NINETEEN SIXTY TWO – PART 90
The Cornish Riviera Express
Michael L. Roach
In a few days time it will be 120 years since the original Great Western Railway started running a new “Limited Express” from Paddington to Plymouth and Penzance; with an equivalent train in the opposite direction starting at Penzance. The train ran via Bristol and was non-stop to Plymouth (245 miles) a fact which was only possible by the then recent installation of more water troughs. Although at first the train was summer only it soon became all-year round, basically the train has run continuously ever since apart from the war years making it one of the oldest named trains in the world. Today it is numbered 1C76 and leaves Paddington at 10.03am and 1A83 leaving Penzance at 10.20am. The new train first ran on 1 July 1904 and was an instant success. Unlike today when there are hourly (or more frequent) trains for much of the day on many long-distance routes in those far off days there were only a handful of trains each day. The 1902 GWR timetable showed just five trains per day from Paddington to Penzance leaving London at 05.30; 10.40; 11.45; 22.00 and 24.00 – this last train conveyed sleeping cars for first class passengers only who paid five shillings (25p) for a berth in addition to the first class fare. The last daytime train off Paddington was the 11.45am which reached Penzance at 21.23 In addition to the five trains to Penzance there were four terminating at Plymouth and one going to Falmouth. The latter was an interesting train because it left Paddington at 13.10 and was the last daytime train from London to enter Cornwall, reaching Truro at 22.19 and Falmouth at 22.55 This last train of the day to Cornwall was obviously very popular at holiday times because on Maundy Thursday (28 March) 1907 it ran at 15.30 to Falmouth. At the head of the train was year-old 4-6-0 Saint-class no. 2903 “Lady of Lyons” and it would have needed every ounce of its tractive effort to move its huge load of 18 coaches, of which just one was a 6-wheeler and 17 were 8-wheel bogie coaches. Despite this huge load the train, which was non-stop to Exeter, passed Westbury at an average of 57mph from Paddington. It is believed that the train would have slipped a coach (or coaches) at Westbury for Weymouth and Taunton to reduce the load before 2903 had to face the gradients of Whiteball Bank.
The GWR announced a competition, with a prize of three guineas, to find a name for the new limited express from which the name Cornish Riviera Express evolved, but by a strange twist of fate the GWR had earlier that same year 1904 published a guidebook to Cornwall as a winter resort called “The Cornish Riviera.” The book was printed on heavy art paper with many beautiful illustrations and got first-class reviews from the press. However it was left to members of the public, and railwaymen, to suggest the name for the train. Just two years later on 21 July 1906 (scan 7878 gives details) the CRE was able to start running on the new shorter route to the West Country via Castle Cary saving about 20 miles and bringing Plymouth down to 225 miles from London. The diagram shows a total of 548 seats in the 10 coaches; i.e. 340 in the Cornish portion plus 104 each in the slip portions for Exeter and Weymouth (slipped at Westbury).
The first CRE via the new route was hauled by brand-new four-cylinder Atlantic 4-4-2 No. 40. The second image (7876) shows the savings in journey time to various towns in the west country as a result of the opening of the new shorter route. No. 40 was later rebuilt as a 4-6-0 Star-class engine, and later still as a 4-6-0 Castle-class engine. It is well-known that on Summer Saturdays in the 1950s the CRE often ran in more than one part but the same thing was happening forty years earlier. The GWR Magazine for September 1915 reported that despite the First World War and the suspension of excursion and cheap bookings August Bank Holiday traffic was heavy and the 10.30am Limited Express was run in three parts on three consecutive days; and on the last of those days 2,137 passengers were carried out of Paddington on those three parts of the CRE. This would suggest that each part would need another three coaches to seat all the extra passengers.
