Rail Express – September 2019

September 2019 RAIL EXPRESS 31

Express Mailbag

Your letters, emails,feedback, corrections and other comments arealwayswelcome.

Contact usbypost atRail Express,Media Centre, MortonWay,Horncastle,LincolnshireLN9 6JR; or email:[email protected].

The editorreserves the right to edit all letters, and the viewsexpressed herearethose of the writer and do not necessarilyreflect those of the magazine.

LETTERS

CATCH’EM

YOUNG:Here’s

aphoto of Hayden

Tomkins enjoying

the June issue of

Rail Express.Train-

mad Hayden lives

in Pickering, near

the NorthYorkshire

MoorsRailway,which

probablyhelps his

interest inrailways! As

athree-year-old, this

makes himacontender

forouryoungest

reader–unless of

courseyouknow

differently–but it is

agreat to seethere

is afuturegeneration

ofrail enthusiasts

coming through.

HAVING been to the SpaValley
Railway’s dieselgala on August 2
to catch the Class 27, whichIhave
had asoft spotforsince my visi ts to
Scotland asayoung boymanyyears
ago, Iwas surprised to see No. 27001
with alarge headboardand a
convertedtail-lamp as headlight
workin gonone of the trains in the
late afternoon (the 17.00Tunbridge
Wells West to Eridge, pictured).
NowIamsurethe railway will
sayitisalegal requirement to carry
such lights, but the headboard
sticksout and is surelypotentially
dangerous coming into platforms,
plus it does not add anythingfor
the railway photographer.Iknow
linesiders have beencriticised in the

past, as manydonot put their hands

in their pockets to support these

railwaysatsuch galas, but others do

comemany miles and travelupand

down the line togetthe different

loco haulageand also like to go

awaywith some nice photos of the

visiting locos.

Another gripewould be the

amount of people travelling in the

cabs, andeven hangingout of the

cab windows. Ifwe aregoing to

transport locos around the country

at greatexpens e, couldwe not just

put alittle morethought into the

experi encefor everyone.

J. Spencer

Leicester

GALA GRIPES

TRAMTAILED:WaitingforawestboundManchester tram at StPeter’s Square

recently,Iwas amused to seeitbeing tailedbyapolice car along the tram-onlystreet

section along MosleyStreet from PiccadillyGardens. As soon as it could, the car

shot offwith blue lights on at the next mainroad–the tram tracksmust havebeen a

useful short cut.

Greg Mape

Manchester

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Rail Express,Media Centre, MortonWay,Horncastle, LincolnshireLN9 6JR