Chris Grayling thinks nostalgia can fix the east coast mainline. He’s wrong | Ian Jack

I thrill to memories of steam trains hurtling past my home. But blaming nationalisation for ruining a golden age is misguidedStruggling to supply a lick of bright paint to his plans for the east coast mainline, Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, settled on the word “iconic”. He told the Commons on Wednesday that the new, publicly owned operator scheduled to replace the failed Virgin-Stagecoach combine next month will be called the LNER. “One of Britain’s iconic rail