With the onset of the Covid Pandemic in March 2020 the twice yearly pocket timetables ceased production with the frequent changes/reductions in train times as the public were asked to stay at home, and publication has not resumed except in a few isolated cases. The change from HST to Hitachi IETs resulted in the cessation of destination labels stuck on coach windows. These two changes caused me to wonder if I would be able to find the magic words “Cornish Riviera Express” written anywhere – indeed did the named train still exist ? Neither RealTrain Times or OpenTrainTimes ascribe a name to 1C76 the 10.03 Paddington to Penzance. I eventually found the named trains listed on the last page of each of the GWR's online PDF timetables, with a two-letter code at the head of the column for each named train. Named trains are not annotated on the electronic version of the National Rail Timetable (eNRT). It will be interesting to see what celebrations take place on 1 July 2024 to mark this 120th birthday.
A final word about the Cornish Riviera Express from the Great Western Railway itself. This is what the company wrote in 1915 in the middle of a war to introduce a photo of the Cornish Riviera Limited Express hauled by a Star-class engine with at least a dozen coaches in tow. “We reproduce an interesting photograph of the famous G.W.R. Cornish Riviera Limited express restaurant car train. This train, which is one of the best equipped trains in the kingdom, is unique in so far as it performs the longest regular non-stop run in the world, running seven days a week, the journey from London to Plymouth – a distance of 225 miles – occupying 4 hours 7 minutes. Restaurant cars are run on the up and down journeys, and lady attendants are on the train to be of assistance to ladies travelling either alone or with children.”
The GWR announced a competition, with a prize of three guineas, to find a name for the new limited express from which the name Cornish Riviera Express evolved, but by a strange twist of fate the GWR had earlier that same year 1904 published a guidebook to Cornwall as a winter resort called “The Cornish Riviera.” The book was printed on heavy art paper with many beautiful illustrations and got first-class reviews from the press. However it was left to members of the public, and railwaymen, to suggest the name for the train. Just two years later on 21 July 1906 (scan 7878 gives details) the CRE was able to start running on the new shorter route to the West Country via Castle Cary saving about 20 miles and bringing Plymouth down to 225 miles from London. The diagram shows a total of 548 seats in the 10 coaches; i.e. 340 in the Cornish portion plus 104 each in the slip portions for Exeter and Weymouth (slipped at Westbury).
The first CRE via the new route was hauled by brand-new four-cylinder Atlantic 4-4-2 No. 40. The second image (7876) shows the savings in journey time to various towns in the west country as a result of the opening of the new shorter route. No. 40 was later rebuilt as a 4-6-0 Star-class engine, and later still as a 4-6-0 Castle-class engine. It is well-known that on Summer Saturdays in the 1950s the CRE often ran in more than one part but the same thing was happening forty years earlier. The GWR Magazine for September 1915 reported that despite the First World War and the suspension of excursion and cheap bookings August Bank Holiday traffic was heavy and the 10.30am Limited Express was run in three parts on three consecutive days; and on the last of those days 2,137 passengers were carried out of Paddington on those three parts of the CRE. This would suggest that each part would need another three coaches to seat all the extra passengers.
With the onset of the Covid Pandemic in March 2020 the twice yearly pocket timetables ceased production with the frequent changes/reductions in train times as the public were asked to stay at home, and publication has not resumed except in a few isolated cases. The change from HST to Hitachi IETs resulted in the cessation of destination labels stuck on coach windows. These two changes caused me to wonder if I would be able to find the magic words “Cornish Riviera Express” written anywhere – indeed did the named train still exist ? Neither RealTrain Times or OpenTrainTimes ascribe a name to 1C76 the 10.03 Paddington to Penzance. I eventually found the named trains listed on the last page of each of the GWR's online PDF timetables, with a two-letter code at the head of the column for each named train. Named trains are not annotated on the electronic version of the National Rail Timetable (eNRT). It will be interesting to see what celebrations take place on 1 July 2024 to mark this 120th birthday.
