" RAIL-CHARABANCS "
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sm,—Mr. Henry Wright, in your issue of September 8t1, suggests that the railways should abandon the present system of train working, and that they should adopt instead " rail- charabancs." By this means, he says, they could stop any- where on request, and pedestrians would walk by the side of the rail. The speed is to be thirty miles an hour. That means a journey time of thirteen hours to Edinburgh and Glasgow, if there were no stops ; inclusive of stops every half-mile, it would take about sixteen hours, sitting upright in a chara- bane all the time ! No! For long distances the idea is ludicrous. During the summer the principal expresses in the country are packed ; often two, and not infrequently, three portions being necessary. The modern expresses are the only satisfactory way of travelling long distances.
On the other hand, for local services there is much to be said for Mr. Wright's scheme. In fact, many railways have started to develop a similar idea. The L.N.E.R. Company runs " Sentinel-Cammell " steam cars, besides other specially equipped trains for " halt " traffic. At the same time local trains from the London termini in the rush hours are packed ; and the traffic can barely be coped with by the long trains which RTC run.
So in the only places where it would pay, namely, on branch lines and round large provincial towns, the railways are ern-
ploying a similar idea. The trouble is that the railway does not, and cannot go from door to door, and therefore cannot be so useful for short distances as road 'buses. Nevertheless, the railways are indispensable. They may not pay, becanse road services are often more convenient, but where should we be without them ? They do the best they can ; and they do very well.—I am, Sir, &c., M. L. BARKWAY. Little Gaddesden, Berkhamsted.
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