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Talbot Street Video Archive

James

TS Founding Member
I wasn't sure where to post this. So I thought it may be a good idea if there's a topic dedicated to video gems we often find on YouTube and other websites.

Kicking this topic off with a nice video I found this morning, Alton Towers Parade 1988!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOlIjx-tN2o#

I know there's a plethora of old videos scattered across the web so this could be a great place for people to post videos they find and in future it provides a place for people to find a whole resource of old videos!
 
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That Parade is not the best example they got so much better lots more characters more elaborate floats. Cheque out the utube 1993 ice show not the peter rabbit one. Alton towers 1993 so glamorous.But still nice to look back on. So much better than a tiny side show in court yard that we have today.
 
Its part of Creating the Magic from 1996 entertainment staff only video it also had on it
The Music Power House Show
The Childrens Fun Factory
The Magic Show
Peter Rabbit
Street Theatre
plus behind the scenes of magic HQ and behind the scenes of all the shows.
 
cybermen39 said:
That's my video I filmed myself Ben put it on utube for me.
Ah sorry about using your video I hope it's alright, it's a brilliant video :)
 
Hi yes that's fine I'm hope less at putting things on but if want any old shows I have every show from 1988 to around 2001 I got bored then as it down hill very fast. PM me if you would like any.
 
I would love to see behind the scenes of magic HQ video. behind the scenes stuff really interests me as I love to know how things work.
 
Cybermen39 wanted some more of his old Alton Towers footage putting up online so today I've uploaded the first video which is a selection of clips created by Alton Towers called the Image Bank. It's footage put together for broadcasters. You may recognise some of it as parts straight away as sections have been used in things like the Monorail queueline videos. All the videos apart from the Nemesis clips (which were from 1994) were filmed in 1998, the year Oblivion and X-Sector opened.


The first video is an overview of X-Sector. Just look at how clean and slick the area looked with all the original theming, colours and the correct amount of mist around Oblivion's pit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqyaa--hRao#



The next clip is an on-ride mounted POV of Oblivion (the only mounted POV?):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK8QnRuDGUU#



I made the clip of Energizer seperate as there's not much footage of this particular ride out there (especially in this form):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPXnTE1pNCA#



Though TPR have since uploaded a modern POV (front and rear POVs) of Nemesis, this is Alton's own video taken back when Thunder Looper was still at the park. It looks much faster and forceful, and you can see just how much mist there used to be from the crashed coach:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mZPdEd7_1U#



On-ride clips of various rides, including Corkscrew, Ripsaw, RMT, Black Hole and the Log Flume (look at the old ORP booth at the top of the final drop where a member of staff used to wait and hand tickets to anyone that wanted their photo):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEv7BYEjMdo#



Off-ride footage of Congo River Rapids:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-f3GQxjJB8#



More off-ride footage of the Swans, Corkscrew and Ripsaw:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1j_qMCI7VQ#



My favourite video is this one which focuses on Cred Street (Toyland Tours feature ftw! :D ), Storybook Land (it might be picturesque today, but wait until this jogs your memory of what the area SHOULD be like, assuming you were lucky enough to experience it back in the 90's) and Old MacDonald's Farmyard (with clips of the petting farm, a look at the Tractors when they were a presentable attraction and much more). There's also shots of Nick Outta Control and the Vintage cars (anyone remember the gingerbread smelling tunnel? :D ):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHmk4PuW3vM#




Finally, footage of X-Sector's Meltdown restaurant from when it was a nice and shiny Pizza Hut:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxrB2cPZrRU#




Once again, a big thank you to Cybermen39 for sharing all of this! There'll be footage of roaming characters next.

:)
 
Argh, I think I've been overcome by Nostalgia. For me these videos are visual confirmation that it's not just me getting older and grumpier, the park was once actually as good as I remember it being.
 
Wow, watch the Ripsaw video from 3:40 - I wish they still used that cycle now! 4 flips in a row!
 
Really highlights how naff Ripsaw is now doesn't it :p

Its a massive shame, as back when it opened Ripsaw had its own shop and range of merchandise, it was pretty much a headline attraction! Its sad that not only has the ride been maintained so poorly that it can no longer perform to that standard, but the removal of theming, lacklustre programs which sometimes never even achieve one flip and overly conservative use of the fountains really takes away the magic :(
 
Alastair said:
Wow, watch the Ripsaw video from 3:40 - I wish they still used that cycle now! 4 flips in a row!

Ripsaw does still use a setting that features four consecutive flips. I believe it's setting 8 (some Ripsaw setting buffs might have to correct me on that one) but it's a shorter program usually used on busier days. I got a ride last year on that setting and it really caught me by surprise. Many on here seem to prefer the longer, standard program. But for me, the flips are what Top Spins are supposed to do rather than pratting about swinging back and forth for no reason.
 
