It's almost 30 years since the Class 159 diesel units first appeared on the Exeter to Waterloo service. Time to look back a further 30 years to the days of the ACE which trumped the lot.
The first Atlantic Coast Express ran on 19th July 1926. The ACE as it was known was the most multi-portioned express train operating in Britain. Passengers could board the train at London Waterloo and end up in Torrington, Bude, Ilfracombe, Padstow or Plymouth without changing trains.
It originated in 1900 as the North Cornwall Express leaving Waterloo at 11am in the summer. When the Southern Railway was formed in 1923 it was decided to find a new name for the service and a competition was held. The winning entry was submitted by Mr F. Rowland, a guard from Woking who won a prize of three guineas for suggesting Atlantic Coast Express.
From the beginning the ACE effectively had five destinations, three in Devon and two in Cornwall although at times through coaches to East Devon resorts were added. Coaches for Lyme Regis, Seaton and Sidmouth/Exmouth were detached from the train at Axminster, Seaton Junction and Sidmouth Junction (Feniton) respectively. At Exeter Central the train split in two. One half went to Barnstaple where the Ilfracombe and Torrington portions were separated while the other carried the Bude, Padstow and Plymouth coaches. This portion of the ACE split again at Okehampton where the Plymouth section was detached. The Bude and Padstow portions parted at Halwill Junction. On summer Saturdays up to 4 relief trains would run all leaving Waterloo around 11am.
Merchant Navy Class No 35029 "Ellerman Lines" carrying the ACE headboard
at the National Railway Museum York
In the winter timetable of 1962/3 the ACE departed at 11am from Waterloo and stopped first at Salisbury at 12:20 having made the 83.75 mile journey in 80 minutes. It then called at Sidmouth Junction and Exeter Central arriving at 1:58pm. First to depart was the Torrington and Ilfracombe portion followed 13 minutes later by the Plymouth, Bude and Padstow carriages which arrived in at their destination at 5:21pm.
From June 1963 the Bude, Torrington and Plymouth through carriages were withdrawn except on summer Saturdays. The remaining services survived through the following summer until, on 5 September 1964 West Country locomotive 34023 Blackmoor Vale hauled the last ACE out of Padstow.
West Country Class No 34023 "Blackmore Vale" at the Bluebell Railway in Sussex 55 years after she hauled the last Atlantic Coast Express out of Padstow.
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