Friday 6^th February

News broadcasts can’t stop talking about it, children are loving it and it stopped me flying to Edinburgh - that’s right, snow! I didn’t imagine I would be beginning my update with talk of the freezing weather again but it’s hard not to when, as the morning broke over SAW - The Ride on Monday, the track was blanketed in a light covering of snow. It didn’t stop T.G. Cruse travelling all the way up from Andover though. They were on site bright and early and ride commissioning even started up again in the afternoon. London may have ground to a halt but there was still a buzz of activity at THORPE PARK.

Things are moving along nicely now. We have all 8 ride cars on the track and Gerstlauer and the Park engineers began running them on Tuesday 20^th January. So far they have already completed more than 250 test runs as part of the main commissioning of the ride.

Steel work at the entrance to the queue line has also been installed and is awaiting signage, and about half of the paving for the whole SAW - The Ride area has been laid, but obviously the snow makes this job a little difficult. We’ve also erected the retail structure and ride photo booth. They are both now waiting to be themed and fitted.

As well as all this we’ve fitted a lot of the internal theming now. Atmospheric lighting is being installed and props are being put in place inside the station building. Even though I can’t tell you what they are, you are going to love them! Sorry, I don’t mean to tease!

Thanks,

 
Keith Workman

Friday 9^th January

Well, Christmas is over and I’ve still got turkey sandwiches for lunch! Not, that I’m getting that much time to eat as we’re even busier on site this year than we were in 2008 - and we’re only 9 days into January.

THORPE PARK got a fantastic early Christmas present from Gerstlauer when we received a delivery of 4 fully themed ride cars. Obviously we were all extremely excited, well it was better than the usual socks that I get in my stocking, and put one straight on the track for a one-off test run on a rainy 13^th December (the car that is not my Christmas socks!). What can I say…no really what can I say, it went round!

As I said we’ve been extremely busy recently. The installation of the compressor and pipework, which will help control the brakes and internal theming, is complete, and on the subject of theming, I can confirm that the main elements of internal theming are all now fitted and being tuned and dressed ready to scare you senseless when the ride opens. We’ve also fit two huge industrial fans which can be seen both inside and outside the station building and the disabled lift has been installed and commissioned.

Over Christmas, paving and posts were laid ready for the queue lines and we’ve almost completed construction of the main bridge entrance and water channel that will create SAW - The Ride’s unique island setting. Foundations for the ride shop have started to be laid and CCTV and audio/visual equipment is now being fitted both internally and externally.

And all this has been happening while the lakes, ground and water pipes have been freezing around us. I’m not sure how T. G. Cruse, our main contractor, have managed to work at all on the site over Christmas and New Year but they did and have done a great job in such challenging conditions. Let’s hope the weather warms up a bit soon.

Thanks,

 
Keith Workman

Friday 12^th December

It’s that time of year when ice starts to cover the lakes around THORPE PARK and people are panic buying all their Christmas presents from Woolworths!  And as the festivities fast approach we have been extremely busy on site.  CCR’s track is now fully complete and ready to run under the watchful eye of SAW - The Ride as it travels through ‘Area 2′, in which the landscape is now finished.

The theming has commenced - that’s what a lot of people have been waiting to hear!  The internal theming…well you’ll just have to wait and see - sorry.  But, if you look at the ride from the A320 (or on certain enthusiast forums!), you’ll be able to see how much of the external building theming has already been done.  With the corrugated iron sheets and timber having been installed; sandblasting is ongoing; rendering is complete; and the ‘themers’ have started their artwork. 

This week we have also seen the arrival and installation of the ‘head-chopper’ effect at the bottom of the 100º drop.  We’ve always stated that this ride will not be for the faint-hearted, but for those brave enough - seeing the circular saws from the top will not be the time for them to lose their head!

The internal cladding of the walls and electrical systems continue and the creation of the control and baggage rooms has started.  Gerstlauer are currently back on site checking the brakes, electrical and pneumatic installations prior to the commissioning period, due to start in January.

We have also been working very closely with the Marketing and Rides teams on a comprehensive signage brief, which is in the process of being tendered out to a company for design and installation in the new year.  We are also currently working very closely with the H&S team looking at all our fire assessments for the ride.

This shall be my last update prior to Christmas, so best wishes to you all and happy New Year.  See you in 2009.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Keith Workman

Monday 17^th November

Gerstlauer have now completed the bulk of the electrical and pneumatic installation and their next step will be commissioning the ride, which is scheduled to start in January. 

The internal and external cladding of the station building continues and the internal walls, which will separate certain aspects of the ride experience within the station building, have begun to be installed.  Over the last few days, we have also seen the commencement of the electrical work, including the lighting and power.

The general area around the ride is starting to take shape with some of the foundations for theming being prepared and the excavation of the channel which will turn the site for SAW - The Ride, into an island.  The railway track for CCR is being laid and the Landscape team have moved in for the plantation of ‘foliage’.  The fencing around the ride’s low spots has been done, and the surrounding areas have been themed to look run-down to fit in with the derelict sawmill in which SAW - The Ride will be based.

Don’t forget to head over to the ‘Disciples of Saw’ section of the microsite to enter our ‘Ride it First’ competition, you wouldn’t want to miss out on such an opportunity!

Thanks,

 
Keith Workman

Q. How long did the ride take to make and how much did it cost?

A.  Work began on the site for the ride back in June 2008 and is due for completion in March 2009 with a total investment of £13.5 million.  As Keith has outlined in his Developers Diary, the first ride column was installed on 9^th September with the full track completed on 5^th October - 27 days.

Q. How high is it in feet and also how fast does it go?  And how long is the whole ride on for?

A. The highest point of the ride is 100ft high and it will last for 1 minute 40 seconds.  When we carry out the testing of the ride alongside Health & Safety Engineering Consultants (HSEC) we’ll know the exact speed that the ride reaches.

Q. What date is the ride going to open?

A. The ride is due to open Spring 2009.

Q.  Do all the rides have those cool cameras that take photos of you at the scariest bits?  If so will SAW -The Ride have one?

A. Yes, the ride will have a photo point during the experience, which we’ll let you discover where it is on your first ride.  In addition to that, for the first time on a ride at THORPE PARK we are fitting a camera to the front of the ride to film your silly expressions (!) and enable you the opportunity to purchase a DVD of your experience…if you wish.

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