CORRECTIONS

Steve Oates’ piece in SR506, on what might happen after the coronavirus crisis, contains a chart purporting to show preservation’s growth. The vertical axis is marked ‘% growth’ with a scale running from 0 to 300, and vertical bars are shown for various parameters as at 2003 and 2019. All those for 2003 are shown as 100% growth. Since when?

What the writer surely intended was to show how these parameter values changed between 2003 and 2019, against a base of 100 in 2003. Thus, the chart shows, for example, the value for turnover as 300 in 2019, representing a tripling, or a growth of 200% (not 300% as in the text). Likewise, the number of passengers rose to 200, a doubling (a growth of 100%).

The heights of the bars are relative values, not growth rates, so the chart needs to have ‘% growth’ removed from the vertical axis, and ‘%’ should be removed from the key in the upper right-hand corner.

Apart from that, though, a very thoughtful article.

Quentin Phillips, Rickmansworth

In the article on Union of South Africa, I note that you claim that the Royal Train to Tweedbank hauled by the ‘A4’ was only the second time that Her Majesty had been hauled by steam on the main line since 1962. That of course is not true, as No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth had that honour in July 2012, making ‘Number Nine’ the third.

Bob Meanley, by email

Another great magazine (SR505), but noted one error: William Stroudley’s Highland Railway 0-6-0T No. 56 Balnain has become LMS 0-6-0ST No. 16118, not an 0-6-0T as noted, albeit it carries a flat top tank.

David W. Green, Swords, Co. Dublin