Sir: I don’t claim to be a railway expert. I used to love Hornby model railways, and 100 years ago my grandfather, Edmund Beecroft, was an executive with the Great Indian Peninsula Railway in what used to be called Bombay.
But I do question the decision city council has made to buy the old CSX railway, line which runs from Chatham to just north of Wallaceburg in an attempt to persuade a fertilizer company to locate here.
Would we purchase rolling stock for this line? What about the track maintenance crew? Common sense tells one that if a railway service is to be reliable, the equipment must be kept in good working order and regular maintenance is the essential ingredient to achieve this. A railway will not survive for long as a viable operation if it is allowed to deteriorate because of lack of maintenance.
I’d love to read more about this exciting project that will encourage a fertilizer company to locate here.
Stephen Beecroft
Chatham
