Steaming ahead

Many years ago my family travelled regularly from London to Scotland by train. That was a world without diesel fumes and leaves on the line. Instead there was the exciting smell of steam and coal whenever the train stopped and started. We needed no entertainment then; we enjoyed sunsets in summer and snow on the Cheviots in winter. Today, as science and engineering progress, I often reflect on the railway as it was then. Has there been great progress or are we in decline? M. Raper MBE, Berwick-upon-Tweed