A few months back it was highly publicised that the West Coast Main Line was in disarray. First it was awarded to FirstGroup and then taken away…and then we were told Virgin were going to run on the line until 2014.
Well we wrote a letter to Transport Minister, Patrick McLoughlin to see if our bid for the West Coast Main Line was any better:
Well today – a few months later, we got a response:
So we are going to make a few minor changes to the bid and resubmit it 
Great stuff. Whoever said that DfT doesn’t have a sense of humour?
That’s genius ! If only they had scrutinised the other bids as closely
Good luck with the re-bid.
That’s absolutely brilliant, on the one level is terrific to get a good reply like that but I have a slight nagging worry that maybe just maybe it was a serious reply!
How can BigJigs claim they have never had an accident? Have they never stepped on one of their trains with bare feet in the dark?
We have never stepped on any of our trains in the dark Katharine… we get told off if we do not tidy up first
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I couldn’t help but read that reply with the voice of Sir Humphrey in my head… sounded exactly like the kind of thing he would say!
I notice that they didn’t reply to the Fat Controller’s bid; perhaps part of the government’s new Fighting Obesity agenda?
That is brilliant well done you for writing to them and well Mr Reach for putting so much effort into his reply!
Brilliant! I love it!
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Wonderful stuff. Nothing like it since the demise of Henry Root
Whilst I’m glad Virgin have hung onto it … I’d still lend support to your bid over First Group, at least yours was quite honest and deliverable (if a little impractical)
This is absolutely genius, and I would certainly ditch my car if BigJigs Rail won the bid. I love….err I mean my 3 year old Son loves your product and were buying bigjigs kit every week at the moment.
We have had a couple of derailments but I feel that the bedding (carpet) used for the track forced uneven connections, so will be upgrading to some sort of boarding.
I cant actually believe that the DfT replied and in such a way that met with the spirit of the bid. I hope that BigJigs does make the modifications to the bid and puts in a re-submission. I for one would also like to see a new design in wheels, axels and bogies.
Good luck for 2013 and keep up the good work
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I’m afraid BigJigs are guilty of absolutely scandalous mendacity here. It is an out-and-out lie to say that they have never had an accident – they are manipulating the figures to make their bid more attractive, and it sickens me. Only this morning, I witnessed a horrendous crash involving a BigJigs engine, a level crossing, and none other than Noddy in his car. I have witnessed their stock derailing off the kitchen table, crashing into The Big Red Bus, smashing headlong into a traffic jam featuring Lightning McQueen, Finn McMissile and Jeff Corvette, and on one occasion, driving so erratically (off rails) that an engine ended up in an ice cream bowl.
I would like to know what BigJigs has to say on this subject before I take this up with my MP.
Haha…oh no! Was Noddy okay!?
Bigjigs Toys cannot be responsible for these accidents as we were not at the controls of the trains at the time. Our safety record still reads perfect and we hope you adhere to our code of conduct in the future
Being both a Big Jigs customer and a WCML user, I wholeheartedly support the bid. Well done for pitching the humour just right for the civil servants to have some fun with it. Makes me proud to be British that we can poke fun at ourselves so readily.
Love this! So cute.
A great reply to your letter.
A pity the DfT is unable to put a similar amount of effort and reasoned argument into responses about real problems affecting our transport infrastructure.
This really is the funniest and most wonderful thing I have seen in a long time. Love it!
All the best for 2013.
Genuinely brilliant! And superb of the DfT to reply like that!
Fantastic. Can we expect a new line of WCML-inspired toys?
(Then again, I shouldn’t say that, they’d be delivered late! ^_^ )
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What an absolutely superb way to start the new year. There’s still hope for United Kingdom plc. The enterprising approach of this very positive organisation heralds a new Elizabethan era in public transport. And a certain Mr Reach should go far in the Civil Service. ‘Should’ being the operative word.
Richard Branson tweeted this, and it made my morning as bright as your livery!
Ther may be an opportunity for BigJigs Rail to enter the New Zealand maket. NZRail is in severe dissarray and struggling. Also, NZRail hasa narrow gauge which would be very much in keeping with BigJigs expertise and experience,
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Awesome.
Great to see some intelligent humour in your marketing. Gets my vote and I will be forwarding this link and your shop to my wife immediately.
Well done.
Best
Lawrence Jones
PS. If you need any help with the hosting of your online shop I’d be only too happy to help.
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Surely it isn’t for the Secretary of State to be providing candidate franchisees with technical, commercial or safety advice regarding the content of their bids?
I personally intend to save this article, “Our WCML bid
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