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The skyride is a detachable gondola lift system manufactured by Pomaglaski and located at Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire, England. The Skyride opened on the 20th April 1987 with a total length of 3130ft and a maximum height of 183ft. The colourful gondolas travel between three stations: Towers Street, Forbidden Valley, and Fountain square (Formerly Cloud cuckoo land and Cred Street Previous to that). Each gondola can hold a maximum of ten guests however this capacity is reduced when loaded in conjunction with mobility scooters, buggies or wheelchairs. Guests are seated on two inward facing aluminium benches which can be folded to allow more space for larger cargo.
History
The Skyride was in fact not the first gondola system ever constructed at Alton Towers. The first system opened back in 1963 and was manufactured by the British Ropeway Engineering company. This system had a far lower capacity than the current system and had a much lower capacity of only 4 guests per cabin along with a shorter route that ran only from Towers Street to Forbidden Valley. By the mid 1980s the then owner John Broome realised that the current system simply wasn't good enough for the new direction in which the park was heading and a higher capacity, more modern and longer system was required. Alton Towers approached French manufacturer Pomagalski to construct the lift with the necessary Civil Engineering being completed by Sir Robert McAlpine and so construction of the modern day Skyride began. The Skyride we know today opened in 1987 with 54 10 seater gondolas which were just what was needed to meet the ever growing capacity requirement. For a long while the Skyride underwent very few changes but this all changed when the Forbidden Valley station was struck by fire in 2007. The fire is believed to have been caused by a Halogen floodlight used to illuminate the area for the parks Scarefest Halloween event falling over and heating up the wooden shingles on the station roof causing them
to catch fire. Fortunately the damage wasn't major and after the necessary repairs the ride reopened for the 2008 season. After the fire it had become clear that the original gondolas which were supplied with the ride were beginning to show their age and no longer looked the part. So Alton Towers ordered a brand new fleet of multicoloured gondolas from Sigma Cabins (A division of Poma) it should however be noted that only 44 of the new Diamond Cabins were ordered as opposed to the original 54. Reducing the rides capacity by 100 guests at any given time. Nonetheless the new gondolas were a huge visual improvement and were also lighter than the original steel gondolas putting less strain on the grips and rope. It should also be noted that the grips were not replaced with the cabins as the new generation of grips from Poma would not be compatible with the existing guide rails in the stations. Unfortunately shortly after this the ride was once again struck by fire, this time at Cred Street station however unfortunately the damage was severe causing the entirety of the station to need to be rebuilt with the exception of some of the original equipment which guides the gondolas onto and of the rope which was further away from the blaze. This fire is believed to have also been started accidentally; This time due to a heater being left on overnight in the stations control room which later malfunctioned. After assessing the damage Alton Towers once again commissioned Poma to rebuild the station but to a slightly more modern design with longer platforms, floor to ceiling windows and an updated touch screen control system.
Operation
Restrictions:
Due to the nature of the ride, the Skyride cannot operate in certain conditions, these are as follows: An electrical storm, Strong winds and largely due to the the amount of glazing used in the gondolas the Skyride has to be taken out of service when temperatures within the gondolas become excessive in the summer time. Further to this the ride will not operate in times of poor visibility, be that due to rain, fog, or low light levels, this can lead to the Skyride closing as early as 15:30 toward the tail end of the parks Scarefest and fireworks events.
Capacity:
Although the ride can technically accommodate up to 57 Carriers (Gondolas) such an amount has never been used as if the ride were to have this many cabins on the system it would be impossible to move the guide rails that allow gondolas to enter and exit the storage garage, therefore the most that have ever been used is 54. However in recent years due to the reduction in the amount of the new Diamond cabins and several of these having already been permanently removed from the system due to maintenance issues the ride now usually runs between 30 and 40 gondolas, a far cry from the original 54.
Operating speed:
The ride can run at a maximum speed of 4.00 M/S (9MPH) however this is not used in general operation and a more appropriate speed of 2.5 M/S (4.471MPH) is generally used, however this can be increased to a maximum of 3 M/S (6.71MPH) with passengers on board during favourable weather conditions and busier periods.
Staffing:
Unlike many similar systems found at Ski resorts around the world which may only have two or three staff running the whole system, on the Skyride staff are placed at all loading and unloading positions on the ride to ensure safe boarding and alighting and to encourage smaller groups to share a cabin in order to reduce queue times which can become excessive in busier periods.
Stoppages & Slow downs:
During normal operation it is very common for the Skyride to slow down or come to a halt whilst onboard. The ride can be slowed down to give guests more time to load and unload and will be stopped if necessary when: guests are taking an exceptionally long amount of time, are driving a Mobility Scooter or are refusing to exit at Towers Street and Fountain Square stations. Unfortunately due to the nature of the the ride i.e. several heavy gondolas suspended from a steel rope, a significant bouncing sensation may be experienced for passengers travelling on the long unsupported span of the rope between Forbidden Valley and Fountain Square stations when the rides speed is significantly altered.
Technical Information
Overview:
The gondolas travel in continuous motion from Towers street station to Fountain Square station via Forbidden valley station. The gondolas are suspended from and hauled by two wire ropes of a 40.5mm diameter between the three stations and it was the first system in the world to be built this way. All power for the system comes from two electric motors located beneath the drive station at Forbidden Valley (Also known as Main Drive) which is where the system is constantly monitored and controlled from by the main operator of the installation. To enable adequate time for guests to load and unload the gondolas must travel slower in the stations than out on the line, to enable this the gondolas are detached from the steel rope and slowed down by a series of pneumatic conveyor tyres prior to entering the stations. Once the gondola has entered the station it will attach to a drag chain known as the Cadence Chain which will then pull the gondolas through the station and also ensure they are adequately spaced.
Spacing:
Unlike many modern systems the Skyride does not use drive tyres in the stations with electric spacing clutches to set and maintain the spacing of the gondolas but uses what is known as a cadence chain. The cadence chain is a chain located on the underside of the support gantry which has several metal clips which protrude from it and catch the gondola as it enters the station. If the gondola is slightly ahead of its position it will pause momentarily and will be caught as the chain comes behind it. Similarly if the gondola arrives too late this will be detected by the rides computer system which will stop the installation and the operating staff will be required to push the gondola forwards into the correct clip. Due to there being 57 clips on the system and only 44 gondolas available to use; staff have to ensure the gondolas are placed onto the line in groups to balance the load on the system; The more gondolas available the larger the number of gondolas in each group. Hence the importance of correcting any faults that may occur throughout the day. The spacing will be corrected every time the gondolas enter Fountain Square and Towers Street stations and the speed of the two ropes will be automatically adjusted by the rides computer system at main drive to ensure the spacing remains correct.
Storage:
Due to the large surface area of the gondolas they have a very high wind resistance and therefore cannot be left on the line overnight. Therefore all of the gondolas are taken of the system every evening and stored in the garage: a building located behind Towers Street station before being put back online the following day.