What would you do if you had a billion pounds?

[Bayum]

How much do units generally cost these days?? e.g. a Voyager, or a Pennine 185?

 

[Darandio]

How much do units generally cost these days?? e.g. a Voyager, or a Pennine 185?

Well the official release puts the 185 at around 713.000 Euros each (work that out to whatever it is) but you would never get one for anywhere near that. In fact, I would bet a similar amount of money that they wouldnt even build a single one, or two or three for that matter.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

Dave, so funny I forgot to laugh.

No probs! I laughed twice. Once each for both of us!

Seriously tho'. If I had that sort of cash arrive, I wouldn't let it get anywhere near a bank!
In fact I'd like to believe I'd be level headed enough to use it strategically, to lever in more money for the projects I believe in.
(quick example off the top of my head - to pay for the rail bridge over the A1 road which is the big obstacle for others who might then invest further in rebuilding the Anlmouth-Alnwick line).
I'm already persuaded that any serious money I MIGHT receive would be best used in the campaigns AGAINST the high street banks (who rip off their customers in all sorts of objectionable ways).

But sadly, I'd probably "give" most of it to pay the legal and political "experts" to make a few fundamental changes that might affect our world. Such as reversing the effect of the 2003 Licensing Act which has made so many town centres night-time no-go areas for the people who live in them. Or (VERY controversial I know) to change legislation to enable more rapid development of more nuclear power stations).
And I'd also make a generous contribution to music projects and to regional theatre.
But def. towards overcoming the financial barriers to one or two "strategic" rail developments (such as a bridge, a flyover, a station-on-a-loop, a power sub-station or even a tunnel) to make it easier for others to finish the job.

 

[christopher]

Changed my mind id get the Romford - Upminster Line and a 321 aswell as 37401 and 417 and modify them to be compatible with the 321 and then go on tour around the country

 

[me123]

Why on earth would you want a 321???

 

[laseandre]

Why wouldn't you? It's one more carriage of BREL goodness!

 

[EE Type 3]

I'd buy a 37/4 from EWS, realise that all the money in the world wouldn't get a wreck like this running again, and sell the thing on to some sucker

 

[me123]

Why wouldn't you? It's one more carriage of BREL goodness!

Worst things BREL ever produced were from the 320-2 series.

 

[Beaker]

Clear the gene pool.

 

[xc170]

Ide buy a couple of 175s from ATW or whoever owns them before they get in to an even worse state than there already in and possibly the conwy valley line.

 

[Waverley125]

Buy Leeds United, Leeds CF&AC ltd, Yorkshire CCC, K&WVR, 71000 Duke of Gloucester, 60009 Union of south Africa & 1306 Mayflower plus 3 rakes of mainline-worthy coaches.

1)Rebuild Elland Road so utd have a worthy stadium for us.

2)build the leeds arena next door

3)redevelop Headingley to be the best rugby ground in Britain

4)make all the above teams the most succesful in their respective sports.

5)organise summerly steam shuttles from Leeds to Carlisle, Skipton & Scarborough

6)Have the Harrogate Line, Pontefract Line, Transpennine Line, Leeds-Halifax-Brighhouse-Huddersfield & Hallam line electrified & fitted out with Class 333s.

7)New station for Headingley Stadium, Reopen Armley, Wortley & Holbeck stations.

8)Reopen Otley line & run as part of wharfedale line.

9)Have South Sub in Edinburgh reopened as part of tram system.

10)Set up a Borders Magners league Franchise, based in Galashiels.

11)Put up enough money to encourage the government to build the Leeds supertram.

 

[Techniquest]

What would I do with a billion?

Hmm...

I'd re-build and re-open the New Radnor to Leominster line first, introducing a fast service to Hereford to compete with the local buses and offer an alternative. Of course, I'd order some new rolling stock for it although what would be determined at the time. I'd certainly start off by buying a load of MK2s (since no MK3s are available) and 37s.

In the meantime, I'd set up a railtour company, Random Railtours. The first tour would be a multi-day tour with 37s out of Marylebone to Thurso and Wick...

After that, I'd earmark some EMT HST sets as they are currently for preservation. Once they become available, as well as power cars obviously, these would be used on the New Radnor line and of course with Random Railtours taking HSTs to all manners of unusual places.

Away from the rails, I'd buy every season of Frasier and South Park. I'd also buy a super PC. As well as the HQ for Random Railtours and Western Trains (which would be the OAC on the New Radnor line), I'd ensure I had a house of my own near to a railway line. I'd also ensure the house had a fridge full of Dr. Pepper (man I love that stuff) and a freezer full of easy-to-cook food.

Not sure if there would be anything else left, but the bills would be dealt with and I'd never ever work apart from with the OAC and Random Railtours.

