In message , at 23:50:07 on
Sun, 31 Aug 2008, Fred remarked:
Perhaps a pertinent question. Is the vendor of the ticket an agent of the
train company or a seller in it's own right?

Probably more of an agent, because each ticket has a fare "set" by a
ToC, and so a direct sale would only be if by co-incidence you bought
the ticket from that fare-setting ToC. Meanwhile, there's something like
a 9% commission for ticket sellers, which suggests an agency agreement
of some kind.
--
Roland Perry