Readers' letters at the heart of the heritage railway scene...
Olympics are a worthy cause
Three of the four Gresley A4s in Britain today Nos 60009 Union of South Africa, 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley and 60019 Bittern, line up outside Grosmont shed for the last time on 4 April. But should we aim to
bring back two more? BRIAN SHARPE
Having read Opinion in issue 110, I would be the first to acknowledge the significant contributions made to local economies by the railway preservation societies. But it must be accepted with gratitude that significant awards have been received by many of those societies, over the years from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Your prophecy that the UK will only manage to win a handful of medals in the forthcoming 2012 Olympic Games unfortunately exposes your biased opinion. In all probability it will prove to be unfounded, as the British track cycling team alone won 11 gold medals at the recent 2008 World Championships; and British swimmers performed with distinction at the recent World Shortcourse Championships, not to mention the many other sports that have world-class performers representing the UK.
The benefits of Olympic competition are not reflected only in the number of medals won, but in the inspiration with all its spin off for young people in a world where there are many unhealthy distractions for them.
So we in the railway preservation world must be thankful for what we have received and look forward to what we hope to receive in the future, and adopt a balanced and mature view of the needs of all. As you correctly pointed out, the 2012 games are a one-off, whereas railway heritage will be ongoing. Remove the blinkers!
Brian Wilson, email
A4s given away out of wartime respect
Whether or not No 4496 actually hauled General Eisenhower during the war is irrelevant. It quite probably did not, since most of the general’s travelling would have been in the southern and south-western parts of England, away from LNER territory. Even if he had been hauled by it, he probably had bigger things on his mind than worrying about what was on the front of his train.
The naming was a mark of respect to a staunch ally of Britain in the greatest war in history, which had only ended six months previously. Now fast forward to 1964.
In that year, memories of World War Two were still very strong and respect for our wartime allies, the USA and Canada (not ‘completely misguided bonhomie’), was much stronger than seems to be the case today. The fact that Dr Beeching himself travelled to Southampton to hand over No 60008 was a measure of that respect.
With the end of steam approaching, it was entirely appropriate in the context of the times to present two members of the class of steam locomotive holding the world speed record to these countries, even though the strict historical connection was limited to the names they carried.
To state that the naming in 1945 was a flush of over-the-top ‘We’ve won the war’ euphoria is insulting; 50,000,000 people died in World War Two. Euphoria? Yes. Over-the-top? I don't think so.
David Wilcock seems to have the peculiar idea that the despatch of these locomotives to North America somehow meant that people in Great Britain had been deprived of something that was rightfully theirs; but what would have happened had they not been sent? They would have been scrapped more than 40 years ago, that’s what.
These are not ‘our’ A4 Pacifics and he can’t have them back. He will just have to get used to it.
P Cuerel, email
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