THE National Railway Museum's 60 Years Ago - Railways In War and Peace event suggests it has been a little imaginative in its presentation of the history of its V2 Class locomotive Green Arrow (April 7).

It was not known as "the engine that won the war"; that would be an absurd claim to attach to any single locomotive. In fact Green Arrow, apart from being the first of its class and given a catchy name, had a fairly unexceptional career, working mostly from King's Cross depot (not "around the country"), until being withdrawn from service for preservation in 1962.

It is true that the V2 class of locomotives, of which there were eventually 184 built between 1936 and 1944, did collectively become known as "the engines that won the war" on account of their hard work; but that is a different statement.

Where the evidence comes from that it hauled the "record for Britain's longest passenger train" (24 coaches) I do not know; however, No 4800 of the same class is recorded as having hauled 26 coaches on a King's Cross to Newcastle train on March 31, 1940.

That much can be found in the book Green Arrow And The LNER V2 Class which the Friends Of The National Railway Museum published in 1997. Perhaps the compiler should have sought historical accuracy in that.

Michael Blakemore,

De Grey Terrace, York.

Updated: 10:07 Friday, April 15, 2005