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Alton Towers | The Smiler | Gerstlauer Infinity

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New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

nealbie said:
And Alton have told us it's a Gerstlauer ;) .

Well said furie, btw :p .
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Word search produced no matches for that company in the document (edited as people did not read it the way I meant it) , oh well :)

It's already been said they don't need planning permission to build there, all they have done is submit plans to say they are building a coaster. No where and I repeat no where does it actually state the name of the company building it.

Yes us people saying its not what some people think might end up with egg on our faces but the people taking that document might as well.

And again I will repeat a eurofighter is a vertical climb followed by a vertical/beyond vertical drop. If it is them building it it does not have to have a vertical drop as its not a eurofighter. It's takes 5 mins to go and look this up.
 
Re: New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

I think anyone that thinks this is someone other than Gerstlauer is kidding themselves and is in denial. I accept that anything is possible, but I love the way no one has considered Vekoma when it looks just as much like their later track design.
 
Re: New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

I love the way no one has considered Vekoma when it looks just as much like their later track design.
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I did! A few times, the track looks just like Battlestar. Although given that ride's track record I'm not sure why Alton would go for them.
 
Re: New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

Yeah, I'd agree with Vekoma being a fair bet. The "proper" trains would fit in well with what looks like the lack of brake runs as well.

I guess they've never done a vertical lift like this before, but, I don't see why they couldn't pull it out the bag.

I'd approve of a Vekoma. Cause then it's not a GerstOWler <////3
 
New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

Don't think it's a Vekoma, someone mentioned earlier the supports aren't 'messy' enough.

I still think Maurer, don't mind if it's a Gerst just don't want the vile Eurofighter trains.
 
Re: New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

If it is a Vekoma, I hope the vertical lift hill sounds like the old Vekoma lifts, only ten times louder for the Ropers!
 
Re: New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

I guess they've never done a vertical lift like this before, but, I don't see why they couldn't pull it out the bag.
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Well it's not completely unreasonable for them to do one. It's not exactly ground breaking technology anymore, and remember this is the same company who pulled off (kinda) a vertical tilt track! Also the GIBs have vertical lifts? Maybe not the same mechanism but you see where I'm going with this. They're not the most uptight company when it comes to new things.

Add also that this has been spoken about to the press by Ian Crabb as being "like nothing else in the world".

Tbf though though that does kinda leave it very open to who's doing it. But if you're gonna judge on track shape, it's very vekoma.
 
Re: New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

Woah... where have we got the idea this track is anything like the Vekoma 4-across track...?
Tom G said:
I love the way no one has considered Vekoma when it looks just as much like their later track design.
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bob_3_ said:
But if you're gonna judge on track shape, it's very vekoma.
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Battlestar-Galactica-Coaster-Singapore.jpg


Am I missing something? Where's the similarity?

The BSG trackspine changes diameter all over the place as well (get's bigger for the high g-force bits) so really nothing like the SW7 plans. In fact, if you want to analyse the track shape in the plans, I would say it is most like the Schwarzkopf track of the 80's.

busch_gardens_scorpion_2.jpg


So what does this tell us? Well if you rule out a remodelled Schwarzkopf ride (are we happy to do this? or should we debate this for 5 pages?) then I'm left to assume it might be some Stengel software that has produced the plans, rendering in some old default track shape of theirs. So maybe we can assume Stengel? Which probably supports the Gerstlauer theory I'm afraid. Or B&M or (in my opinion, less likely) Intamin. Maurer rarely use Stengel and Vekoma never do. Anyway, I just thought this thread needed some fresh evidence so make of that what you will.
 
Re: New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

^Oh, nice find! It actually look identical to old Schwarzkopf track. Which it obvously not is going to be..
 
Re: New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

^ It's because the track was probably made in NL, then exported with the construction kit, which doesn't have Gerst or MS track option so it was probably exported as the default, older Schwartzkopf track.
 
Re: New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

Yea, thats scorpion from Busch Gardens Tampa. It better not be a Schwarzkopf ride, and I still thinks it looks a lot like Hollywood Rip Rockit. I mean its close enough? Stengal is used by a whole boat load of companies: Intamin, B&M, Premier, Mack, Maurer, Schwarzkopf, Zamperla, and Gerstlauer.

I don't think its a Zamperla, Intamin, or Gerstlauer. Gerstlauer builds with 3 kinds of track a launch, wild mouse, and Eurofigther (oh and wooden). I also don't think Mack or Premier made rides of this size. B&M (I would hope) stick to their beautiful track. To me I only see 2 possible companies, Maurer or a reboot of the old Schwarzkopf track.
 
Re: New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

^ It's because the track was probably made in NL, then exported with the construction kit, which doesn't have Gerst or MS track option so it was probably exported as the default, older Schwartzkopf track.
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My exact thoughts too!

I was gonna say that earlier, but then I kept thinking that they could have just used Gerstlauer track....I'd forgotten that it wasn't compatible the Construction kit.

