TOT2 track removal

[joz]

I've been saying for years with the modern layout of DW it should just be the Main Station and Wildlife stations. Also don't park for 10mins at Main Station for no bloody reason, just load and unload and keep bloody going.

[Brad2912]

Yeah they had a crane removing that section of track early on Friday morning 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

20 hours ago, joz said:

Also don't park for 10mins at Main Station for no bloody reason, just load and unload and keep bloody going.

Pretty sure thats a direct cost-cutting \ fuel saving measure, given the low patronage the train gets. I'm sure there are plenty of bean counters at DW that would love to do away with the train entirely.

[red dragin]

People also find 10.30/11.00/11.30 etc times easier to follow, than 10.50/11.10/11.30 etc. 

The dwell time also allows for delays along the way and being able to get back on schedule.

I'm not sure that the Dreamworld Railway falls under ONRSR control either (I believe it's classed as an amusement ride and not a railway), so mandatory rest breaks may not be required like they are for other railways. 

[joz]

8 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

Pretty sure thats a direct cost-cutting \ fuel saving measure, given the low patronage the train gets. I'm sure there are plenty of bean counters at DW that would love to do away with the train entirely.

I also get this impression. It's been like this for a while, makes you wonder what made them want to get into management of a theme park in the first place. Most of the time I've ever gone to use the train it's been pretty much full, and most times I avoid it. Does make me think that the reason patronage is so low is partly because it's run so poorly.

 

7 hours ago, red dragin said:

People also find 10.30/11.00/11.30 etc times easier to follow, than 10.50/11.10/11.30 etc. 

The dwell time also allows for delays along the way and being able to get back on schedule.

I'm not sure that the Dreamworld Railway falls under ONRSR control either (I believe it's classed as an amusement ride and not a railway), so mandatory rest breaks may not be required like they are for other railways. 

To me that's just overcomplicating things for overcomplicating thing's sake. There is no genuine need for a proper schedule. There's a monorail that's been run a few suburbs over for decades that doesn't run to a schedule and only gives a vauge estimate of the next arrival, and that has worked out rather well. If you feel like you must have a listed departure time, just say 'approx every 10mins' or have a little clock at the station that gets adjusted by the driver.  That's how it used to be done, and thats how most places do it. It's so simple, and it would honestly be the first thing I would do if I ever took charge of that place.

Edited March 15, 2021 by joz

[themagician]

@joz I get your point with the monorail, but generally you can see it wherever you are in the park, particularly if you are up at one of the stations. With the train, you can’t see it, you can only hear it if the driver pulls the horn. Maybe in peak periods the train has the need to be continuously run and only stops at each station for a few minutes at a time. But during those off periods, I think every 30 minutes is sufficient

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

31 minutes ago, themagician said:

@joz I get your point with the monorail, but generally you can see it wherever you are in the park, particularly if you are up at one of the stations. With the train, you can’t see it, you can only hear it if the driver pulls the horn. Maybe in peak periods the train has the need to be continuously run and only stops at each station for a few minutes at a time. But during those off periods, I think every 30 minutes is sufficient

I'd argue you can't see the Monorail for up to 50% of it's journey if there's only one train running. And whether you can see it or not, "every 10 minutes" isn't hard to comprehend.

It should be run continuously. It shouldn't shut down for an hour in the middle of the day so the one qualified person can have lunch - there should be two qualified people.

Join us for the next scheduled launching of The Gold Coaster at 4:15pm, Pandamonium at 4:17pm and Mick Doohan's at 4:23pm.

Its a ride, and should run as such. its not a scheduled timetabled service terminating at Beenleigh.

[joz]

1 hour ago, themagician said:

@joz I get your point with the monorail, but generally you can see it wherever you are in the park, particularly if you are up at one of the stations. With the train, you can’t see it, you can only hear it if the driver pulls the horn. Maybe in peak periods the train has the need to be continuously run and only stops at each station for a few minutes at a time. But during those off periods, I think every 30 minutes is sufficient

I'm not entirely sure what point you're making. It seems to me that you don't think the train adds as much kenetic energy to the park as the monorail does so that being the case you may as well just constantly park it for 15mins at a time. The nicest thing I can say to that is I don't think your position has been properly considered.

[Gazza]

The park needs more kinetic to compensate for the loss of the kinetic the TOT gave.

