Mark 3 memories

Gordon Casely (Letters, 20 December) is quite right to praise the merits of the British Rail design Mark 3 carriage as used by East Coast trains. Some readers may recall that these were also used from the late 1970s to about 1990 on Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen “ScotRail Express” services.

We were told at the time about how decrepit and clapped out they had become and that Scottish rail travellers would be better suited to the fantastic new Class 158 Sprinter trains. What a load of tosh that turned out to be and, to add insult to injury, the “clapped-out” Mark 3s were refurbished for use from commuting counties to London, where they still provide a level of comfort long denied ScotRail customers.

Murray Duncan

North Deeside Road

Kincardine O’Neil, Aboyne