The Smiler - Construction Discussion

Fri May 24, 2013 10:43 am

Joking apart I really hope it does open as planning to go on Monday very early

Fri May 24, 2013 10:43 am

Richardio123 wrote:
James97 wrote:
Static Veins wrote: SHHHH! Think positive thoughts! :P
I know but I can't help but remembering it looking like it was nearly going to stall ages ago, And then I think - XSector closed = dont wont people to see a car stuck, Crane = Pull car around track
the ride hasn't stalled lmfao maybe they are just removing the fences around the ride and the crane is just to remove last minute stuff like that cherry picker the ride only went slow because of the testing wheels. pessimism isn't good

alton are full of surprises at the moment. And those new trims were added very recently.

Ben-TT · Fri May 24, 2013 10:45 am

James97 wrote:
Richardio123 wrote:
James97 wrote: I know but I can't help but remembering it looking like it was nearly going to stall ages ago, And then I think - XSector closed = dont wont people to see a car stuck, Crane = Pull car around track
the ride hasn't stalled lmfao maybe they are just removing the fences around the ride and the crane is just to remove last minute stuff like that cherry picker the ride only went slow because of the testing wheels. pessimism isn't good
alton are full of surprises at the moment. And those new trims were added very recently.

The train won't have stalled. The ride is 100% ready. The opening issues are down to health and safety. The ride has been signed off by Gurst, and is all ready to go.

Fri May 24, 2013 10:46 am

James97 wrote:
Richardio123 wrote:
James97 wrote: I know but I can't help but remembering it looking like it was nearly going to stall ages ago, And then I think - XSector closed = dont wont people to see a car stuck, Crane = Pull car around track
the ride hasn't stalled lmfao maybe they are just removing the fences around the ride and the crane is just to remove last minute stuff like that cherry picker the ride only went slow because of the testing wheels. pessimism isn't good
alton are full of surprises at the moment. And those new trims were added very recently.

Yes but they were retracted

Fri May 24, 2013 10:48 am

Ben-TT wrote:
James97 wrote:
Richardio123 wrote: the ride hasn't stalled lmfao maybe they are just removing the fences around the ride and the crane is just to remove last minute stuff like that cherry picker the ride only went slow because of the testing wheels. pessimism isn't good
alton are full of surprises at the moment. And those new trims were added very recently.
The train won't have stalled. The ride is 100% ready. The opening issues are down to health and safety. The ride has been signed off by Gurst, and is all ready to go.

How do you know this?

Fri May 24, 2013 10:49 am

I really hope people will stop complaining about the construction workers.

For all we know they may be working past their scheduled time and many would have been expecting a holiday.

I'm sure a lot also have been working through the night, don't live in the area and getting up at 4am each day.

I am not surprised they don't appear to passionate right now.

Fri May 24, 2013 10:51 am

The entrance to x-sector at the moment.

Staff guarding the fences are claiming teething issues...

Will try to update later

Fri May 24, 2013 10:54 am

So, given that they seem to have closed off X Sector in order to make a final push in getting this thing finished, here's what I think we'll see happening today:

AT will update the site again, but this time with an actual date - either Sunday or Monday (possibly Saturday, though that may be pushing it). X Sector will remain closed most of today so they can power through work. They'll then re-open it tomorrow - it's bank holiday weekend, imagine the outrage if they didn't open a whole section of the park - and work on any finishing touches.

...Or maybe AT will just go "LOL not open tomorrow either, SORRY!" again

Fri May 24, 2013 10:55 am

merm wrote:
Static Veins wrote:
Boz wrote: A bit of news from peeps on park this morning!

The whole of X Sector has been fenced off, so all rides there are unavailable ATM. Read into that what you like tbh
Come onnnnnnn surprise opening! [-o<
I'm a hour away and waiting for a sign, bags packed ready to set off its like waiting for someone to go into labour lol.

thats a little bit funny! Hope it does possibly open today, but i am not holding my hopes up, im 45 minutes away, and will just pop down to go on it and then go home! but i think il be going sometime next week or the week after when i know for defo its going to be open =]

Fri May 24, 2013 10:56 am

This is tense... Ready to sack off work at the clink of a lift hill...

