Weird "news" article about Mid-Hants Railway?

[Muzer]

Hi,

I was just idly browsing for information about the Mid-Hants railway when I discovered this very weird news article from 2010:

http://www.thesouthernfarmer.co.uk/news/9026959.Alresford_watercress_line_extension/

Steam will soon reach the city of Winchester thanks to a very generous, once in a lifetime donation. The businessman who has offered up the funds to extend the Watercress Line through to Itchen Abbas and then on to Winchester, has no interest in football but a passion and love of steam trains. At this stage, the gentlemen wishes to remain anonymous. The donation not only finances the project, but also brings with it the supply of track to reinstate the line. The 7 miles of track will be transferred to the railway from an aborted tunnelling project, the objective of which was to provide a competing service to the already operational Channel Tunnel rail link.

Since I can't find any other information about this anywhere, and indeed much to conflict with it, I can only assume it was some guy making up rubbish who somehow managed to get it published on a farming website? I also assume the stuff about the tunnelling project is also rubbish, since that's also the first I heard about that?


How very weird...

 

[W-on-Sea]

"The 3rd electric rail will also be extended from Alton to Winchester as part of this project, the steam locomotive fleet will be adapted to include a pick up shoe with electric motors in the tender. This would help to reduce coal consumption by 100%. Steam effects will be provided through electrically powered boilers. "

I see that article is dated 13 May 2011. Maybe picked up from another more limited-circulation publication issued on 1 April?

 

[CatfordCat]

I'd second the idea that this first surfaced on 1 April.

I'm an (armchair) member of the Mid Hants Railway, and don't remember anything like this appearing in the society's magazine.

The bit about the 'competing channel tunnel' is pretty implausible as well, and thought that would have made the news.

 

[Muzer]

"The 3rd electric rail will also be extended from Alton to Winchester as part of this project, the steam locomotive fleet will be adapted to include a pick up shoe with electric motors in the tender. This would help to reduce coal consumption by 100%. Steam effects will be provided through electrically powered boilers. "

I see that article is dated 13 May 2011. Maybe picked up from another more limited-circulation publication issued on 1 April?

Lol, I missed that bit

The late April Fool's thing is sounding more plausible

 

[scotsman]

That is, without a doubt, one of the worst written articles I've ever seen - and that's including a lot of amateur publications.

Poorly formatted, poorly written, no quotes, nothing to stand the story up - just what the hell were they thinking when the published it?

 

[ralphchadkirk]

That is, without a doubt, one of the worst written articles I've ever seen - and that's including a lot of amateur publications.

Poorly formatted, poorly written, no quotes, nothing to stand the story up - just what the hell were they thinking when the published it?

It's clearly a republished April Fool.

 

[theageofthetra]

This April fool story was reprinted in the Apr 2013 copy of Steam railway.

 

[Tiny Tim]

It's not a particularly good April Fool joke. I much prefer the story about the Parking Ticket Vendor at Bristol Zoo who worked 'freelance' for many years, keeping the money for himself. Sadly, this too was nonsense.

 

[edwin_m]

It's not a particularly good April Fool joke. I much prefer the story about the Parking Ticket Vendor at Bristol Zoo who worked 'freelance' for many years, keeping the money for himself. Sadly, this too was nonsense.

I read that first time as "keeping the monkey for himself".

 

[Tiny Tim]

I read that first time as "keeping the monkey for himself".

If you believe the story, it was a lot more than a monkey!