Flume (Alton Towers)
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| One of the ride's drops | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Manufacturer | Mack Rides | ||||||||||||||||||
| Product | Flume Ride | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Capacity | 35 tub boats seating 2 guests each | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 27 metres | ||||||||||||||||||
| Drop | 26 metres | ||||||||||||||||||
| Speed | 45 km/h | ||||||||||||||||||
| Track length | 886 metres | ||||||||||||||||||
The Flume was a log flume located at Alton Towers in Alton, Staffordshire, England, UK. Opening in 1981, a year after the park, it was the longest log flume in the world when it originally opened. It was closed in 2015 and removed to make way for the Wicker Man roller coaster.
History
After the popularity the park was getting after the success of Corkscrew, Alton Towers was looking for a new ride to add to the park. Management decided that a log flume would be a good way to capitalize off this popularity, so with that decision, the park immediately hired Mack Rides to build a log flume ride for the then-brand-new park. Constructed is believed to have started in late 1980 and ended in mid 1981.
Flume opened up for the 1981 season, opening as White-Water Flume. The ride was a success, bringing in many new guests for its opening. The ride was the first major engineering project for the park, with a big reservoir being dug for the final drop. At opening, it was the longest log flume in the world, with a length of 2,907 feet or 886 meters. For the longest time, not much would change for the ride, aside from the ride receiving the name it'd be given for a sizable chunk of its operating life: The Log Flume.
In 2003, WGH Transportation was approached by the park to give the ride 35 new bathtub themed boats. The ride was simply renamed to "The Flume" and would gain a new bath-time theme. Imperial Leather would sponsor the ride going forward. The ride would get new theming, with a bathtub, some other props, and, most infamously, two giant rubber ducks that would scare riders for their jumpscare-level presentation and being in pitch darkness. The ride would not receive many changes and would remain a piece of history in the park. Later on, the ride would be incorporated into a new area called Mutiny Bay.
Closure & SW8
After closing down in the 2015 season, it was announced soon after that Alton Towers would close the ride after nearly 35 years of operation.[1] On 16 March 2016, the official Alton Towers Twitter account made a love letter tweet containing a photo with photos revealing perimeters for the new ride, which was the new SW8 coming to the park. The ride would be demolished and be replaced with what's known now as Wicker Man, becoming the park's very first Wooden roller coaster.
Over this period, the park would also hold charity, donating several props and items like the ride's bathtub themed boats.[2]
Images
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One of the ride's former bathtubs still in storage, in 2020
References
- ↑ "Alton Towers' famous flume ride to close after 34 years". www.expressandstar.com. 2016-03-01. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ↑ Chamberlain, Zoe (2017-09-06). "Splashing news: The Alton Towers log flume is up for sale on eBay". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2024-01-24.