7 SEPTEMBER 1991, Page 25

Sir: It is understandable that Joanna Coles, smarting under the

harassment of Conduc- tor Baptie and the British Transport Police during her journey from Edinburgh to Kings Cross should have overlooked anoth- er aspect of this remarkable journey. The 'Have you been talking to the plant again?' driver who managed to make up 80 minutes from Peterborough (2 hours 10 minutes late) to Kings Cross (precisely 50 minutes late) surely deserves a word of commenda- tion.

G. H. R. Gwatkin

17 Clumber Crescent North, The Park, Nottingham

Editor's note: Miss Coles's last paragraph should have read 'we limped into King's Cross 128 minutes late'.

We must confess that in this instance our own timekeeping was bad.