I would suspect so.

Things in the UK are very different.

The accident has triggered the closure of three more rides at two other parks.

 

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/alton-towers-closes-another-three-rollercoasters-2015-6

Note that article says it is being determined whether a criminal prosecution should take place.

What the difference (other than manufacturers) between Rattlesnake at CWoA and Legoland parks Techic Coaster?

Park to remain closed for weekend:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-33034616

The gentleman who referred to a 1 in 24 million risk. How does he KNOW that? That it isn't 25 million or six million or 33?

Sometimes it's best not to be so specific.

The 1 in 24 million number is the risk of being injured on an amusement ride in general, not a risk specifically related to this individual accident. That figure is also mentioned in this 2014 New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/sunday-review/when-thrill-rides-are-real-risks.html?_r=0

Eleven minutes before 999 was called:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/alton-towers-crash-theme-park-says-rumours-of-the-smiler-being-removed-are-pure-speculation-10299138.html

Really?

Can I assume "999" is their "911"?

You can. It is.

You can assume that dialing 999 will get you a pizza.

 

You would be assuming wrong.

 

Like Terpy said, in this case, your assumption would be correct.

At this point, it appears as though it is going to get a whole lot worse before it is over. Thinking through the seemingly little I know about coasters, this entire situation shouldn't have happened. As more is discovered or comes to light, I can't help but think of the long lasting impact this will have on those injured and the witnesses. The information will give them answers but it isn't going to change their situation.

Odd note in the Daily Mail about the young lady who was a dancer.

In the paper, it listed the injuries of the front row passengers, and noted that surgeons were able to save "both of her legs". This was not said of the other passengers. Perhaps the was the passenger that carried the possibility of amputation, but Thankfully, it did not occur

Worse and worse:

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/alton-towers-rollercoaster-smiler-three-9404783

"...expects a prosecution...."

Many of the articles bring up the use of water dummies to test the first run of the morning. One former worker explained that's why you see water splashed on the concrete below.

I never ran coasters, only flats- could the weight difference of the empty carriage cause it to valley? I know the weight of the SOB carts is what helped it get through the loop, and the Smiler carriages look lightweight to me.

Yes. Gravity pulls all trains downhill at the same rate, but heavier trains lose less speed when going uphill, because they have more momentum (defined as the product of the object's mass and velocity). Thus a full train is more likely to make it over a hill than an empty train, assuming both hit the bottom of the hill at the same speed.

Then why, oh wise one, does Top Thrill Dragster only add rows as the morning goes on?

From my understanding, there are two reasons:

 

One, it makes the front heavier than the back so that in a case where the train barely reaches the top, the center of gravity will be further forward, making it more likely to fall forward as less of the train needs to be past the peak.

 

Two, I believe they need to warm up the launch system gradually by slowly increasing the weight of the train. As I understand it, going directly from test trains with a single employee to full trains with 18 people could break the system.

 

If I'm wrong here, I invite corrections from those who know otherwise.

TTD is a hydraulic system as well. Hydraulic fluid is more viscous when cold. As the fluid increases in temp it becomes less viscous allowing higher pressure so the optimal temperature needs to be reach before the motor can be fully loaded.

Not the only reason. It also has to do with weight and bearing temperatures on cold days.

Teen has leg amputated:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11658881/Alton-Towers-reopens-six-days-after-The-Smiler-crash-live.html

Park re-opens, X-Sector to remain closed:

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jun/07/alton-towers-to-partially-reopen-after-rollercoaster-crash-as-litigation-begins

Smiler may be stripped of record:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/alton-towers-accident-smiler-could-5844062

So they going to give the record to a coaster with less inversions or one with more that doesn't exist? I can't believe anyone pays attention to Guinness World Records, most of the records I seen in one of their books were so absurd or specific it was well absurd.

Exactly. While its record is the least important thing right now, it's a silly notion. 

 

If the ride remains SBNO or closes for good, then of course it will lose its record.

 

If it re-opens with 14 inversions, then it has the world record for now. Period.

 

Guinness is probably just looking for website hits. By the way, I do sincerely believe that this record is in their books as "most loops" 

This is the same Guinness that gave Goliath at SFGAm wooden coaster records after all.

http://rcdb.com/9972.htm?p=52137

Wood track under the steel topper track. After time, this wood will rot and have to be replaced otherwise the ride smoothness will be impacted. Therefore making it structural(the topper track is attached to it not the wooden structure) and a wooden coaster. Mine trains are steel because the rails are attached to steel crossties and sometimes steel spine that attachs to the wooden structure. My personal take is if any wood is used on the rails is structural(not decorative) then it is wooden whereas if the rails are steel only, it is a Hybrid. Coney Island Cyclone is a famous wooden coaster but uses steel supports.

I vote for the amusement industry to come up with a Universial wood or steel code for enthusiasts to follow. Lol

I didn't know any of the wood was just for decoration on a coaster.

 

Goliath is Steel to me. It has a giant steel rail the train rolls on and is attached to. However, I just am going to call them all Hybrids. If it isn't an all wood construction or an all steel construction, I'm lumping it in with Hybrids. Take Villain, Gemini, Goliath, Mine Ride, etc. all Hybrids to my definition.

 

It looks like a wooden coaster to an extent, but it's not. Their steel rails allow them do to things any traditional wooden coaster really doesn't do. 

But the wheels never touch that part of the track.  Those layers of wood have no affect or purpose on the ride except to make it cheaper to build than using the Iron Horse track.  Wooden coasters only have a thin plate of metal between the wood and the wheels, thus the wood has more of an affect on the ride when it warps due to weather.  The Topper Track won't do that.  If you make the Topper track cylindrical, you have mine train track. The ties don't matter to me.  To me, the closest thing to a 'hybrid' are wood coasters that have had portions of track replaced with Topper track because the rails switch from wood to steel (Silverwood's woodies and Georgia Cyclone for examples).  

 

Arrow mine trains, Excalibur and Gemini are steel coasters.

Goliath and Outlaw Run are steel coasters.

Voyage is a wood coaster.

New Texas Giant, Iron Rattler, Wicked Cyclone and Iron Colossus are steel coasters.  

 

That's my interpretation.  

Want to bet steel beams doesn't warp due to weather? I have seen it happen, not on a roller coaster but I have seen beams that have warped over time from being out in the sun. Railroad rails for example are solid steel and the sun does warp them. They also flex vertically naturally but once the crossties(wood or concrete) go bad under the rail, it can develop a sagging dip.

^Point, but Topper track is still replacing two layers of the wood with steel.  

 

Listen, I'm okay with people having differing opinions on this.  I realize this issue divides enthusiasts all over, so in this case, I'm okay with agreeing to disagree.

That wood on the track lets Six Flags claim it's a wood coaster.

I posit that's why it's there.

I think it's all a lot of mumbo jumbo.

 

It's like "amusement park" vs. "theme park." Sometimes it's obvious. Sometimes it's not. It's all for the sake of classification, which somehow makes us feel better even though maybe - just maybe - there's no inherent reason to bother deciding which team a ride belongs to. Especially today, any three "wooden" coasters (let's say, El Toro, Outlaw Run, and The Beast) are constructed entirely different ways, operated entirely differently, give entirely unique experiences, and are totally unlike "traditional" wooden coasters and each other!