Thunder Looper

[80schild]

I remember riding the thunder looper in its first week of operation. You could tell it was a used ride even than as it kept breaking down. They seemed to have great trouble with the compressed air for the train take off. However, for the people who experienced the ride, it really was special. We went for the front seat everytime, seeing the long take off track stretching out infront of you with that massive loop, waiting for the countdown, was the most fantastic experience. Then you were accelerated forward, faster and faster until you hit the loop, bang!! full on 'g' then out of the loop and up up up, look to your right and you could see for miles, the train then hung for a second until you were sent accelerationg backwards, back through the loop which was made even greater as you couldn't see it coming, then backwards throught the station at an incredible speed, watching the people in the station fly past in a blur, then up the small de-acceleration hill, still climbing quite high and down into the station where the air brakes tried to force your head from your shoulders.

Fantastic, Fantastic ride, nothing in the park comes close. For all of you who never experience it, you really missed out.

The last time i saw the ride was in small pieces, dismantled in an old steel works, just off the new A50 bypass through longton. It must have been stored here until it was shipped off abroad.

RIP TL.

[g7rta]

That was an excellent description, just how I remember it too, although as it was going through the loop I used to think it wasn't all that fast, & it gave you that little feeling that you might fall out. Maybe that was just me It was certainly a thrilling ride, & it's a shane it had to go.

- Steve G7RTA

[Renegade]

Its at Sau Paulo Brazil know , if im not mistaken, unless its been taken down again

[Barney]

Lol i was just thinking about making a thread about the thunderlooper as i looked at an old map earlier that my aunty gave me, that had the ride on it. Out of interest why was the ride removed, and how good was the ride?

[Jay12]

TL was removed as it was too loud and making cows produce too much milk in a near by field, and i guess they needed room for other rides.

[symone]

it was a fantastic ride, you really felt like you wereeither going to fall out your seat or come off the end of the track! My friend passed out at the top of the loop, that was just too funny!

Sadly missed ride

[g7rta]

I think one of the main reasons for it going was bacause of these annoying height restrictions, you know this rule that AT can't build higher than the tree tops.
It was a good one though.

- Steve G7RTA

[Anonymous]

Fantastic, Fantastic ride, nothing in the park comes close. For all of you who never experience it, you really missed out.

Have you ever BEEN on Nemesis, Oblivion, Air, Rita ect

Lewis...

[Vik]

?

Have you ever BEEN on Nemesis, Oblivion, Air, Rita ect

did you ever ride thunder looper???

[Satch]

Have to agree there, TL was a completely different ride experience to Nemesis, and was fantastic. You wouldnt understand if you hadn't been on it. And considering the launch was the same speed as Rita, imagine rita going straight into a loop, and then backwards.... and you still wont come close to what it was like. You had to FEEL it, not imagine it

[Kraken]

The real reason Thunder Looper was removed was because it was only ever installed with temporary planning permission, that had to be renewed each year. Come 1996, the local Council said "no more" - probably as a result of the noise complaints + the fact it could be seen from outside the park.

If Thunder Loooper was still at Alton Towers, it would be interesting to see which ride attracted the longer queues this season - Rita or Looper. Would the punters go for the inversions, or fast direction changes & pops of airtime?

Also, bear in mind that Thunder Looper must now be close on being 30 years old - that is pushing it for any ride - the metal fatigue on the track must be showing by now!

[canon man]

We need to get some pictures of these old rides thats have moved

[Jay12]

Dont you ever look on the TTs home page
http://www.towerstimes.co.uk/history/ol ... drides.htm

[80schild]

Can't really blame the council, TL was a very noisy ride.

Have to agree with above, you can try and describe the experience, but it was one of those ride you really had to try. Still feel lucky top be one of those who did!

[Dave]

http://schwarzkopf.coaster.net/ESshuttlelooptyp1GF.htm

a whole page full of looper pics, including some close ups of the mechanical parts!

[symone]

Isnt that funny, i dont remember the TL being that close to the monorail! I always remembered it being further over like where Blade is! Is it really as fast as Rita when it launches? I always loved sitting up front as it felt like you would come off the end of the track!

[g7rta]

[quote=""symone""]Is it really as fast as Rita when it launches? [/quote]

I seem to remember it did something like 0-60 in 2.5 seconds, which is very close to Rita. They used to say it accelerated faster than a Ferrari (at the time anyway)

- Steve G7RTA

[Dave]

i thought blade now sits in the same pit at the thunder looper once did??

i went with my parents on tueday, it was the first time they had been since the looper was removed, they were shocked at how different the place looked. i thought it was quite funny. it was like being back in 1997 again!

[symone]

[quote=""assume the position""]i thought blade now sits in the same pit at the thunder looper once did??

i went with my parents on tueday, it was the first time they had been since the looper was removed, they were shocked at how different the place looked. i thought it was quite funny. it was like being back in 1997 again![/quote]

Thats what i thought, i was sure it was where blade now is! Maybe it was just coz i was younger and everything seemed bigger! Did you manage to get your parents on any of the rides there now?

[daniel_1431]

lol, my parents used to go often and my dad was shocked on how it had changed in the years, i was like dad were moving on