Auntie Murial
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Marlborough MOP Fair 13/10/2007Just got back home from an evening at Marlborough MOP Fair in wiltshire.
Me and my partner met up with Coaster Toaster , Smiler, Amy and Jess.
We all ahd a fantastic time absorbing the atmosphere of the rides, it was extremly busy and most rides were running to full capacity which is always good for the excitement.
There was 2 miami's, Orbiter, Superstar, Round Up, Top Spin, Ghost Train ( Phantom Chaser ), Dodgems, Twist, Jump & Smile, Ferris Wheel, Rock & Roll Looper + many juvenilles and side stalls.
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coastergraham
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Sounds like you had a good time 
We were planning on doing Leeds Valentines fair next year but what was said about fairs at the Alton Towers behind the scenes tour did nothing at all to make my trust in safety at travelling fairs any better
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Auntie Murial
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My partner actually works with a showman and he can say that the safety aspect is sometimes higher than of a Theme Park! These rides are the showmans life and soul, any neglagence on there behalf would not do them kindly, they rely on these machines for their wellbeing.
They are kept in alot better condition than alot of theme parks too, and hardly ever have any down time!! Some people think that becasue a few light bulbs are not working or a few paint jobs need spruceing up they d not look after the ride itself, but this is just not the case.
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Auntie Murial
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Would be intersting to know what was said, if you do not feel like adding it to the forum please send me the details by private message.
Thanks
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smiler
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I think they do agreat job in keeping the rides in tip top condition as you dont see any scatches or marks anywhere really despite all the traverling they do. I no it sad but you can look at a ride and sometimes theres not a single bulb thats not working there all lit in perfect timing.
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coastergraham
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| Auntie Murial wrote: | Would be intersting to know what was said, if you do not feel like adding it to the forum please send me the details by private message.
Thanks |
I might as well put it on here as the people at Alton mentioned it without saying things like don't ever mention it.
The techincal services people said that Theme Parks have certain standards they have to acheive before they can open a flat ride, not just the construction of the ride but the electrical side of it.
They said that what takes them a week to get passed fairgrounds do in a matter of a day or two. Also that Theme parks have to have a specially trained electrician to inspect the rides who will take a day or two where fairs basically get a local electrician with little knowledge of rides to inspect it and pass it off within a few hours.
As I said in my previous message the tech people at Alton said they did not go on fairground rides as they do not trust them.
Hope that is of help to you
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Magic
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Don't forget that fun fair rides are subjected to the same style licensing as theme park rides in the form of the ADIPS inspection. Basically a ride MOT. So can't see how they can say that travelling rides aren't inspected as well as fixed rides.
As Ian points out the rides are their livelihoods, any down time means lost earnings. So it's in their interest to ensure the rides are properly maintained and tested. How often do you see a Top Scan not running at a fair, how often do you see a Samurai not running at Thorpe Park. How often do you see an Afterburner not running at a fair, how often do you see Vortex not running at Thorpe. How often do you see an Enterprise not running at a fair, how often do you see it not running at Thorpe? Is one better maintained and looked after than the other? I honestly don't know the answer.
A showman doesn't have the financial backing of the corporate theme parks so an accident is far more likely to destroy their business. So again they are going to do all they can to make sure they keep their fare paying customers safe.
I know I've yet to go on a ride at a fun fair and not have my safety bar checked, but I've been to a theme park and on many an occasion not had it checked.
I'm not saying fun fairs are safer than theme parks or vice versa but I have no qualms about jumping on a fun fair ride.
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Beaker
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Like Magic I have no qualms about park or touring rides. I also have to agree with him about down time. A lot of the flat rides at Thorpe were down when I went in mid September and form talking to others were still down a few weeks ago.
As regards checks I think faults are more likely to be picked up on a travelling ride than a static one. Travelling ones are usually pulled down and built up weekly, certainly fortnightly. During the course of this there's got to be a good chance that any loose bolts, pins etc will be spotted as many of the components have to be hand balled into place. Once a ride is built up many of the components will be inaccesible for inspection, no matter how thorough the person making checks is.
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