With yesterday's announcement that its closed today, it would deffo take the pressure off AT's back a bit and give them chance to get a few runs through today without fear of yesterday's customer service problems again! If they opened this weekend and they had the USUAL opening teething problems they could have another backlash so to my ever optimistic mind it's in there interest to get it open today on the low down and get some practice.

Plus no AT announcement about tomorrow yet, we knew by this time yesterday!?

Fri May 24, 2013 10:56 am

Will anyone else burst out laughing if they have a rogue washing machine in the queline?....... They had an image of a washing machine up on the marmaliser screens yesterday.

Top notch trolling from AT

Fri May 24, 2013 11:00 am

I reckon its all shut off to allow easy access all around the site for the final touches and such for the ride and getting it cleared ready. Itll be interesting to see if they announce a new date today. I cant see them wanted to go any later than monday...

Fri May 24, 2013 11:02 am

Just looking through AT's Twitter feed.

Someone asked 5 minutes ago if The Smiler will be open tomorrow. They responded by "any updates will be posted on the site".

I know that's the canned answer, BUT it's a good sign that they're not saying "no". Bare in mind, we knew it would be closed today by this time yesterday! I think we'll be seeing another new opening date - one most likely before Monday - given some time today.

Fri May 24, 2013 11:05 am

Alton Towers ‏@altontowers 3m
@adamnaisbitt The Smiler will not be opening today I'm afraid. I hope you and your son enjoy all of our other rollercoasters though. ^Matt

well its not opening

Fri May 24, 2013 11:11 am

Nothing is moving in x-sector. No rides are testing, no music is playing. There are no generators running or workman anywhere. Nothing.

I can see one car on the storage rail and one on the brakes. The access I got didn't give me a fuller view.

Fri May 24, 2013 11:13 am

I'm not convinced.

I think it could open this arvo but with no official mention of it.

Pleeaassee Xenu.

So the crane at the Staffordshire knot end, what's down there that needs a crane?

Fri May 24, 2013 11:15 am

Mattfat1 wrote: I'm not convinced.

I think it could open this arvo but with no official mention of it.

Pleeaassee Xenu.

So the crane at the Staffordshire knot end, what's down there that needs a crane?

Stalled car jk. there was a cherry picker in the pit a while ago, not sure if its still down there now.

Fri May 24, 2013 11:17 am

Wes wrote: Just an educated guess that The Smiler will be open on Saturday.

Although the Resort aren't confirming an opening date - they're very much playing it on a day to day basis. If you don't quite understand that - basically yesterday, they said it won't be open today and today they've said it won't be open tomorrow.

Hopefully we'll get an update from the Resort tomorrow confirming a date (fingers crossed Saturday - or god forbid they'll be giving out an awful lot of free tickets!)

It's clearly in their best interest to get this ride running ASAP!

I disagree, they don't know when exactly it will be open.
As people have said there's still a lot of fencing to be done and the fact they said it would be open on the 23rd till less than 20 hours of opening is damn right bad, surely they would of known a few days before? It's funny, they say yeah it's opening on 23rd o sorry it's not we can't give a specific date now but come on down....YOU NEVER KNOW!

Fri May 24, 2013 11:19 am

hursty wrote: Nothing is moving in x-sector. No rides are testing, no music is playing. There are no generators running or workman anywhere. Nothing.

*SNIP*

I can see one car on the storage rail and one on the brakes. The access I got didn't give me a fuller view.

How completely bizarre. Why close it off if no work is being done?

Well, obviously work has been done, since a ruddy big crane has appeared over night. Maybe they're all done? Just going to get the crane out the way then re-open X Sector?

Fri May 24, 2013 11:20 am

Static Veins wrote:
hursty wrote: Nothing is moving in x-sector. No rides are testing, no music is playing. There are no generators running or workman anywhere. Nothing.

*SNIP*

I can see one car on the storage rail and one on the brakes. The access I got didn't give me a fuller view.
How completely bizarre. Why close it off if no work is being done?

Well, obviously work has been done, since a ruddy big crane has appeared over night. Maybe they're all done? Just going to get the crane out the way then re-open X Sector?

This or something more serious.