 

[Tom B]

Well the official release puts the 185 at around 713.000 Euros each (work that out to whatever it is) but you would never get one for anywhere near that. In fact, I would bet a similar amount of money that they wouldnt even build a single one, or two or three for that matter.

I think that should have been a comma...

 

[me123]

Not in Euros; over there they use the "opposite" to what we use. Therefore €800.000 is actually €800,000. Similarly €17,23 is €17.23 to use.

 

[Broken Viking]

Hail All!

Not in Euros; over there they use the "opposite" to what we use. Therefore €800.000 is actually €800,000. Similarly €17,23 is €17.23 to use.

Quoted for truth - The Germans use the decimal point as a seperator (And the comma for a decimal) and it does take a bit of getting used to. :roll:

Admittedly though, I've gone over to Germany on holiday so many times now that I've picked up the continental way of writing decimals, and the hyphenated shorthand (I.E: €75,- insted of £75.00) for writing round figures... hock:

Aufweitersehn...
>> Death <<

 

[TheSlash]

As i recall, we won the war and so surely they should be forced to adopt our policy? There is alot of unemployment in Eastleigh at the moment and lots of empty industrial units {Ford and Eastleigh works}, so it wouldn't take much to start churning out Spitfires

 

[Broken Viking]

As i recall, we won the war...

G: Please...Stop mentioning ze Var!
B: You started it!
G: No ve didn't!
B: Yes you did...You invaded Poland!

Can't beat a classic bit o' Fawlty Towers every now and then!

and so surely they should be forced to adopt our policy? There is alot of unemployment in Eastleigh at the moment and lots of empty industrial units {Ford and Eastleigh works}, so it wouldn't take much to start churning out Spitfires

Hmm...But try putting a Spitfire up against an F-18 nowadays. Though the Spitfire is far superior to the F-18 in terms of manouverability and dogfight capability, the F-18 has a far more powerful gun with a longer range on it, IIRC...

Personally...I'd have them hard at work building a vast fleet of APT-Ps...
>> Death <<

 

[Spaceflower]

Give everyone who has ever meant something to me a share!

 

[466.networkers]

Right, here we go:

• Buy the remaining Southeastern 508s - and get a load of youths to destroy them by any means (make good YouTube footage! )
• Buy any slam door stock in preservation/storeage and make it fit for main line use on their old stomping grounds
• Start my own Railtour company and TOC - possibly buy Southeastern/Southern, then buy a load of new high speed EMUs, Desiro's(?)
• Buy a uber computer with a liquid nitrogen cooled processor etc, the latest Intel Quad Core processors should be good for 4ghz .... a core!
• Make sure all my family and friends have enough money to be very well off
• Pay the four members of System Of A Down (curently on hiatus ) to perform a private concert somewhere in London for me and my mates, and give them enough to keep making albums, sell out world tours etc
• Same as above, this time for the Rolling Stones!

That's about it for now, no doubt I will think of more later.
Any comments?

 

[Broken Viking]

...Then buy a load of new high speed EMUs...

I just did a Google search to see if such a thing actually existed. Will this do? :roll::razz:

Farewell...
>> Death <<

 

[466.networkers]

I was referring to Elect ... oh wait, it was a joke!

 

[Darandio]

I just did a Google search to see if such a thing actually existed. Will this do? :roll::razz:

Farewell...
>> Death <<

And Darren just fell off the chair with lager coming out of his left nostril.

 

[466.networkers]

Oh come now, it wasn't even that funny!

*snigger*

 

[Broken Viking]

Either way...In my view, the bird would get ye there a darn sight faster than a 450 ever could! 8)

Incidentally, I have the feeling that Google are trying to play me for a fool. I just tried the same search on Google Images a second time...

Might this be caused by the fact that I prefer to use the Welsh version of Google? hock: :?
>> Death <<

 

[laseandre]

Emo!

 

[466.networkers]

Quite a good looking emo at that!

 

[Craig]

Quite a good looking emo at that!

Not a driver verified one though, unfortunately.

 

[466.networkers]

Oh no, what a shame ...

 

[Broken Viking]

Quite a good looking emo at that!

Hmm...Your tastes obviously differ to mine quite a bit! If that came and tried to chat me up, the first two things that I would want to double-check would be:

1. Is she over 18? (I highly doubt it), and
2. Is it actually a she that's trying to chat me up, and not a he?... hock:
   (Although the dividing line between the sexes is so thin in the case of most Emos, that it's near impossible to tell. I know a few Emo men who are so effeminate that their true gender is only clearly apparent when seen in the nude! hock::roll:)

Personally...I prefer my women to have their natural figure, and an unhealthy taste in Black/Death Metal tends to go down well with me, too...
>> Death <<

 

[AlexS]

Gentlemen, my professional opinion would be that that's a lad, not a lass.