CGM said:
Alastair said:
Wow, watch the Ripsaw video from 3:40 - I wish they still used that cycle now! 4 flips in a row!

Ripsaw does still use a setting that features four consecutive flips. I believe it's setting 8 (some Ripsaw setting buffs might have to correct me on that one) but it's a shorter program usually used on busier days. I got a ride last year on that setting and it really caught me by surprise. Many on here seem to prefer the longer, standard program. But for me, the flips are what Top Spins are supposed to do rather than pratting about swinging back and forth for no reason.

The best thing IMO about Top Spins are the rotations up and around where you get airtime. I wish there were a cycle with a few of those in a row; generally you just get 1 before the carriage is locked for the fountain finale.
 
It took me seven hours to rip, convert, edit and upload, but the 'Creating the Magic for Everyone' archive footage is also now online! Once again, Cybermen39 kindly sent this footage to me for uploading.



It's 1 hour, 47 minutes worth of footage from the park, shot by the park in 1996, and it focuses on the park's entertainers by looking at the various shows the park put on, roaming actors (includes bands, characters - even the original grounds keepers) and even Henry's Parade!

There's also some general park footage of attractions that very few people out there may have seen or remembered, such as the original indoor play area in Land of Makebelieve (now Cloud Cukoo Land) and brief footage inside the old Cine 360 attraction. The footage even looks at the hotel in its first season, as well as some of the entertainment they used to put on in there.

At the end of the video is a short news report that was done at the park about Alton Towers and the attractions industry. Among the few quick interviews that the news channel included, Nick Varney is also featured and talks about Alton Towers' position among other parks, and what they're doing to become the best in the UK. There's also a brief look at some of the funny tricks the park used to do in their advertising and marketing (when Drayton Manor opened their rapids ride, Alton Towers had to remind everyone that they too had a much bigger rapids ride :p ), so make sure to check that out too!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INuIg7dAr9s#



To make it easier for people to find various parts in the video, I've also included this on the Youtube page (times are links to parts of the video on the video's page)...

00:00:00 - Towers Street roaming actors
00:01:30 - Peter Rabbit on Ice
00:27:45 - Land of Makebelieve attractions and roaming actors
00:31:15 - Magic Street Theatre Magic Show
00:54:25 - General park footage
00:57:00 - Children's Fun Factory (Show)
01:13:30 - Cine 360 pre-show short announcement
01:14:10 - Grease (Show)
01:32:05 - Alton Towers Hotel & various hotel entertainment
01:37:55 - Henry's Parade footage
01:40:55 - News report (various interviews, park footage and more)



Edit: Just uploaded yet more fantastic footage, courtesy of Cybermen39. This is a video of Thunder Valley in its final season, 1993. It features the classic Schwarzkopf roller coasters Thunder Looper and New Beast, and there's even a glimpse of Nemesis being built. Just look at the amount of people there too!

http://youtu.be/ppNVspbkjm4




Enjoy!
 
Cool videos

Ripsaw still has the ability to do the 4 flips cycle, unfortunately it is the shortest cycle in the system, it basically does 4 flips then the hang-over. Although the other sequences don't have the 4 flips i prefer the longer settings with the fly-overs.

If only Huss had programmed those 4 flips in one of the other sequences (the 4 slips sequence is number 4).

Oblivion Mist, it never got that misty even in 1998. That video would have been done without any preceding shuttles so the mist will have built up. Its a bit weak-ass at the moment but it was never that misty.

An interesting point about the misters is they have 2 settings, they flow slow mostly but increase in volume when a train reaches the drop breaks, this used to cause a fun little effect if the ride stopped on drop break as the misters would be going at full pelt but obviously the shuttle never passed the point to shut them off.... This sometimes resulted in the whole of lower X-sector covered in fog :D

If i'm honest the x-sector video has made me realise that this year X-Sector isn't far off how it looked in 1998, they could just do with getting a pressure washer down near the drop zone.
 
You can't really tell from the videos because of how old the footage is. When you're up-close you can see the cracks in X-Sector have been painted over (the main example being the crumbling Rehydrator cladding and Oblivion's station).

Oblivion's station looks marginally better now that they've removed the fake concrete panels that went rotten, but what replaced them is only the lesser of two evils. Oblivion itself looks a little better now that it's had a lick of paint.

We also no longer have any decent flat rides, and the only ride that does work can only manage one side, and even then that ride is hated and also far past its prime.

As for the mist, we only get half the amount we used to because an entire ring is broken.

We've lost Black Hole, but The Smiler more than makes up for that. It's still a shame that even the new ride has so many flaws as it could have had a far greater impact.


Don't get me wrong, X-Sector is looking better but I'd say it's still only half way towards looking as good as it used to, or should do anyway.

Anyway, more videos to come. :)
 
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