Alton Towers - Thirteen

[hyyyper]

The European Coaster Club have published the layout for Alton Towers' next roller coaster.

Codenamed SW6, the ride is replacing Corkscrew, which is currently being demolished after 29 years of service.

The ECC got their hands on the plans for the new coaster yesterday, and have uploaded a drawing of the layout to their website.

SW6's layout



The drawing contradicts rumours that the coaster would be, like Rita, launched instead of using a lift hill. It shows the ride going through a series of "S" bends through the trees, and ATA understands that there will be a tunnel section leading into the woods.

Importantly, like Rita there are no inversions, meaning that the ride does not go upside-down at any point. It is still unclear who the manufacturer for the ride is, although the three names being bandied about are Intamin, Gerstlauer and Premier.

There are two "switchback" sections to allow the roller coaster's train to switch directions, meaning that a portion of the ride will be done backwards.

The drawing shows SW6 to be another Alton coaster with a short layout, although it should have plenty of "airtime" during the course.

And according to a member of the ECC, the plans show the station building to be "a half built castle, with wooden scaffolding all over it", making it resemble the Towers themselves.

There is still no word on what it is that will make SW6 a "world's first"

[hyyyper]

I dont recall any company other than vekoma and mack using switch-tracks.

[Coasterkidmwm]

It's a crappy GCI!!!

premier uses station switch tracks so who says that they cant be adapted to a layout.
plus switch tracks are pretty easy for a coaster company to do especially the ones which have been named.
but remember guys there is still over a year until the ride needs to be finished so im sure info will start coming thick and fast after the start of the season

[Dirk_Ermen]

Originally posted by hyyyper

I dont recall any company other than vekoma and mack using switch-tracks.

Don't forget Premier with ROTM. [:)]


The ride sounds interesting but looking at the top view it looks rather dull atm. Can't wait untill a better layout has been released [:)]

omfg, another expedition everest!?!?!?! wth, no. unless they can really pull it off... no.

Looks nothing like an Expedition Everest... It's very short :\

With the undulations in the valley, the layout is deceptively big.

[gouldy]

totally unexcited

[Coasterkidmwm]

I predict a Maurer product with hinged track.

Side views on screamscape.

Woody with switchbacks...
<3

looks really quite unnimaginative, I was expecting something more... large, and woody-like. this is lookin' like a steelie with a couple of switch-backs to make it sounds awesome, i mean come on! alton towers isn't even trying these days! look we have a vertical drop coaster! great. shiekra and griffon are ten times better. we have an intamin rocket launcher! great. is it 400 ft up? no? does it go 114mph? no? didn't think so. the only TRUELY great rides at alton are nemesis, spinball, duel and squirrel nutty. not to say the others aren't fun, just waaaay overhyped. thorpe park seems to get it mostly right, however, they have things like saw, nemesis inferno, collosus (barrel rolls are NOT that bad you bunch of pansies!) samurai, loggers leap, tidal wave [worship] stealth (better than rita) slammer (F**K YEAH!) rush, vortex and fright nights, all packed into a much smaller, more efficient space, I like thorpe park more and am now thoroughly p****d off with AT because i was expecting a good woodie, but noooo!

AT can't make a 400 foot coaster. You live in England, you should know that.

[Coasterkidmwm]

Look at how old Oblivion is compared to Sheikra. That is why it does what it does.

[gouldy]

Originally posted by gazag


There is still no word on what it is that will make SW6 a "world's first"

...looking at the layout, I wonder if it's one of those new S&S Eagle Coaster things. It'll have switch backs, hence it'll be the first one of them with switch-backs


ADRENAGUY:
The reason we haven't got a 400ft tall rocket coaster, is because unforntunately for Alton Towers, it's location calls for it to preserve the "look" of the countryside. As such, they are restricted to building below the height of the surrounding trees and the last time I looked, the trees around Alton Towers are about 60ft tall. The rides that stick just slightly above the trees have to be painted to look like tree tops, hence the weirdo paint jobs on Rita and the artist formerly known as Corkscrew.

A similar, but not as brutally enforced regulation also affects Thorpe Park, hence the "55% of days in England are overcast" white top half of Stealth.

