BARRY VAUGHAN, of West Alvington, Kingsbridge, writes: Not entirely in agreement with the Great Shingle Shift going on at Slapton.* Such a shame that the standard builder's 2ft gauge railway was not hired and laid down from the point A to Torcross. it is a job ideally suited for push-loading by a straight blade bulldozer and carried away in large amounts to be tipped in situ on the Torcross Beach end. You never know, the Slapton area residents could wake up to the fun of having a railway the length of the beach as a permanent holiday feature – for let's face it – Slapton is just about the most desolate, impoverished holiday hell-hole of all the Devon and cornish coastal stretches. A mile and a half of wind-swept, boring nothingness, collecting cash for the South Hams Council alone. Your revealing picture on page seven, shows what looks like a raising of the beach and possible covering or cancelling out the design feature of the rip-rap and curved concrete genuine sea-wall. Perhaps, during a good easterly storm, King Neptune's thugs will charge over the heightened beach in glee, depositing large tonnages of shingle in the village next time. it all makes work for the working man! There is as much trouble here as at storm lashed Dawlish – I recommend calling in Network Rail! (N.B. Please note, this sneaky letter is heavily biased for Railways! Bring back our Embankment Railway - what do we want? Railways! Well OK trams would do...) *A product of storm force 10 easterly winds with a south content in it. Give a north content in it and what is left up the north end will end up at Torcross – folks.....pray!