Be grateful for what we have already achieved

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As a brief follow-up to Derrick Martin’s letter concerning his desire to see more vintage trains recreated, can I say how very fortunate I feel in the fact that I’ve just ridden on an excellently restored Midland Railway train at Butterley (albeit pulled by a J94) and also in the Ashover Light Railway coach on its Golden Valley Light Railway too.

In recent months I’ve also been on a Lancashire & Yorkshire, a Metropolitan and a Southern Railway train at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, GWR, LMS and LNER trains at the Severn Valley, a Midland & Great Northern train at Sheringham and the Knotty train
at Foxfield.

Above and below: The beautifully restored Ashover Light Railway coach No.4 at the Midland Railway-Butterley. DAVID R SMITH

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I’m well aware that many more railways are also doing a great job at restoring pre-Grouping and Big Four coaches. I don’t understand why Derrick feels ‘sad’ about Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway coaches being restored in Great Central livery given that the D7 project intends to complete its new locomotive in GCR livery, and bearing in mind that it is likely to be at least 10 years before this project is completed.

In the meantime, let’s all be very grateful for the effort of the volunteers, and congratulate them and what is being achieved.

David R Smith, email

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