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Why?, Where?, When?
At the beginning of the eighties with visitors
flocking to the new Alton Towers theme park, a new ride was
being designed and constructed towards the front of the park.
When it opened at the beginning of the 1981 season, the Log
Flume was the longest in the world, as it wound its way through
the woods.
In the mid eighties, the Dinosaurs that had
their own display in the Springfield Centre were moved due
to the impending construction of Black Hole. They were relocated
into the woods around the Log Flume circuit, and along with
authentic dinosaur sound effects, added an element of theming
to the ride.
Nothing else has happened to the ride since
then, except that the Dinosaurs were removed for reasons unknown,
and the flume itself now bears the patchwork repairs showing
high maintenance costs.
But What
Is It Like?
The Log Flume is now a very average
ride and does not stand out from the crowd in any way.
The ride has three drops, a small one at
the beginning, then a very long - and after a few rides -
monotonous journey through a wooded area before going up a
lift hill into a black tunnel which generally catches new
riders out with a fair sized drop followed by quite a long
trundle through a pitch black tunnel. So far you probably
will only have a few drops of water on you but as you go up
to the top of the final drop and are urged to "Smile
For The Camera" you know that will not last, you fall
over the top to be greeted by a surrounding of white spray
which in turn lands on you.
The ride now open for more than 20 year is
showing its age, the trained eye can spot places where pools
of water have formed in the wood where water is continuously
leaking and most of the ride is covered in layers of patching
up which are not too effective, the throughput of the ride
is about half of the rapids which is also a major issue and
its competition makes the Log Flume something that should
be in a museum so as this the ride will be costing a lot to
maintain surely its demise is in sight.
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click image for
larger version
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Present
Day
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Pictures
from the past
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Construction
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Submit
your photos
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If you have photos
we can use, especially from the past or construction
periods, then please email them to us at pictures@towersalmanac.com
(No bigger than 100k please)
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Ride Information
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| First
Installed: |
1981 |
| Location: |
Merrie England |
| Manufacturer/Designer: |
Mack |
| Track
Length: |
886 metres |
| Ride
Time: |
5
mins approx |
| Queue
Time: |
15 - 30
mins |
| Throughput: |
2,100
people per hour (maximum) |
| Seating
Arrangement: |
35 boats
(maximum)
5 people per boat |
| When
To Ride: |
Anytime,
although busy on warm days |
| Restraint
Type: |
None |
| Height
Restrictions: |
0.9
metres, 0.9 - 1.1 metres with an adult |
| Property
Security: |
Take belongings on
ride |
| First
Timers: |
Mid boat |
| Thrill
Seekers: |
Front
or back of boat |
| Ride
Photos: |
Yes. Photo
booth near ride exot |
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Ride
Ratings
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| Thrill
Rating |
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| Family
Rating |
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| Re-ride
Rating |
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| Theming
Rating |
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| Popularity
Rating |
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Overall
Rating: 56%
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