We picked up an important corporate event from one of the biggest companies in its particular field. This company is attempting to let or sell a building valued somewhere in the £35 million plus bracket. We have supplied a couple of attractions for their open day where they are helicoptering in some important potential customers.
The building itself covers some 20 acres of land and is the largest structure we have ever operated inside of.
The event is being held in Liverpool, and on Tuesday just gone I drove one of our Foden units containing a shooting gallery over the pennines to the event. Now this particular vehicle suffered a damaged radiator on Sunday, meaning it had to be recovered and didn't make an event it was due to attend. Because of this I took it steady on the way to Liverpool, I also stopped to fuel up and to check the radiator for leaks a couple of times. It took me a little over 2 hours to get there. To save someone following me in a car, I decided to get the train back. BIG MISTAKE. I walked into a ticket office and asked for a ticket from Liverpool to Wakefield. I was told to change at Manchester and then Birmingham. Now Geography was never my strongest subject at school, but I do know that Birmingham is not on the way to Wakefield when you are starting at Liverpool. After questioning this I was given another route via manchester and Huddersfield.
I managed to get to Huddersfield without mishap, and on arriving asked the ticket office which platform to board at, "next train platform 6 ", was the reply. I hurried through the underpass to platform 6 and a train was just pulling in. I duly boarded it and settled down for the last leg of my journey. As the train left the station, the conductor came round checking tickets, on handing her mine she exclaimed this ticket isn't valid for this train. "Why not", I asked, "It says on it to Wakefield."
"Yes but this train is going to Leeds"
"£*£&$%^$%£ why " I asked, "I was told next train at Platform 6"
"that's right", she said, "Only at the last minute they decided to switch platforms and put the Leeds train on 6"
The upshot was that the error only cost me 30 minutes, meaning I reached home in just under 5 hours. If I had caught the correct train I would have made it in 4 and a half hours, twice the time a 20 year old lorry, climbing the highest motorway in England and being held back because of worries about the cooling system, took. And they say use public transport!
Add to Onlywire
The building itself covers some 20 acres of land and is the largest structure we have ever operated inside of.
The event is being held in Liverpool, and on Tuesday just gone I drove one of our Foden units containing a shooting gallery over the pennines to the event. Now this particular vehicle suffered a damaged radiator on Sunday, meaning it had to be recovered and didn't make an event it was due to attend. Because of this I took it steady on the way to Liverpool, I also stopped to fuel up and to check the radiator for leaks a couple of times. It took me a little over 2 hours to get there. To save someone following me in a car, I decided to get the train back. BIG MISTAKE. I walked into a ticket office and asked for a ticket from Liverpool to Wakefield. I was told to change at Manchester and then Birmingham. Now Geography was never my strongest subject at school, but I do know that Birmingham is not on the way to Wakefield when you are starting at Liverpool. After questioning this I was given another route via manchester and Huddersfield.
I managed to get to Huddersfield without mishap, and on arriving asked the ticket office which platform to board at, "next train platform 6 ", was the reply. I hurried through the underpass to platform 6 and a train was just pulling in. I duly boarded it and settled down for the last leg of my journey. As the train left the station, the conductor came round checking tickets, on handing her mine she exclaimed this ticket isn't valid for this train. "Why not", I asked, "It says on it to Wakefield."
"Yes but this train is going to Leeds"
"£*£&$%^$%£ why " I asked, "I was told next train at Platform 6"
"that's right", she said, "Only at the last minute they decided to switch platforms and put the Leeds train on 6"
The upshot was that the error only cost me 30 minutes, meaning I reached home in just under 5 hours. If I had caught the correct train I would have made it in 4 and a half hours, twice the time a 20 year old lorry, climbing the highest motorway in England and being held back because of worries about the cooling system, took. And they say use public transport!