Railway Records

Sir: The winter 2016 This England was, as usual, filled with excellent articles including “On the Footplate of the Flying Scotsman”. The author states that the Flying Scotsman was the first authenticated locomotive to achieve 100 mph. This is incorrect as the first record of 102.4 mph was recorded by the redoubtable Charles Rous-marten when travelling on the Bristol-plymouth Ocean Mails hauled by the Great Western locomotive 3440 City of Truro on 9th May 1904. It was an event carefully planned by GWR management to show that the GWR could handle the Ocean Mails at speeds much faster than their rival, the London and South Western Railway who were competing for this valuable traffic. This speed has been endlessly disputed by envious rivals, but is proudly

depicted at the Great Western Society site at Didcot, Berkshire. — JIM PARTRIDGE, WAIKANAE, NEW ZEALAND.