LAST Friday, during the BBC 'Any Questions' programme one question was answered implying that although the Victorians built our railways well, they now needed modernising, in the form of a high speed electric train running from London to Edinburgh.
However, if the pre-war Victorian systems were still in operation, plus that of their immediate successors, we could even now travel by train on a duelled track to Brighton, Sidmouth, Bude or Padstow. Or to Plymouth, Launceston or Princetown.
The railway tracks were maintained by the GWR and SR respectively and railway stations were fully staffed.
Then, during the 1940's the trains were run by British Rail and by 1960 were decimated by Dr Beeching.
Would just one high speed train ever equate with our railways as they were run, up until the last war?
A Crampton
2 Oaklands Park
Okehampton