SIR,—I am sorry to learn from Mr. Kirkbride's letter in
your issue of July 21st that he did not enjoy hisjOurney in the restaurant, car. The "tavern" restaurant car in Which he travelled is one of eight which were
Introduced as an experiment, but as they have not proved popular they are being converted into the conventional type of car ; one has already been converted, but it will, I am afraid, be some months before all the cars are dealt with as, owing to the general shortage of rolling stock, we can only afford to withdraw one or two cars at a time for alteration. I hope that on Mr.-Kirkbride's next journey he will be able to dine in a restaurant car of the type he favours.—Yours'faithfully, Public Relations Officer, The Railway Executive.