Hook, rail line and sinker

I WAS interested in Gordon Casely's suggestion (Letters, December 23) whereby we could improve the rail network by ditching the remaining 158 sprinter trains into the North Sea to form an artificial reef for fish.

There was a scurrilous rumour back in the 1990s that a decrepit 158 had indeed been dumped into the Firth of Forth to form just such a reef. This allegedly wasn’t for ecological purposes, however, but was simply a means to avoid paying a landfill tax.

A chippy in Anstruther said a local boat used to go out and fish for cod over the "reef". However when I tried to buy a Class 158 cod supper I was told that the boat had been unable to haul in any fish that day due to leaves on the line. Instead I had to make do with a sea bass replacement service.

Loading article content