A final word about the Cornish Riviera Express from the Great Western Railway itself. This is what the company wrote in 1915 in the middle of a war to introduce a photo of the Cornish Riviera Limited Express hauled by a Star-class engine with at least a dozen coaches in tow. “We reproduce an interesting photograph of the famous G.W.R. Cornish Riviera Limited express restaurant car train. This train, which is one of the best equipped trains in the kingdom, is unique in so far as it performs the longest regular non-stop run in the world, running seven days a week, the journey from London to Plymouth – a distance of 225 miles – occupying 4 hours 7 minutes. Restaurant cars are run on the up and down journeys, and lady attendants are on the train to be of assistance to ladies travelling either alone or with children.”
An article from the GWR Magazine of August 1906 about the Cornish Riviera on the occasion of the first run via Castle Cary. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Two months earlier than the last scan the GWR Magazine published this table outlining the savings in time of the fastest trains to various towns due to the new shorter route. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
A table of notable runs on Thursday 28 March 1907 which includes the 3.30pm to Falmouth. It will be noted that many trains were still being hauled by 4-4-0s at this time, while one train had nothing larger than a 4-2-2 single driving wheeler. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
50035 “Ark Royal” (PRESERVED) approaches Lostwithiel with 10C on the down Riviera on the occasion of its 75th birthday on 1st July 1979. Copyright Michael L. Roach
Our thanks to you as always, Mike - another interesting article.
For more of Michaels work, please click here.
For more of Michaels work, please click here.
Westerns at Bishops Lydeard
Michael Adams
Michael Adams
Hello Roger, What nice days out you have had recently and lovely pictures from all concerned.
Here are a couple of shots from Michael Adams of Western locos.taken at Bishops Lydeard and Crowcombe on 16 June 2007 ,firstly D1062 and then D1015 and don’t they look great.
Thanks Michael
Here are a couple of shots from Michael Adams of Western locos.taken at Bishops Lydeard and Crowcombe on 16 June 2007 ,firstly D1062 and then D1015 and don’t they look great.
Thanks Michael
D1062 at Bishops Lydeard. Copyright Michael Adams
D1015 Taken at Crowcombe. Copyright Michael Adams
Many Thanks Michael
Bodmin CDA's
Alan Peters
Saturday 22nd June 2024 saw a crew training run for the preserved CDA clay wagons with 47306 "The Sapper" later in the day it was the turn of the class 50. The class 47 is seen leaving Bodmin General with the 11:10 departure to Bodmin Parkway in glorious black and white! Copyright Alan Peters
Many thanks Alan - you'd be forgiven for thinking this was a historic photo, rather than a modern-day preserved scene.
Saphos Special at Stoke Canon
David Tozer
Saphos rail tour 0547 1Z49 Paignton to Shrewsbury at Stoke Canon with 47593 top and tailing with 47810 on the rear. Taken at 0716 the early morning mist is just starting to clear. 25.06.2024, copyright David Tozer.
A closer view of 47593 leading the railtour. Copyright David Tozer.
Many thanks Dave. An early start for you.
Clay on a summers day
Jon Hird
66025 leads 16 JIA's past a small pond between Lavrean and Luxuylan as it heads for Fowey on 25.06.2024. Copyright Jon Hird.
All change at Westbury
Alan Peters
Colas Rail 70801 has been moved from the elephant house at Westbury and is seen on the fuel point awaiting parts (note the missing buffer) it has had a new engine fitted but it is assumed it will still be out of traffic for some time yet, thanks to Stu Cowan for the information. An unidentified DB class 66 can be seen in the background on 18/06/24. Copyright Driver Alan Peters
A change around of the 2 x class Colas Rail class 67's, as 67023 "Stella" is now on the 'Stump Road' awaiting parts at Westbury in place of 67027 which has now been moved back to the elephant house for repairs, both locomotives should be back in traffic in time for the RHTT season which works out of Swindon, 67023 is pictured devoid of Colas branding on 19/06/24. Copyright Driver Alan Peters
Many thanks for providing us with these privileged views, Alan - they are much appreciated.