Fantasy: Lottery win - go on, be outlandish!

[vidal]

The latest lottery win has been over £56,000,000 - a rather tidy sum. If you won it, what railway linked stuff would you do? The only proviso is you can't reopen lines and can only use the pool of stock at the present time.

For me, I'd love to have a loco brought up to main line standard and a rake of coaches then just use it to wander the rails. Motive power? Don't ask why, I'd love a class 25.

Would the coaching stock need to be brought up to modern standards if it was for personal use only?

James

 

[Joshua_Harman]

I’ve always had the dream of buying a massive field or 2 in the countryside and having them concreted over and then building my own tram or light rail line and just flying around all day racing with friends. it would obviously require a depot to be built and trams or trains to be made and the electricity and infrastructure would cost a bomb but if you won the biiiiiig money that wouldn’t really matter right?

 

[Trainguy34]

Buy some old class 43s and maybe a couple carriages for it, could be a nice holiday home or AirBnB?

 

[pokemonsuper9]

The only proviso is you can't reopen lines and can only use the pool of stock at the present time.

Even without that restriction £56,000,000 likely wouldn't be enough to get a line built, and wouldn't buy you many trains.

 

[brad465]

Convert the Dartmouth Steam Railway to Network Rail operation and have a number of GWR services extend through to Kingswear. Churston station would be served, but Goodrington and Greenway Halt would remain shut. It cost £40 million to reopen the Dartmoor line through to Okehampton so in theory in budget, the expense of an additional station in Churston being offset by the shorter distance compared to Crediton-Okehampton.

 

[NorthOxonian]

I'm 26, which means based on where I'm from means I have about 50 years left to live. That's 1,300 All Line Rovers... I'll certainly be spending £2 million (out of my presumably significant win) on that!

 

[pokemonsuper9]

That's 1,300 All Line Rovers... I'll certainly be spending £2 million (out of my presumably significant win) on that!

That was my first thought too!
Hotels would probably be a more considerable cost (do any chain hotels offer an lifetime unlimited stays?).

Some numbers:
A 1st Class all line rover (with railcard) is just under £1000, so £26,089 a year, then after railcards £37,829 per year.

 

[NorthOxonian]

A 1st Class all line rover (with railcard) is just under £1000, so £26,089 a year, then after railcards £37,829 per year.

Yeah, I didn't think of that - I have 4 years (ish) left with railcards and would be expected to get 16 years with a senior. So it should cut the cost by about 13%, if my maths is right.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Yeah, I didn't think of that - I have 4 years (ish) left with railcards and would be expected to get 16 years with a senior. So it should cut the cost by about 13%, if my maths is right.

Yep, they are! Although price rises will mess with it a bit, but we have no way of knowing how drastic they'll be.

50 years no railcards - £1,891,450

20 years railcard - £521,780 + £700 for railcards (at £35/year)
30 years no railcard - £1,134,870
Total - £1,657,350 (12.3% less)

 

[Starmill]

Yeah, I didn't think of that - I have 4 years (ish) left with railcards and would be expected to get 16 years with a senior. So it should cut the cost by about 13%, if my maths is right.

After your railcard expires you could always take up permanent residence in Ireland. That would be the exercise of an automatic right for a UK citizen, and permits them to purchase BritRail passes once complete. You keep your UK passport and don't need to become an Irish citizen.

You'd also be allowed to use Global Interrail passes without restrictions in England, Scotland and Wales too. Or buy the Great Britain pass.

 

[43096]

I'm 26, which means based on where I'm from means I have about 50 years left to live. That's 1,300 All Line Rovers... I'll certainly be spending £2 million (out of my presumably significant win) on that!

I wouldn’t be touching an All Line Rover regardless. Now Interrail would be a very different matter…

 

[frankmoh]

1. Get a season ticket between 2 random (and cheap) stations so I can get a Gold Card. Set aside money for at least 25 year's worth of this.

2. Find an empty field near London and create a third rail track, at least a mile.

3. Buy some Networkers, a shunter and construct a carriage shed. Create NSE-themed railway.

I'm sure that "the world's first EMU heritage railway" is a unique selling point and will provide me with extra money on top of the lotto winnings.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

After your railcard expires you could always take up permanent residence in Ireland. That would be the exercise of an automatic right for a UK citizen, and permits them to purchase BritRail passes once complete.

Or by moving to Asia, Africa, the Americas or Oceania a eurail pass. I can't seem to locate the price of a BritRail pass, it just says not avaliable in your region.
£500 ($676) for three months is incredible.

That's enough for 7 days of All Line Rover (for a child or 16-17 railcard holder).

 

[Starmill]

Or by moving to Asia, Africa, the Americas or Oceania a eurail pass. I can't seem to locate the price of a BritRail pass, it just says not avaliable in your region.
£500 ($676) for three months is incredible.

That's enough for 7 days of All Line Rover (for a child or 16-17 railcard holder).

There must be somewhere that doesn't charge British citizens too much for permanent residency in that whole basket of countries! Might be a lot in air fares to get back here though!

 

[whoosh]

I’ve always had the dream of buying a massive field or 2 in the countryside and having them concreted over and then building my own tram or light rail line and just flying around all day racing with friends. it would obviously require a depot to be built and trams or trains to be made and the electricity and infrastructure would cost a bomb but if you won the biiiiiig money that wouldn’t really matter right?

You could have a big field or two, and build a model railway of what the country should look like!

And still have change for "research trips for best practice" abroad!

 

[NorthOxonian]

There must be somewhere that doesn't charge British citizens too much for permanent residency in that whole basket of countries! Might be a lot in air fares to get back here though!

