Gremlin attack
Sharp-eyed observers of detail will have noted that the bottom colour photograph on p248 of the ‘Orient Express’ feature has been printed in reverse. Our apologies to the photographer for this transgression. Ed.
The J94 saddle tanks
Regarding the bottom picture on page 133 of the March issue pf the J94 crossing the road at Longdiffe, because of the angle of the train relative to the road in this picture, this crossing must be across the A5012 between Fridon and Minninglow in which direction the train is travelling. I am sure on the Facebook page for the C&HP about four years ago a similar photograph but not showing a train was added with the question where was it? The answer of Newhaven crossing was given. There was not as I am aware any crossing in Longdiffe, but a bridge over the road to the north of Longdiffe station (rebuilt about three years ago due to an HGV demolishing 140years of history) and a bridge over the road to the south of Longdiffe station, no crossings in Longdiffe.
Paul Blurton, Crewe
Take the train for the boat
A belated comment on Philip Benham’s ‘Boat Train’ series (February, pill). By 1963, the evening service which he mentions from Stranraer Harbour to Glasgow St. Enoch had lost the glamour associated with boat trains. It was an ordinary DMU, which I used to return from a day trip to Stranraer. On that holiday weekend, it was well packed with (mostly) men (mostly) drinking. The guard could see this was no environment for a sixteen-year-old travelling alone and hustled me into the driver’s cab!
Peter Neville, Digswell, Herts.
Further to the recent article on British boat trains two other, albeit unlikely places, which saw ‘boat trains’ of sorts were Cardiff and Poole.
In April 1929. the Great Western Railway;s (GWR) docks at Cardiff saw the start of an occasional service for emigrant traffic to Canada despite the port having no history of scheduled passenger
