Runaway Mine Train — Attraction in Staffordshire Moorlands

I cannot accredit this ride enough. The ride itself is simple, it is a powered rollercoaster with onboard motors upon a steel frame with little real excitement and thrill for the veteran rollercoaster enthusiast . What made this ride special was the ferocity and unyielding encouragement to go again. After riding 2 times previously with fast passes and the unfortunate situation of heavy downpour for 1 hours that had closed the other rides. It caused our enjoyment of the ride to go parabolic due to the operators uncanny knack to spur the moment and excitement of the ride with the simple words, ‘ choo choo’ of which with his thick accent was pronounced ‘’ chew chew’’. On our third consecutive ride, our hype of the operator saying ‘’choo choo’ only further added fire to the unbelievable events that occurred. The carriages were primed and set with people of all walks off life, Muslims in burkas , fathers and sons , Indians in their tradition gowns, children of small ages and women going solo, some of which seemed conservative about the rides enjoyment or discouraged by how they may embrace what was to come. This could be heard by idle chit chatter as my sister and I waited patiently to the onslaught of laughter that was to come. You may be asking what had changed from the previous carriage? What had changed was the willingness of each person to let go of their inhibitions and enjoy the moment of the runaway mine train. As we left the station after a thorough safety check, the operator finished his tanoid with ‘’choo choo’. This was the 3rd time within minutes I was riding and it had started the fire that burnt Rome. Choo Choo! Was screamed by some as we left but not all….Yet. The cheers and choo’s started to increase slowly on its first pass Only to exponentially increase as the ride started its second pass My sister and I screaming and shouting the holy words ‘choo choo’. By the time the carriage was coming to its end the whole train and subsequent carriages were so riled up with the need for another pass we were given the approval of the overlord and savior of choos to go again. This only stoked the already burning furnace of choo’s that had been birthed as if it was a supernova event. I can only imagine the scene as a spectator. You could feel the vibrations of frequencies emitted by 20 people screaming choo choo. We were blessed enough with a 3rd run on this ride and we all knew what an honor it was to be given such opportunity. But here is where the story becomes legend. As our carriages thunderous screams came rattling towards the station. People crying from laughter , grown men screaming Choo Choo and the queuing people laughing. A small child screamed with so much passion back by the trains unquestionable loyalty and total commitment to giving every Choo Choo possible. The train slowed down to stop.. it was stopping.. no.. Our generous god and operator knew we were the chosen ones. He sent us again, for the 4th time. The other passenger assistant had looked the benevolent operator with a face questioning what he was doing. This only caused the already uncontrollable people on the train to take it to a level that are only heard in legends and myths. I would not be surprised if our cheers and Choo’s were heard on the other side of the park. People in the queue were looking at us as if we were rock stars. My shoulders felt broader and I had grown 3 inches in height. When we finally came to our end in the station, a standing applaud was given to the operator. As we walked out the crowd was running on pure energy everyone was chanting and jeering the holy words. Choo choo. We arrived at the photo booth. We had been around so many times we had 2 photos which will forever be engrained in the memory of all who experienced this...

Had fast track passes from the purchase of a premium Merlin pass. Queued up in the fast track queue for 30 minutes only to be told the passes we had had to be exchanged at the guest office some 15 minutes walk away. So after 60 minutes I'm now in a 15 minutes queue only to have to queue again for 30 minutes!!! I was told at the guest office that I had to exchange the ticket there so they knew which ride we'd been on!! Never in the 43 years of going to Alton Towers had I heard such rubbish and I have previously used fast track passes without...

Choo choo ;) All jokes aside, it's a fun ride, despite it being a family coaster, it pulls fast speeds especially in the tunnel. The themeing is also nice and fits Katanga Canyon, it also creates near miss elements where you think you will hit your head! (You won't) The interaction with the Congo River Rapids is cool. Usually you get two laps, but sometimes you can get three, which is very nice. I had the luxury of having a night ride on it and wow! It was insanely fast, it felt two times faster than in the day time. This ride is great and...