[themagician]

18 hours ago, DaptoFunlandGuy said:

Its a ride, and should run as such. its not a scheduled timetabled service terminating at Beenleigh.

That’s very true. I guess looking back at how the train used to operate and even how SW operated theirs, it was continuously running. 
 

For DW, if they were to continuously run it, then I can see them only operating it 11-4 (as an example) on weekdays.

If they are changing the trains route to cut out the area behind Blue Lagoon, then I think they should ask spend some money/time in other areas that are seen from the train as you make your way around the park. For example, behind ABC Kids World and alongside TOT entry is an eyesore, and something should be done to bring some life to that area. 

[rappa]

Given the Gold Coast light rail can run on a 7 minute ‘timetable’ rather than scheduled runs I think a theme park train can manage. 
 

If you’re at a theme park you probably aren’t fussed about waiting for 10 mins or so for a train. Its not like there’s a lot of scheduled entertainment to be in a hurry for 😛

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

^Thing is transport rides in parks used to be more than just a way to get around. The entertainment wasn't at some far off destination across the park - it was on the journey - dioramas at Disneyland, the Bawd show on the captain sturt. Heck the Universal Tram Tour has built in 'filler' video on the onboard entertainment system specifically to play to fill in gaps when the trams have to stop for priority traffic or filming.

When they do finally remove the TOT launch and station sections, I assume they will try to 'make good' that area - either by landscaping it well to blend between the two sides, or alternatively they'll build a new ride there with a narrow footprint in the future. Whichever route they go, they need to have more regard for the train line - instead of blank facades you trundle past, build something that is only visible from the train and make it part of the experience...

They tried to rebirth the bawd story on a budget and folded because they shut down the train shortly after - a couple of things like that would be enough to liven it up and make the train worth the trip.

[themagician]

More of the track has been removed and the supports have been removed too

[Coasterlife]

Credit from dw_goldenyears on instagram, Original post https://www.instagram.com/p/CM39y5-pLFP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

[Cactus_Matt]

Forgive me if this is a stupid question but is there a reason they're so (seemingly) in a hurry to remove the track for this one when so many other attractions at this park had been left SBNO for WAY longer? Is it to remove it before it rusts and becomes unsightly or is there immediate financial gain to be gotten from scrapping the metals?

[rappa]

I mean let’s not question or knock them for doing what they should do. Probably they approved the budget for this project to do it properly and get rid of an unsightly closed ride. 
Getting money approved to remove other crap that should have been removed by previous bad decision makers years ago is likely harder to do. 

Edited March 26, 2021 by rappa

[red dragin]

The new ROW for the Dreamworld Railway runs that side of the tower. It also requires earthworks, so perhaps they are doing that at the same time as the retaining walls for Steel Taipan. 

[Ogre]

Think they'll remove the "Tower of Terror" wording from the Tower?

[Slick]

7 hours ago, OgreMagic said:

Think they'll remove the "Tower of Terror" wording from the Tower?

They should’ve 18 months ago when it closed. 

[themagician]

You can see in this plan where the TOT track was and how the train line will pass under it 

[Jdude95]

7 hours ago, Slick said:

They should’ve 18 months ago when it closed. 

Just hang someone from a helicopter with a pressure washer

[themagician]

10 hours ago, Slick said:

They should’ve 18 months ago when it closed. 

Have they ever even given it a repaint? I feel like that wording has just been fading for 20 years and was never given any love 

[Ashley Jeffery]

On 26/03/2021 at 9:18 PM, Cactus_Matt said:

Forgive me if this is a stupid question but is there a reason they're so (seemingly) in a hurry to remove the track for this one when so many other attractions at this park had been left SBNO for WAY longer? Is it to remove it before it rusts and becomes unsightly or is there immediate financial gain to be gotten from scrapping the metals?

Maybe they want to make Giant Drop 2? Revamp It into falcons fury.

[fletch]

27 minutes ago, Ashley Jeffery said:

Maybe they want to make Giant Drop 2? Revamp It into falcons fury.

A falcons fury style revamp would be real nice and a unique experience in Australia, but I doubt this would happen within 3-5 years if not at all

[Slick]

The letters are metal plates on the tower so there'd be a bit of work to go the whole hog of actually removing them considering they're behind the Giant Drop ride system/track.