a 'wooden theme' anyway...

It could possibly refer to some form of hybrid or topper track, but I very much doubt a ride host would know this much unless they had knowledge from elsewhere.

The layout looks a lot more like a woddie than the suggested steel and what on earth is a wooden theme which would suggest a retheme of Mutiny Bay or Katanga Canyon. Anything staff say should be taken with a pinch of salt at this stage.

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Those were exactly my thoughts, it contradicts everything we have seen so far.

Staff members will know as much as we do, especially at this point - hence why a fair few read these forums and enjoy the speculation. To me it sounds like they have taken information from sites such as TowersTimes and misinterpreted it to come to the conclusion stated above.

The decision must be due rather soon now, any idea on when the August board/whatever it's called is set to make the monthly decisions?

The Planning Applications Committee are meeting on Thursday 25th August, but they're yet to publish the agenda so it hasn't been confirmed whether they'll be making a decision on the SW8 application although it seems likely given that they want to start work in September.

Following up on my previous post, the agenda for next week's Planning Applications Committee has been released which confirms that a decision will be issued on the SW8 application. It also states that the planning officer has recommended it for approval subject to standard conditions.

Interestingly, Towers have recently also submitted an application for the "demolition of existing maintenance/storage buildings and the erection of replacement maintenance/storage buildings" in the back of house area behind Duel, which the cover letter confirms will be a 'storage and maintenance facility' associated with SW8. Hopefully this is an indication that SW8 will get the maintenance and up-keep that it will require to remain in good condition.

Existing Plans



Proposed Site Plan



Proposed Floor Plans & Elevations

Do GCI do pre-fab? If not could the building potentially be used for on site track fabrication during construction?

So are these storage and maintenance buildings associated with the construction of SW8 or with ongoing maintenance of the coaster, it just seems a bit strange to me to have a maintenance building a distance away from the ride as it would require the cars etc to be transported across the park, or am I just being thick and is this normal for a ride like this.

I guess it's what is determined by maintenance.

Normally the maintenance of trains is done in the warehouse that the transfer track goes too, so putting maintenance building behind duel seems somewhat unusual.
I can't imagine them dragging the trains across the park to work on them..

I suspect that its a general unit that will be used for a wide variety of things.
Don't read into it too much

Evostance wrote:I guess it's what is determined by maintenance.

Normally the maintenance of trains is done in the warehouse that the transfer track goes too, so putting maintenance building behind duel seems somewhat unusual.
I can't imagine them dragging the trains across the park to work on them..

I suspect that its a general unit that will be used for a wide variety of things.
Don't read into it too much

It could well be used for track maintenance since it's a wooden coaster. This would mean occasional replacement of parts of the track and supports.

It could also be just a general engineering store