Silly to think that too... Once upon a time I did a maurer spinner, but discovered the Construction kit couldn't do it. So I did the 3DS as as a Schwartzkopf without the spine turned on because it had the narrowest, most similar track to the spinner.
Ended up going through Autocad to get it into Sketchup:


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Mystery solved yet? :)

Edit: Yeah 99% sure this is just an NL export.
A key thing with NL 3Ds is that support tubes aren't an even sided octagon, they are more like a square with chamfered 45 degree corners forming an 8 sided shape:


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Go look at the closeup of the support tube and you can tell its a similar shape.


And whoever did it got lazy and used that standard NL column support :p


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And for the sheer fun of it, check out some of the stuff that would get you a bollocking on the NL forum :lol: ...Supports collisions with the track, and junctions between supports without overlapping the tubes to a T shape, so you get that ugly elblow:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Point is, all this speculation about other manufacturers and potential new track design's etc is pointless if all you are doing is looking at the track model, because its just NL. Its obviously just something knocked up because they can do it quickly themselves to support the planning application, rather than having the manufactuer do a full CAD 3D model.
 

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Re: New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

I did put something forward a good few pages back about chances of certain manufacturers. I think it's fair to say that it's currently most likely to be Gerstlauer, but not definite. We'll not actually know until either track arrives, or a manufacturer is officially listed somewhere.

Until then, we're just going to go round and round in circles. If new evidence comes up, then present it, but do we really need hundreds of pages of speculation over the manufacturer?
 
Re: New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

Costar and Gazza, both of you are amazing.

That NL detective work is fab. High five.

Okay I'm convinced now. Well, convinced that It's not Intamin, but I don't understand why you wouldn't use Intamin track to portray Gerst in No Limits?

Surely that all means it's MS?

But then again, isn't the standard when you open No Limits track Schwarz? So It could be ANYONE?
 
Re: New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

why you wouldn't use Intamin track to portray Gerst in No Limits?
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Back in the old days of NL Intamin track was only tri tube only?
Does the CC still only allow that?
 
Re: New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

I was thinking more Velocity's track but even that isn't quite the same.
 
Re: New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

I just read an interesting article on this, though I'll cut it short as a lot of is what we've already discussed:

The Towers Times has a great article about the planning of Dark Forest (the area surrounding Th13teen, SW6), including concepts of headliner attraction. RCTLounge member ‘DJMean‘ pointed out that one of the old SW6 concepts was a Zierer tower launch coaster. For those unfamiliar with the model, it is reminiscent of a Euro-Fighter (go figure), with a vertical LSM launch, simulating a space-shuttle like take off.
Which made me wonder, what happens if the they dusted off the old vertical launch concept? After all, it would be a European first (only one Tower launch exists in the world) making it a likely candidate for a Secret Weapon. However, its obvious that this isn’t a Zierer Launch Tower coaster either. So could it be a vertical launch?

Coincidentally, Maurer Sohne actually does make vertical launch coasters, or at least advertises that they are capable of doing so. The manufacturer states that they are capable of building a 1-g, 27 mph, 151 foot vertical launch. And with SW7 standing at just 100 feet, these statistics more than meet the qualifications. While they are only shown for the SkyLoop model, I see no reason why it couldn’t be used on a more standard X-Coaster.
I’m no engineer but the transition from the long straight away to the vertical segment does not look passenger friendly if it was taken immediately after a launch. Instead, I would guess that it is actual a 2-block brake run. 1 block slowing the coaster down, the other a waiting section before slowly going up the transition vertical and then launching towards the sky. Sounds like the icing on this glorious cake to me.
So to conclude, here is my prediction for Secret Weapon 7:
A Maurer Sohne X-Coaster
3, 6 passenger X-Cars per train
8-9 inversions
Begins with a standard incline lift hill
Europe’s first vertical launch coaster
What an awfully long and drawn out post, when the above bullet points outline the entire purpose of this write-up. However, I know there will be a lot of nay-sayers and I just wanted to lay down the evidence. None the less, I am very excited to see Alton Towers obviously putting so much thought and effort into what looks to be an amazing secret weapon, especially after the incredibly disappointing Secret Weapon 6. With construction not scheduled to begin until September 2012, it may be a long time before we get all the details on the new attraction, but at least we have an idea of what to expect.
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http://parkthoughts.com/2012/01/07/alto ... -revealed/
 
Re: New "world's first" coaster at Alton Towers 2013

I really can't imagine a vertical launch being....fun, I guess? I don't like high pressure forces personally and it seems to me that this would just be uncomfortable.

Yay for Gerstlauer though, although I'm still skeptical about it being a Eurofighter. I'm still holding out for it being the Lynet/Anubis style ride (what is this actually called, anyone?). Like I already pointed out, they're not too expensive coaster wise and don't take up that much room, so we could still be seeing an acceptable sized coaster with enough money left over for a kickass theming job.
 
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