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Hi, The Stena website is certainly a challenge to find some information on. Look for 'Sailing Updates' at the bottom left hand side of the main webpage and them follow those through. The information there is not as accurate as you'd like though in disruption. I generally check where the various...

Hi there, What about Belfast? A SailRail return ticket Manchester to Belfast via Cairnryan is £100. It's an early start but you can do Manchester - Glasgow - Ayr - Coach to Cairnryan - Ferry to Belfast in the day. It's a bit flexible - you're only got one coach per day from Ayr to Cairnryan but...

Hi, This is a ferry I use often. There is no additional port tax to pay as an extra to any ticket you buy as a foot passenger or with a car. (I believe it's a bit more complex if you're using something like a PRIV ticket?) You don't have to book accommodation on this route. You can find a few...

Hi, I'd agree with Sun Chariot about the locos being relatively straightforward to find, either new or second hand. The units are harder to find and when you do, be prepared for a bit of a price shock. The 313 is going to be available in "N" gauge, see for example: Rails of Sheffield A 319 is...

Be careful with the tickets via Cairnryan. There are Anytime tickets and Advance tickets which confusingly are exactly the same price! The Anytime ticket is as versatile as you'd expect except with a specific break of journey restriction and the Advance is as fixed as you'd expect. I've no idea...

Hi there, SailRail tickets to/from Belfast are always a bit harder to get to work than you'd like! Where are you looking to book from? I can get an itinerary on the CS sleeper on the TfW site with a starting point of Haywards Heath picking a random date of Tuesday 9th Jan: Haywards Heath: dep...

Hi, Here's a suggestion based on heading to Brighton: London Victoria to East Croydon. On a Southern metro service. Change and maybe watch a few trains pass by at East Croydon. East Croydon to Gatwick. On a Southern or Thameslink service. Change and maybe watch a few trains pass by and...

Sadly there's no easy solution to this one. Translink and the Unions here have generally worked well together but this dispute is purely due to the overall NI / Stormont / Westminster impasse. The basic problem is that Westminster has not provided any additional funding to Translink and the...

Hi, I've been distracting myself reading about the history of this area. It's fascinating... Have a look at this website: Jan Ford's World It has archive pictures of the construction of Edge Hill cutting. Of relevance to this thread are images 12 to 20. These show the cutting being excavated...

Thanks to everyone who responded. Those replies have actually been really useful to help me form some of the questions I'll need to ask. I obviously can't go into the detail but we're looking at a structure dealing with English, Northern Ireland and Irish jurisdictions, employment, part tax...

Thanks Titfield. Yes, the separation of assets and operation is exactly what I'm interested in. You raise a good point about the potential for friction & tension between the various parts. That's something to keep in mind. I would agree about specialist advice. I'll be with the lawyers over the...

Hi there, I'm looking for some knowledge of how preserved / heritage railways arrange or organise themselves to protect themselves in case of various problems. The reason for my question is that I'm looking for some ideas on how we set up a new multi-partner project that will separate the assets...

Hi, I think this is Guildford. The bridge has quite distinctive support shapes that are wider at the bottom and then have triangular supports heading back inwards and upwards. These can be seem today on the bridge but the lattice work is now covered up. The lateral spacing seems to match. The...

I'll go back a bit further in time: 1. Leader 2. Leader These could have been so revolutionary but sadly they never worked out. Admittedly they more or less cooked the poor fireman but that could have eventually led to automated stoking. Cheers, Mr Toad

I believe boat is the original "Lapwing", introduced in 1853. See https://www.gloucesterdocks.me.uk/vessels/steampackets.htm Cheers, Mr Toad

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip over here and got to see some of the transport we have. As with anything in NI, transport matters are a bit confusing with the past heavily weighing in on how things are now. The NI rail system had it's own version of Dr Beeching. It was Sir Henry Benson and his...

Hi, I've always had a soft spot for the 73's. Here are some images I've found online (none are mine - all credits to the photographers) A pair of 73's on a Birmingham New Street to I believe Portsmouth (from 1982) A Pair of ED's From Birmingham (A friend of a friend claims to have been the...

Hi, Train to Uckfield. (1 train per hour; London - East Croydon - Oxted - Uckfield) At Uckfield get the number 29 bus direct to Brighton - it takes an hour. (2 buses per hour) The bus station in Uckfield is less than 100m from the rail station. Cross over the road, go down the side of the...

Hi, How about a cheap day trip to Belfast? There's generally good choice for cheap flights for a day trip. Looking at Saturdays across September and October it seems you can get a Heathrow to Belfast trip on BA for £87 (plus any seat booking costs) OK, we haven't got any trams but travelling...

I had to go into Belfast this evening. At the Go filling station near the city centre; Unleaded 134.9 Diesel 133.9 That's the first time in a long time I've seen diesel less than unleaded.