Downbound Train

The model train is for illustrative purposes only, as todays big moment was booking a train trip for the first time in over two years. We had tickets to see Queen and Adam Lambert in June 2020, and the rescheduled concert is now taking place this year. The original plan would have been to incorporate this in a week’s holiday in London, but subsequent commitments have meant that we can now only be away for one night. As Avanti are doing advance tickets again, I thought I’d get them booked asap. It ended up at a not unreasonable £70 each for the return trip. More expensive than last time we went, but probably cheaper than driving there! Booked a Travelodge - first time in a hotel for over two years as well, even managing to get that for under £70. So it’s going to cost around £200 for a night out - not counting the cost of the gig tickets in the first place! By way of balance though, the cancellation of a no longer relevant accident insurance policy and a magazine subscription for something I barely read any more, has resulted in an annual saving of roughly £180.
I know very little about the model in the picture. We came across it whilst clearing the in-law’s property and I have found out it is a model of a Coronation class locomotive, made by a company called TTI who were based in Stoke-on-Trent. They ceased trading in 1948 and any references online to this model describe it as “rare”. That, of course, does not translate to “valuable”!
There will be another trip to London coming up at the end of the month, and it’s looking like we can actually be away for a week then. A bit more research required first though as to where will be best to stay and whether or not going by train is still the cheapest option. As it’s going to be our first “proper” holiday in four years, I need to get it right!