The genie in the railway lamp

(apologies if this has been done before and if this is the wrong place)

At a railwayana auction you see an old lamp. You buy it as it was cheap and needs a clean up. Upon rubbing it a genie appears and thanks you for letting it out. In return it grants you one railway related wish (like with kit kats the portions are getting smaller). The genie says ‘you can wish for any project to be completed, any loco, carriage or truck to be built or restored, any rule that prevents anything from running to be changed, any hinderance that stops a project to be removed (be that physical, financial, personal),’ the genie goes on, ‘I can even bring peace and love to the most acrimonious railway and soothe the angriest of people. Do you want to see a 365 day long giants of steam festival on the Isle of Wight for example?’ Winked the genie. ‘But remember you only have the one wish so don’t waste it.’

So, with money, rules, people, and physical objects no barrier. What would be your wish? A new build turbmotive? Peace and harmony in Somerset? The restoration of all pre-1948 carriages that are sitting in sidings? The restoration of all lines on the Isle of Wight or Man? A quarry or mine railway system restored to glory? Evening Star or George V allowed back out on the mainline?

To start it off. I think I would wish for a restored S&D from Bristol to Bournemouth with Green Park and Bournemouth West restored.

 

Restore the railway network to whenever it was at its maximum track mileage.

Andy

 

Water troughs?

 

That genie's gonna be well and truly knackered by the time us lot are done!

I'd opt for a slightly leftfield choice and get it to erase the UTA from history ...... pass the lamp please!

 

I'd ask for it to give all of us more time. So that we can all enjoy the railway adventure and all of its trials and tribulations for a little longer.

Opening my emails and finding that another of the wonderful railwaymen and women I have met has passed away has left me a little numb this morning. Acutely aware that once the knowledge and experience is gone through death, it is truly gone forever.

 

Slightly stunned as I am by the appearance of said genie, I'd probably use my wish to summon Lew out of the jungle, whatever state she might be in. Just that. I'm sure Mr Uphill & co could do whatever miracles might subsequently be needed without further recourse to magic. Lets face it- a works plate and a bucket of rust would likely be enough for a heavy general rebuild

 

Enough unmarked notes in a brown paper bag to bribe security, a few hours alone with City of Truro, and a tin of Indian red paint.

 

Hmm. Probably I'd ask for an ex works Thompson rebuild of a P2...

 

Actually I'd probably wish for sufficient covered accommodation to store them all in! No good restoring them if they are going to be left outside to fall apart again in due course!

 

how about Brunel and the GWR came out on top in the battle of the gauges just imagine what motive power could have be developed given the extra room available for boiler, grate area, ect

Colin

 

Two firemen as standard?

 

How about a restored Manifold Valley line?

When I was growing up, my grandparents were a stone's throw away from this pretty place

Leek & Manifold Railway (old postcard) by trainsandstuff, on Flickr

 

Dear Genie

Please steam a Union Pacific 'Big Boy' around the entire Network Rail system to sort out those niggling 'gauging issues' once and for all.

 

Don't worry, that's already reappeared as a result of my all-encompassing post up above. Think big!
Andy

 

Reopen the Cuckoo Line, which would have been my local line if open - Polegate-Hailsham-Heathfield-Eridge - the most scenic branch line in East Sussex. This wold mean demolishing quite a bit of Hailsham, which is no bad thing. It was a much better place when it was a small, quiet market town. I'd settle for a daily service hauled by Standard 4MT tanks, but as there are 15 of them preserved, a few I3s along with a couple of E5s and C2Xs would be better still. Sorry Spa Valley: you'll have to find somewhere else to restore your carriages - the shed at 75F is going to be full of steam locos!

 

To have a 2 week 'railrover' for the Eastern/North Eastern Region in 1961...with my current camera

 

Me too and front wheel drive on one port side?
Just to show how it should have been done.

 

Extend the west highland Line through extraordinary feats of engineering to connect Mallaig to Kyle,
Have a 2-8-2 BR standard 2-8-2 built ( not necessarily built to run on the above, the V4 Will be fine for that)

 

Trackside embankments and cuttings the way they used to be before they were allowed to revert to jungle.

 

No I just want to pee off all the anti Thompson lobby