ALL NEW Competition Thread...Last Post WINS ;-)

[naughty.tortie]

Well..... it couldnt be lost forever could it !

So its back... all singing, all dancing... no farting allowed...

May the dirtiest player win 😄




I am first... I WILL BE LAST

[peteryola]

Worth a try on the openly accessible ones, for sure, then.

Historical investigation stuff always seems to prove popular.

[cke786]

There are a couple nearby I want to look at again, but the more interesting ones are kinda on the other side of Manchester, far away from where I live, so petrol use becomes of higher consideration.

[peteryola]

Hmmm... best left until the longer days of late spring, then, so you can cover as many as possible in one go?

[cke786]

Yep, whenever I have to travel further than normal I like to do bulk visits, my best was 8 stations in one trip!

[peteryola]

Eight explorations in one go?!  That must have been a very long day for you...

[cke786]

Yes, 8 stations all the way down to Ditton Junction Railway Station in Widnes! And down at Ditton, the raised platform where the ticket office was is still there... or at least it was when I last went! They were actually thinking of reopening the station a while ago, but I don't think it went anywhere.

[peteryola]

Ditton would certainly make sense - I mean... the line is still open, there's a long gap to the stations either side of it... the area is a prime location... 

You'd have thought they'd just go ahead and do it; if line capacity is an issue then there's plenty of space to build loops for the platforms.

[cke786]

Along with £10,000,000.... or so they say! Not sure how, as most of what they need is still already there, the station is mainly a fixer-upper, not a complete rebuild, well, apart from the ticket office, so I'd say around £2M-£2M tops!

[peteryola]

Ah, yes, by any sensible estimate I agree - but we all know that there's so much red tape involved with anything to do with the railway that costs automatically get an extra zero on the end.

A rebuild of a derelict station might actually cost more than building one from scratch because there would generally be a lot more to do on it.

[cke786]

From what I can see when I was last there, it's was mostly cosmetic, the only thing that really needed rebuilding was the ticket office and a couple of walls, the rest just needed some repointing and a lick of paint! The stairs down were intact, the platforms were mostly intact, signals were still there, as far as I can tell, it's about £2m-£3m tops and about a year of work if they pace themselves, 8-10 months if they pull their thumb out from where the sun don't shine.

[peteryola]

They'd also have to add in a new footbridge with lifts ( assuming they couldn't add lifts to the subway )... likely a total resurfacing of the platforms... and they'd also have to replace the entire lighting system?

[cke786]

They always pay premium prices for their builds, so it's no wonder things cost them so much!

[peteryola]

That's hardly surprising since the DfT treats the contractors with a stop / go / stop / go approach, repeated ad infinitum.

On a different subject, I see Lord Lucan has been found... or has he...?  They should really do a DNA test on that bloke ( in this week's documentary ) to settle it one way or another; either leave him in peace if it's not him or extradite him if it is him before it's too late....

[cke786]

I doubt he is the real guy, but it makes for a story!

On another different subject, had a bit of a shock yesterday afternoon driving past the gates of Chaddock Hall in Astley, the second urn from the top of the gate posts has gone missing, the gates and wall are a grade listed structure, any damage to them is suppposed to be avoided at all costs, yet the builders there have knocked off both of them.... as to where they have been put, is unknown! Either way, they need to have their work stopped and the two of the urns located and put back!

[peteryola]

Oh Gawd builders... can't do anything without breaking something else can they?!

Probably a conspiracy to keep themselves in work... fixing things...

[peteryola]

...and if that bloke isn't the real one, then perhaps he would be willing to have a DNA test done to settle the matter once and for all!

[cke786]

It's similar to their arsoning of the main hall building, it was done deliberately!

[peteryola]

Ah yes, that does seem to be a bit of a habit of developers doesn't it?

Surprising how they continue to get away with it.

[cke786]

It's because English Heritage doesn't want to prosecute, they don't have the funds to go after businesses, which is probably the reason why they are being underfunded, they're not doing the very thing they're supposed to be doing, protecting listed structures and prosecuting those who damage or it this case, destroy the listed structures.

[peteryola]

Surely as it's a criminal offence it should be the fuzz and the CPS doing that anyway...?

( Yeah, I know, the fuzz aren't well funded either... )