You 'inherit' £20 million....

[ACE1888]

All theoretical of course, you can buy/rebuild a line or any stock you wish, so you therefore...?
Me? Rebuild Maiden Newton to Bridport and run 'Class 121' Bubble Cars up and down it! Just to start with
Just for fun this one

 

[PinzaC55]

Reopen the Malton & Driffield Railway from Burdale through to Driffield. If there was any money left build a "new" NBL D600 Warship.

 

[SS4]

Restore the Sutton Park line to passenger use including a new station at the Fort shopping park, the old Castle Vale one and a new one near Forge Lane/Kingsbury Road and finally Walmley with trains running to Brum and Sutton

 

[LE Greys]

Either buy the GCR's Loughborough bridge for them or buy up land between Bodmin and Padstow to divert the cycle track, paving the way to rebuild the railway.

Although I'd prefer to enter the TOC market by founding a company to take over East Coast.

 

[Mvann]

Extend the welsh highland railway to Bangor or open the caernarfon to llanberis line as a 2ft line.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Either buy the GCR's Loughborough bridge for them or buy up land between Bodmin and Padstow to divert the cycle track, paving the way to rebuild the railway.

Although I'd prefer to enter the TOC market by founding a company to take over East Coast.

agree with your options, with the financial trouble starting to fall upon preserved railways i dont think anymore are needed i think improvements to the existing ones need to be made.

 

[Anon Mouse]

Reopen The Riverside Branch on Tyneside and or The Leamside.....

 

[Ivo]

I think I agree on the Leamside line, although I would be aiming for it to return to the National network in the long term.

 

[HST Power]

If I inherited £20 million I would either shake up the Great Northern Route or just be selfish and blow it all on my own set of HST's!

 

[Yew]

Lincoln => Sheffield.

Steam Loco's

 

[60163]

Buy a huge plot of land and build a massive-capacity indoor covered warm storage facility, with works and paint shop. Hold open days outside it to raise money for it, buy as many old locos as possible and rescue them from scrap.


And give £2mill to the Baby Deltic Project so they can finih it ASAP!

 

[junglejames]

Sorry to be a spoil sport, but if i won/ inherited £20 million, i wouldnt be using it on any preserved railway. May by myself a couple of locos, and try and set up a railtour operation, but thats it. If i tried anymore than that, my £20 million wouldnt last long at all. Before i know it, i wouldnt have any money to myself.
At least with a railtour setup, i could do all the travelling i like!!

 

[chris89]

Well if i had to give it all to a Railway cause. i would donate half to the East Somerset Railway since being first one i was a volunteer on, and the Severn Valley railway since my local now.

But if i didn't have to, would be something like 1 million to each off them and pocket the rest and live of the intrest

Chris

 

[SouthEastern-465]

Seems a bit optimistic but I'd start the first third rail EMU Preservation line.

The first challenge would be finding a suitable line, and secondly staff training for working alongside an electrified line and so on. The rest would go on buying rolling stock, that depends if the 'already' owners would be fine with me buying there units.

Rolling stock: EPB 5759 (The group would still own the unit but would be able to run it) the Brighton Belle (Once restored) 3CIGs 1399, 1497, 1498. 3CEP 1198, 4BEP 7105. I would also try to buy my favorite two Networkers off the leasing company. (465248, 465914).

Just because would be electrified does not mean we wouldn't have a diesal unit/loco. Would probally buy an Cl08/09 shunter, 'Crompton' 33035 (NSE livery) and have a 'Thumper' unit to.

 

[ChrisCooper]

Seems a bit optimistic but I'd start the first third rail EMU Preservation line.

The first challenge would be finding a suitable line, and secondly staff training for working alongside an electrified line and so on. The rest would go on buying rolling stock, that depends if the 'already' owners would be fine with me buying there units.

Rolling stock: EPB 5759 (The group would still own the unit but would be able to run it) the Brighton Belle (Once restored) 3CIGs 1399, 1497, 1498. 3CEP 1198, 4BEP 7105. I would also try to buy my favorite two Networkers off the leasing company. (465248, 465914).

Just because would be electrified does not mean we wouldn't have a diesal unit/loco. Would probally buy an Cl08/09 shunter, 'Crompton' 33035 (NSE livery) and have a 'Thumper' unit to.

Pretty much the same. Brighton Belle could go screw themselves though, since thanks to them my line would be the only chance to ride on a CIG under it's own power, wheras they are hoping for mainline running. Plus I doubt they would want the great unwashed riding their fancy luxury train. That said, their money is as good as anyones, so if they wanted to pay a hell of a lot of rent and allow me to use their set as and when I wanted (i.e in normal service for normal people) then I wouldn't turn them down. I'd try and pick up a VEP too.

 

[SouthEastern-465]

Pretty much the same. Brighton Belle could go screw themselves though, since thanks to them my line would be the only chance to ride on a CIG under it's own power, wheras they are hoping for mainline running. Plus I doubt they would want the great unwashed riding their fancy luxury train. That said, their money is as good as anyones, so if they wanted to pay a hell of a lot of rent and allow me to use their set as and when I wanted (i.e in normal service for normal people) then I wouldn't turn them down. I'd try and pick up a VEP too.

Forgot to add the VEP.

I would try and buy VEP 3417 and put it back in NSE or early SWT livery.

 

[bangor-toad]

Would probally buy an Cl08/09 shunter, 'Crompton' 33035 (NSE livery) and have a 'Thumper' unit to.

Oooh, you've got a similar view to my own...

