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Gardaland Retracking Shaman

If it does go I'll be gutted that little bit more since at the start of the year I was toying with a trip to Gardaland this year. Bloody Covid.

However, let me be cynical for a minute, in a strangely optimistic way. Merlin rarely dismantle rides for the sake of it. If they're closing a ride down, they leave it there until they decide what to do with it. Why spend money removing something when you get no return from it?

Obviously Shaman can't just be boarded up and it would be very obvious if it was just left SBNO. But still, it would be somewhat un-Merlin like to remove a ride with no immediate intention to replace it.
 
JoshC. said:
If it does go I'll be gutted that little bit more since at the start of the year I was toying with a trip to Gardaland this year. Bloody Covid.

However, let me be cynical for a minute, in a strangely optimistic way. Merlin rarely dismantle rides for the sake of it. If they're closing a ride down, they leave it there until they decide what to do with it. Why spend money removing something when you get no return from it?

Obviously Shaman can't just be boarded up and it would be very obvious if it was just left SBNO. But still, it would be somewhat un-Merlin like to remove a ride with no immediate intention to replace it.
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Its not very Merlin like to just retrack it like Efteling did Python though. That's millions spent with little reward. I'd expect a teaser campaign with the ride relaunched with a new "brand" like Colossos at Heide Park. I'm dubious.
 
CSLKennyNI said:
Its not very Merlin like to just retrack it like Efteling did Python though. That's millions spent with little reward. I'd expect a teaser campaign with the ride relaunched with a new "brand" like Colossos at Heide Park. I'm dubious.
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That's a good point too. Plus, it isn't the first time merlin said a ride is being maintained but actually gets removed or left untouched for a season or two
 
I hope it's saved and it stays because they have kept it very quiet if they're gonna remove it. I think we can say though...… something's definitely happening to the track or happened now!
 
Matt N said:
Apparently the park have said that the refurbishment will make the track “more fluid and less noisy”, so it sounds like we may be getting a Python-style retrack!
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I'm a massive fan of this possible news. Someone actually commented on my video on this and said that they were scrapping the straight parts and Efteling didn't do that. I don't know if that is a factor in anything or means anything but I thought I'd bring it up
 
Judging by that tweet above, the track removed so far is from the helix over the water at the end of the ride. That is one of the most forceful parts of the layout so perhaps that particular area needed replacing due to the amount of wear & tear over the years... if they were taking all the track out completely, I feel like it would have made sense for them to start from the outside parts closer to where that photo was taken from...

I certainly can’t see Merlin paying out for a full retrack of Shaman, unless they are going to come up with a new “Worlds First...” to try and market it as! :rolleyes:
 
If I'm not mistaken that's less than Python as Python got new supports (besides the track parts that remained completely unchanged like lifthill, breakrun and station). Pythons layout was recalculated and adjusted, as well. That'd make new supports necessary.
 
It's a very un-Merlin thing to do to be honest, especially at a time when the parks have had budgets slashed in the past, and after they're feeling the effects of Covid. Even more so when they haven't already started milking it with the marketing campaign.

It'll be interesting to see what direction they go with this.
 
JoshC. said:
It's a very un-Merlin thing to do to be honest, especially at a time when the parks have had budgets slashed in the past, and after they're feeling the effects of Covid. Even more so when they haven't already started milking it with the marketing campaign.

It'll be interesting to see what direction they go with this.
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I imagine it'll be a like for like retrack, this seems to suggest that a full retrack of Nemesis is maybe more likely (when the time comes) if there gonna retrack this old crap
 
It seems to be the same as with Python in Efteling. Just not with the same love - but Efteling is unique anyway. The coaster just was something special when it was built and thus means something to the people. If your from another country it's a bit more difficult to grasp emotions like this. I have to say I like it that we preseve some coaster history.
 
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