The only park in this roller coaster hating country that a 400ft tall rocket coaster might feasibly be built, is Blackpool, but if they built it there, it would be poorly maintained by the chavs and would fall over killing hundreds after about 3 years.

Originally posted by Adrenaguy

looks really quite unnimaginative, I was expecting something more... large, and woody-like. this is lookin' like a steelie with a couple of switch-backs to make it sounds awesome, i mean come on! alton towers isn't even trying these days! look we have a vertical drop coaster! great. shiekra and griffon are ten times better. we have an intamin rocket launcher! great. is it 400 ft up? no? does it go 114mph? no? didn't think so. the only TRUELY great rides at alton are nemesis, spinball, duel and squirrel nutty. not to say the others aren't fun, just waaaay overhyped. thorpe park seems to get it mostly right, however, they have things like saw, nemesis inferno, collosus (barrel rolls are NOT that bad you bunch of pansies!) samurai, loggers leap, tidal wave [worship] stealth (better than rita) slammer (F**K YEAH!) rush, vortex and fright nights, all packed into a much smaller, more efficient space, I like thorpe park more and am now thoroughly p****d off with AT because i was expecting a good woodie, but noooo!

all true bits are now going to kick your arse to where you belong, America.

all of Alton towers rides are fantastic and were designed to do exactly what they should. oblivion is small but intimidating, nemesis is intense, Rita is a family rocket, air is a family flyer, spinball is a slightly intense spinner and squirrel nutty well just kicks ass.

Thorpe has a lovely selection of rides indeed however the smallness of the park really does for me make it cramped on some days and especially fright nights. the chavs and the un-polite Londoner's make crowds there not a very nice thing and everything is just to tight.

and i also disagree with you too gouldy. Blackpool pleasure beach looks after its rides very well however they don't have the standered of ride that any of the Merlin parks do. i personally don't think you can compare any of the rides to the likes of nemesis or stealth and i think the guys in the pleasure beach do a wonderful job keeping the 80+ year old coasters in working order. and if they did get a Terra coaster where in the hell would they build it? they are sore of running low on land.

I bet that premier is making a Flight of Fear Clone

Adrenaguy, you aren't going to Alton Towers anymore because you expected a great woodie and that's not what's being built? What's wrong with you?

[gouldy]

Originally posted by gazag



...and if they did get a Terra coaster where in the hell would they build it? they are sore of running low on land.

Just on top of something else, like they have done with all the other rides

Anyone else been and had a look at the side elevations on screamscape? Something doesn't tie up with the layout drawing. On the layout there is a helix off the top of the lift, but on the supposed side elevations it's just a stright drop off the lift and it looks EXACTLY like an Intamin megalite, which when you look at the layout that we've got... surely it's not an Intamin Megalite?

[Coasterkidmwm]

Maybve the switchbacks are dive loops/immelmans.

[Oscar]

the picture is broken!

http://publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov ... 3OQPG04H00

Is this what you're talking about gouldy? Sure looks like a mega-lite to me. Go to the "Associated Documents" tab and there's a bunch of pictures of the ride, it has to be a mega-lite, that explains the switchbacks too.

Originally posted by Coasterkidmwm

Maybve the switchbacks are dive loops/immelmans.

Hit the nail on the head. The ECC source put switchbacks onto the layout to try and make sense of the diagram. They may in fact be inversions.

[gouldy]

Originally posted by guitarplayer673

http://publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=KBM3OQPG04H00

Is this what you're talking about gouldy? Sure looks like a mega-lite to me. Go to the "Associated Documents" tab and there's a bunch of pictures of the ride, it has to be a mega-lite, that explains the switchbacks too.

Just looking through all that stuff has brought me to the conclusion:

IT IS A MEGA-LITE! It definitely is! with the helix at the bottom of the drop into a hill with its crest underneath the lift hill, or in this case it looks like it goes over the drop... it is! it is a mega-lite! woo, quite excited now!

Just look in detail at this:
http://publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov ... 2030-FUL(B)%20(14447).JPG

Look at the supports, you can tell by the lateral supports at what height the track is. Apart from in straight hills where there is no lateral bracing. But just look at it! It IS a Mega-lite.

That's it, I've put my money on it now!

... after all that, it's probably not a mega-lite