In fairness, if I was on lottery win money, I'm sure I could tolerate living full time in Dublin... especially given the TSA pre check meaning I could get across the Atlantic (relatively) painlessly!

 

[Trackman]

Buy a big house with land, re-locate an old signal box and turn into a simulator but with human intervention and not fully computerized, basically the Exeter West signal box at Crewe.

 

[AlterEgo]

I would buy one of LNER'S new fares.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

The latest lottery win has been over £56,000,000 - a rather tidy sum. If you won it, what railway linked stuff would you do? The only proviso is you can't reopen lines and can only use the pool of stock at the present time.

I'd probably part fund a number of heritage line projects ( not fully fund because if someone goes around paying the full sum for everything, other donations will dry up because everyone will think there's no point because it'll get paid for in one go ).

On top of that, I might be tempted to arrange to have a private train to make it easier to get round; something similar to the former DB chairman's train.

By the way, the win wasn't in the UK so if anyone hears of such a train being set up.... it's not me.

 

[gingerheid]

This is where you realise that lottery wins aren't that much

I'd love to have my own royal train. But suddenly £56m isn't that much, and given all the other things you'd want to do too, I'd probably just start booking the Caledonian double!

 

[The Foghorn]

Get some high hours Napier Deltic power units fully overhauled, then set off round the country behind RHF covering areas I haven't visited whilst enjoying the company of good friends and seeking out excellent beers.

 

[Harpo]

£56 million. Mmmm, there’s a few good causes to help including…...

Class 15 - Pay for completion
The Metro-Vic - Ditto
Class 40 Preservation Society
Diesel Traction Group
LT museum Q Stock
Great Central ‘bridges’
Paddle steamer Waverley
A couple of existing bus museums

Then there’s the slush fund to get a couple of Sulzer type 2s back on the main line.

 

[mrcheek]

I'm 26, which means based on where I'm from means I have about 50 years left to live. That's 1,300 All Line Rovers... I'll certainly be spending £2 million (out of my presumably significant win) on that!

yes, I am with you on this one! Its been shown that £56m wont buy you much in terms of new lines or stations, so far better to spend the money on oneself! Endless All Line Rovers (First Class of course), plus enough money to afford something better than Travelodge each night

 

[spyinthesky]

Yep, they are! Although price rises will mess with it a bit, but we have no way of knowing how drastic they'll be.

50 years no railcards - £1,891,450

20 years railcard - £521,780 + £700 for railcards (at £35/year)
30 years no railcard - £1,134,870
Total - £1,657,350 (12.3% less)

And at over £2 million in interest a year will cover any price hikes and also cover hotel costs

 

[pokemonsuper9]

And at over £2 million in interest a year will cover any price hikes and also cover hotel costs

Indeed, the best thing to is live off the interest. Even after taxes the earnings would be incredible.

 

[BlueLeanie]

I won't reopen lines, but I would consider:-

A generous donation to allow the Strathspey Railway to build an "authentic" two platform station at Grantown-on-Spey with capacity and canopy to accommodate a visiting nine-car 80X series unit (or eg the Belmond train) ready for when they have enough money to re-connect.

A donation to a miniature railway to allow them to decarbonise their diesel/petrol locos. I was at one last week and my little nephew insisted on sitting behind the "steam train" the exhaust fumes were awful.

Sponsoring the extension of an existing franchise or OA service to include extra stops. Eg a TPE extension to Dundee, Lumo West Coast extension to Perth, additional Avanti call at MK. If it happened, I think this one would set the message boards (and Whitehall) into an absolute frenzy over the ethics of allowing someone wealthy to influence timetabling and diagrams.

 

[Topological]

I won't reopen lines, but I would consider:-

A generous donation to allow the Strathspey Railway to build an "authentic" two platform station at Grantown-on-Spey with capacity and canopy to accommodate a visiting nine-car 80X series unit (or eg the Belmond train) ready for when they have enough money to re-connect.

A donation to a miniature railway to allow them to decarbonise their diesel/petrol locos. I was at one last week and my little nephew insisted on sitting behind the "steam train" the exhaust fumes were awful.

Sponsoring the extension of an existing franchise or OA service to include extra stops. Eg a TPE extension to Dundee, Lumo West Coast extension to Perth, additional Avanti call at MK. If it happened, I think this one would set the message boards (and Whitehall) into an absolute frenzy over the ethics of allowing someone wealthy to influence timetabling and diagrams.

This extension idea is interesting. The GWR London trains have nearly an hour at Swansea. You could presumably extend them to Gowerton. Pay for the reversal infrastructure and then gain great pleasure seeing Gowerton trains at Paddington. I do wonder how many other long turn arounds would permit smaller extensions with lower marginal cost. Adding an extra diagram seems unlikely to work from £56m

 

[m79900]

Start up a company building basic versions of a 70s/80s car, maybe Marinas or Mk2 Escorts for the modern world. They'd be powered by hydrogen combustion (like JCB are developing) and be totally no frills. And built in the UK too.

EDIT: Sorry, I didn't see 'railway linked'. My point still stands though.

 

[Sorcerer]

For £56 million I'm not sure there's much I can do in a railway sense. Maybe I could buy a single Pendolino set so I can guarantee preservation because it is among the best intercity trains in the country. Plus I'd love just to have my own personal tilting train to do with as I please. But failing that I suppose I can spend it on a small car-stop sign for Birmingham Interchange on HS2 when it opens alongside the Transatlantic Tunnel.

 

[bananas]

Buy up houses along important bottleneck sections of line and donate the land to Network Rail so they can double/triple/quad/... track it