.....and jolly good fun was had by all,

well, almost all.


Don't want to upset anyone , but actually I think the good old Hornbys would knock spots of them.

I hope for their sake that this is not a high speed train.

Are the trains in Pakistan coated in velcro?

Now there's a train that should run at a profit.

............providing of course that they all paid for a ticket.

Talking of toys, this one will take some beating!
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v...eature=related

Ha Ha, Bloody amazing, but boys will be boys I suppose.

I'm getting my order off to Santa now, before everybody wants one.

You can argue with O'Leary that cheap can't be profitable if you like. Love him or hate him he's disproved your angle on that one!

I refer the honourable gent/lady to the answer I gave some moments ago. You've answered your own question. They will come...They are coming. One day this rail system will be the envy of the world. I think they *will* rival Ryanair for passenger transport within Spain. Creating infrastructure, jobs promoting business and therefore future wealth for the country.
There are always naysayers. But they are naysayers on many subjects. Those who say it can't be done should get out of the way of those who are doing it!

have to agree with you
those that do come will not be wanting to be treated like cattle, will not wish to be shouted at, pushed and shoved and squeezed, charged usary rates for every little extra and asked to tidy up before leaving the plane where they are pushed and shoved yet again, to find the airport has closed all its services, the escalators have been switched off, and that immigration are on their usual "protecting the nation's borders" go slow.....

Instead they will be desirous of a more sedate means of transport, travel at more convenient times, where they have more leg room, the ability to get up and walk around, go to the toilet without having to queue, reasonable meals, getting on/off the train without being shouted at, at their own pace instead of pushed and shoved like a baked bean from a tin...

Do you really think so ?

The days of leisurely travel are gone, people of a certain age may hanker for it, but the 40 and 50 somethings of the next generations are already born.

They will have been brought up at a hectic speed.

Their whole lives are not based on "sedate", in fact quite the opposite.

They text with lightning speed, in the shortest from possible "C U 2moro, dnt b l8" because it is quicker.
The use calculators and computers in school, again because it is quicker.

There are more and more meals that you bung in the microwave of just add boiling water to.

They are hooked to the mobiles, because they need to get an instant response from the tweet/text they have just sent.

They buy on line, and will do so more in the future, because it is quicker and less hassle.

The family trip for new shoes for the children will be a thing of the past.

Populations will be used to a fast pace of life from the moment they are born, and will not be able to break that habit, and would not want to either.


So "desirous of a more sedate means of transport" I don´t think so.

That is for the oldies......and the world does not cater for the oldies anymore.

oh geee
you'l be telling me the younger generation invented sex


yeah ok, there are some oldies around who are not computer literate, know nothing about technology and have to "get a man round" to change a light bulb.

but like many on this forum I am in my 60's, I touch type at 50wpm as I was taught decades ago, set up all my own computers, telephones etc etc
back in the 60's & 70's I was chatting to Wrens on teleprinter circuits using the very same abbreviations that youngsters think they have just made up.
But we can't use them here because some people complain (you may well remember that discussion!!)

we oldies are the ones who invented multi-tasking, it was our fathers and mothers who invented the teleprinter, the fax (a British invention) that have been instrumental in the technology boom you now enjoy. The difference is that we actually do know how and why they work rather than just going out to get another one.

and having now retired I really am glad to be away from the continual whining of young people who have to keep asking "how do i do this??" when using basic computer functions.

`

ps - buying kids shoes online can end up with many more foot problems in coming generations due to poorly fitted shoes

and which youngster came up with the really brilliant timewasting idea of sending an email and then foning and/or texting to ask if it has been received ??. seems to me they have less trust in "their" technology than their parents do.

All this because I said that by the time the train comes into its own, people will not desire a more sedate form of transport, as the users will be of the instant generation.

For every oldie that is up to date with modern technology, there are 10 that are not, and anyway that is not what I was saying.

It has been a long time since people had their kids feet measured in shops, not many shops offer that service anymore.

And TBH what difference will a few corns and bunions in later life make when there is an enormous crisis with child obesity, diabetes, and other health issues that affect more and more children.

To be fair, there is going to be a much bigger gap in the next generation (probably my generation and below) between the haves and the have-nots

The haves will love high speed trains because it means that they can travel comfortably and stay working or socializing on their laptops or smartphones

The have-nots will either not be able to afford to travel abroad or will keep flying cheaply, because they have no choice

I already see this, especially in Spain. A 30-something is either doing very well (the minority) with expensive cars, flats etc and many holidays each year, or doing terribly, no job, or very low end job and living with parents or in low-end flat. There arent many people between these two poles.

make people less mobile, more prone to obesity, diabetes etc etc ?
like dogs, your feet are with you For Life. Protect them, nurture them and you will be more active and healthier (you know even more about this than I do!!)

like rail/air travel, shoe shops offer what they (youngsters in customer marketing/procurement departments) thinks the customer wants.
so if you buy Italian narrow shoes for UK broad feet and you maim yourself then it is your fault, even if you use the "fashion" excuse.
It is up to you to ensure your children are brought up as healthily as possible, but it seems that despite the lead our parents gave us, which we thought we had passed on, our children are not passing on to theirs giving way to "fashion" "peer group pressure" or "flaming" on Twitter/Facebook etc..

Believe me, they all do in Oviedo!

Even El Corte Ingles