APOLLO

Also you will own nothing, AND be happy !!!!!!!!!!!! Brit15

Not our fault, in many cases it's Chinese made or Nowt. Blame the banks and city institutions that have, over the years decimated manufacturing and outsourced to China (Hornby etc), all for a quick buck. Old saying, follow the money. Britain and its safe offshore money havens stash away £Trillions (What comes after Trillions ?). This is a disgusting picture, in more ways than one. All we can make these days is trouble and strife. Brit15

Railway Sleeper Found On Mars. Trans-Martian Railroad? A leaked photograph from NASA's ROV Mars Rover camera shows what appears to be a lump of shaped timber lying in a dried river course running parallel to the planet's controversial Cydonia Mensae region, famous for it's giant Sphinx-like face, Inca City and abandoned sawmills. https://www.railwaysleepers.com/blog/off-the-rails/railway-sleeper-found-on-mars-trans-martian-railroad Brit15

A "Beltin" road in Lancashire, "Reet Grand" over in Yorkshire !! Yes let the Chinese build the worlds infrastructure, they can't "tek it wom" can they !! (Take it home) Brit15

I don't think I'll ever ride on HS2, though next time we are in Northern Thailand we just may hop over the border near Chang Mai to Vientiane and take a ride - superb scenery !! Brit15

We could do worse - err, well, we have !!! Hand it over to the Chinese it'll all be up and running in five years or less Chop Chop !!! Brit15

The existing tram route goes through Wythenshawe town centre. Don't tell Rishy though, we may get a 4 track tram route !!!!! Brit15

Meanwhile, over in Laos Built and running. Just remind me what a First World country is. Brit15

Full list of all the UK projects now going ahead with the £36bn meant for HS2 https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1820116/hs2-cancelled-transport-projects Includes what the Beatles were complaining about in Blackburn many years ago !!! £3.3bn long-term road resurfacing fund for North to fix potholes I read the news today, oh boy Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire And though the holes were rather small They had to count them all Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall Brit15

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https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/government-pledges-extend-metrolink-line-27842632 Clueless !! Brit15

So, what do we need to spend a few £Billions on here up north, and get some much needed infrastructure ? My thoughts. 1 Don't electrify the North Wales line, Not enough population etc, sop to the Welsh Government, waste of money. 2. Electrify the CLC Liverpool to Manchester as mentioned. A very busy line. 3. Castlefield Corridor - Solve somehow Manchester's biggest railway problem and do it right. Yes, it will cost. 4. Trans Pennine electrification, the main line over Standedge. There are 2 spare tunnels there in good condition if needed and a 4 track formation for most part. Perhaps electrify the line via Rochdale & Summit tunnel also including Halifax & Bradford somehow is a must. 5. Manchester to Sheffield, Dare I say Woodhead - the Don Valley line has been mentioned. If not via the Hope valley (2 long tunnels though). 6. Not too sure what else is needed over in Yorkshire, but perhaps Sheffield to Doncaster / Leeds perhaps could do with electrifying. Any suggestions ? 7. Colne to Skipton (Non electrified) 8. Third rail electrify from Headbolt Lane (new station about to be opened) to Wigan Wallgate perhaps including a spur / new station on the existing line to serve Skelmersdale. A suitable bay exists at Wigan Wallgate. A long thought about scheme. 9. Wigan Wallgate electrification (25KV O/H). Lostock Jcn to Wigan NW work is allready underway (at a snails pace - £50 / week !!!!!). Big problem is the bridge at Wallgate, hence going to NW - But nearly all trains (4/hour) Wigan to Manchester go from Wallgate. A bit of a planning disaster (but whats a few millions compared with many Billions of HS2!!!!) 10. Scrap the (mis) guided busway form Leigh and convert it back either a proper railway or Metrolink Tram. The poor sods there still have donkey carts !! Extend it also to Wigan - several old rail routes still mostly exist and lots of population exists along both these routes. 11 Ditch the proposed conversion of the Salford / Atherton / Hindley line to a Metrolink tram. A waste of money. The existing line only has a few stations, all are where required, in built up areas and converting to a tram just will not give value in any sense to the local population. 12 Don't build any new roads, (unless really essential) but get the ****** pot holes sorted. And forget any type of money grabbing ULEZ schemes (Greater Manchester's is currently on permanent hold). I'm not holding my breath - I'm expecting next to nowt from these charlatans. Brit15

This is hilarious - goes from bad to worse !!!! Government pledges to extend Metrolink line to Manchester Airport... where it already exists "This will come as a shock to those who’ve been using the Metrolink line to Manchester airport since [checks notes].... November 2014" https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/government-pledges-extend-metrolink-line-27842632 Nobody told them that the "Spades have been taken out of the ground " !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Brit15

Wot No Newt catchers ? Brit15

Does anyone know or care in positions of power that Stockport, on the existing Piccadilly to Euston line still has manual signal boxes ? Not on the above list apparently !!! (2025 replacement at the earliest I understand) Ding - Call attention Ding, Ding Ding, Ding Ding, - High Speed Two express entering section at much reduced speed Ding Ding Ding, Ding Get off your backside and pull some levers, whoops, it's gone !!!!!! Ding-Don g Merrily on high In Stockport bells are ringing. Ding-Don g Verily the sky Is riven with angels singing: Ahhh aha ha ha, Ahhh aha ha ha, Ahhh aha ha ha, Ahhh aha ha ha, Sic Transit Gloria in excelsis! As we dash towards "Net Zero" there will be many, many more U turns and cock ups. I wonder if these boxes will still be in operation in 2050 !!!!! Brit15

Ah well, wonder whats on the menu tonight Rishy, curried Lancashire Hotpot ? Time for a little light entertainment (some nice old trains) ! I expect we here ooop north will end up 'wi nowt (as usual). Brit15

Click on link, rotate 180 degrees, wot's that half way up the pole ? Brit15

Won't work in Liverpool !! Brit15

Quite easy, pay per mile using the millions of cameras, black boxes etc. Tech is up to the job and in Greater London etc, ready to go. Different rates for different vehicles, time of day, amount of congestion, colour of underpants etc !! Brit15

Brit15 - Flies for tea !!

Shades of the old Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire railway - The MS&L, "Money sunk and lost" - Later became The Great Central and built an uneconomic but grandly engineered line down to Londinium -- Deja Vu!!!! Brit15

Scapegoat Newt !!! Brit15

Manchester Central, which once hosted Great Central express trains from Liverpool Central, they reversed here, went across Woodhead to Sheffield then down to Marlylebone via HS2 The Great Central London extension line. Would have made a nice HS2 station. The Peak below is no doubt on a Midland line Marylebone to Manchester train. The Midland Pullman - Went from Manchester Central via Peak Forest, Derby & The Midland main line to St Pancras. Closed around 1968 ish There was a GC / LNER / BR service to here (untill 1964) from Wigan Central via Glazebrook & Irlam. 2-6-4 tank and 5 suburban coaches usually I just about remember. All closed by our wonderful politicians, though the trainshed at Central was saved, now GMEX. Infested with lice at the moment !! Brit15

Manchester Victoria / Exchange. Connected via Platform 11 when the resignalling was done many moons ago. Brit15

What REALLY needs sorting out is the ridiculous strike actions killing our railways. Well over a year and no end in sight. Brit15