B.R does a Reggie Perrin for Queen

Press, 7 February 1986, Page 4

B.R does a Reggie Perrin for Queen

NZPA staff correspondent London

Reggie Perrin would have loved It The comic British television character played by the late Leonard Rossiter used to toss his umbrella against the office wall every morning and mutter something along the lines of "Seven minutes late, points failure at Clapham Junction.”

Perrin’s jabs at the endless loudspeaker announcements which start “British Rail apologises ...” made a telling point for the commuters who pour off crammed trains in London.

Yesterday they were chuckling, as Perrin would have, at British Rail’s latest victim.

Commuters burying themselves in newspapers and blotting out the oftendelayed journey into Waterloo, Victoria, Paddington, or Liverpool Street discovered that the Queen had been delayed 43 minutes by a train which broke down eight times. The Queen was travelling from her holiday estates at Sandringham in Norfolk down to London for a visit to Prince Andrew’s frigate Brazen, on the Thames. The train made “seven unscheduled stops” and an engine lacking in

power could only crawl along at times. Because all the available power was directed to the motors the carriages had no heating on a freezing day. Passengers said the Queen’s troubles had started even earlier, when it was found that the door between the breakfast car and her Majesty’s carriage was locked and nobody had a key. Stewards were seen taking breakfast from a restaurant car and along the platform towards the Royal carriage when the train pulled into a station. A spokesman for British Rail was reported as saying, "I feel sure she will

understand that these things do happen now and again.” Mr Rodney Collins, - chairman of a group which represents users of , the line, said, "There is a not much hope for British Rail when they cannot , even turn out a engine for the Queen.” “The Times” reported that a guest of the Queen, ' Crown Prince Hassan of , Jordan, had only last ’■ week arrived more than , an hour late for dinner at j Sandringham when a J , train broke down.

After seeing Prince Andrew the Queen headed r back to Sandringham. Her train arrived home 18 , minutes late.