I'd prioritise my inheritance in this order:
First, find which of the preserved Thumpers could be transferred to me for my own amusement. Then I'd get it refurbed - how many of you remember the old string/rope luggage racks above the seats?

I'd make sure that the extras for current mainline running were put in, door locking, OTMR, ERTMS ( ) If the current elf 'n' safety complains that you've got to have an engine at either end, then spend a bit more aquiring a class 33 to go at the other end from the Thumper engine unit.

I'd then run railtours in it to places I wanted to go and not worry about the economics of it at all!


I guess there'll be some cash left so I'll also buy myself a sleeping car and have it custom modified. That'd be to luxury hotel standard for the misses and I using half the carriage and the other half would be a kitchen. I'd make sure the sleeping car systems were modified so that it could be marshalled into the Thumper rake.

With any left over cash I would arrange to have mainline connections put in between NR rails and preserved railways so that I could get my Thumper rake to go all over the place.

Hmmm, now where can I buy myself a Euromillions ticket?
Jason

 

[Anon Mouse]

Pimp my Thumper, like it!

 

[The Decapod]

I thought I replied to this but apparently not....

Anyway, if the £20 million had to be spent on heritage railways...

I'd spend some of it on setting up a trackbed trust that would help preserved railways extend their routes by buying and leasing adjacent trackbed in the event of the railway being unable to afford it themselves.

 

[Anon Mouse]

Bring a QJ and a SY and a few carriages from China and bring it to somewhere like the GCR or NVR, they might just fit!

 

[craig87034]

I would buy a long rake of mark 1's paint them into blue and Grey and start my own railtour company. I would also buy 26002 and 025 from Stathspey and get them on the mainline. Would also donate a sum to the SRPS and get 27001 and 27005 on the mainline.The DTG would get a donation to get 'Champion' back on the mainline as well as getting D7029 running again.

 

[Rhydgaled]

Seems a bit optimistic but I'd start the first third rail EMU Preservation line.

The first challenge would be finding a suitable line, and secondly staff training for working alongside an electrified line and so on. The rest would go on buying rolling stock, that depends if the 'already' owners would be fine with me buying there units.

Rolling stock: EPB 5759 (The group would still own the unit but would be able to run it) the Brighton Belle (Once restored) 3CIGs 1399, 1497, 1498. 3CEP 1198, 4BEP 7105. I would also try to buy my favorite two Networkers off the leasing company. (465248, 465914).

Just because would be electrified does not mean we wouldn't have a diesal unit/loco. Would probally buy an Cl08/09 shunter, 'Crompton' 33035 (NSE livery) and have a 'Thumper' unit to.

If I got £20 million to spend on railways, I think I'd start by restoring and preserving Fishguard & Goodwick railway station. With such a small limit it is hard to decide what else to spend it on.

Since this thread is just a bit of fun, and £20m isn't enough to buy a few 158s, paint them in Alphaline liveries and reopen Carmarthen to Aberystwyth and Aberaeron, oh and preserve some IC125s and 225s, I'll give you one of my dafter ideas (the one that involves 3rd rail, but it's also too expensive):

The Pembroke & Tenby is a popular line for tourist traffic and is just short of being able to take an hourly service. So, I would electrify it and use 3rd rail slammers, like the Lymington line was done. The faster acceleration might make an hourly service possible. Also there are beaches fairly near the line called 'Freshwater East' and 'Freshwater West' so the Lymington 3-CIG 'Freshwater' would be right at home (which I think is why I came up with the idea).

 

[jon0844]

I'd buy every Pacer, build a new line that goes to the edge of a cliff and, well, you can figure out the rest.

I may or may not allow passengers on.

 

[HST Power]

I'd buy every Pacer, build a new line that goes to the edge of a cliff and, well, you can figure out the rest.

I may or may not allow passengers on.

I like your ideas! Permission to join you requested!

 

[50Fan91]

Okehampton > Bere Alston connection, and double track the entire LSWR as-was from Exeter St. Davids to Plymouth.

And then run heritage diesels up and down to my heart's content! (And maybe a steam engine or two if I could find anyone who's interested in that sort of thing..!)

..

Sorry, what?

It's not £20 billion?

Oh.

Bugger.

 

[GNER 373]

Travel on every conceivable loco (still running, preserved or mainline) in the cab or first class!!! Maybe start up my own railtour company also!

 

[Mvann]

Shame it's only railway preservation. I would want to spend some of it on the 92 ton steam navy at the abbey pumping station. Only need £120k to get it running again.

 

[HST Power]

Shame it's only railway preservation. I would want to spend some of it on the 92 ton steam navy at the abbey pumping station. Only need £120k to get it running again.

Good luck finding the funds!

 

[trains2064]

Firstly I would pay for the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway to be rebuilt as well as the extension to Broadway.

Secondly I would buy 2 or 3 1st Generation DMU's to help run a Cheap of peak service on the GWSR.

Thirdly I would buy and restore a rake of Early MK2's in Blue and Grey so the guys at Toddington could have a rake to run behind those beautifully restored Diesel Locomotives.

Then just for fun as I can remember them I would purchase a class 37/4 in regional railways livery with a matching set of MK1's/2's. As well as a Class 50in NSE livery with a matching set of MK1's/2's.
Dependent on how the money was going a class 56 in coal sector with a rake of MGR hopper wagons and hopefully have enough money left to put away for when the Class 15X units start to be withdrawn.

Perfect Gala line up.

 

[HST Power]

I think I'd leave my local route be and just take the HST's!