14 RAIL EXPRESSSeptember 2019
RETRO PASSENGER
When SaturdayCame
Pa ignton
The beaches andfavourable climate aroundTorbaysawit becomeapopular
tourist destination that brought inastream of long-distance loco-hauledworkings
through to the early2000s.
T
HE area aroundTorbayinDevonhas
beeninhabi tedsince prehistoric
times, andPaigntonitself
wasmentioned inthe11th century
DomesdayBook,remainingasmall
fishing town untilthe 19thcenturywhen
trips to theseaside began to become
fashionable amongst those with time,
andmoney, on their hands.
Like many coastaltowns,however,
it wasthe comingofthe railwaythat
transformed th eareaintothe tourist
destinationitistoday.The GreatWestern
Railway opened it slinefromLondonto
Bris tolin1841, with the Bristol&Exeter
Railway opening throughout in 1844,
followedbythe SouthDevonRailway to
NewtonAbbot attheend of 18 46 and
Plymouth in 1849.
The branch from AllerJunction to
Torre–the originalTorquaystatio n–
wascompleted attheend of 1848, andthis wasextendedtoanewTorquay
stationand Paigntoninsummer1859,
completingathroughroutebetween
Londonand Torbay. The Dartmouth
and TorbayRailway extended theroute
even further, reachingKingswear (for
Dartmouth)insummer1864.DIESELWORKINGS
Main line dieselisation beganinthe late
1950swiththe introduction ofType 4
‘Warships’(Classes 41-43),andsteam
wascompletelyousted in themid-
1960s.Passengertrafficonthe branch
wasstill heavy, however, especially on
summer Saturdays when therewas
almostaconstant stream of long-
distance trains fromLondon, the North,
Scotlandand SouthWales –including
overnightworkings.
Carriage sidingswereavailableat
Goodrington,as t oday,but thesewereinsufficientfor thebusiestperiods,
so some trainsworkedempty backto
Newton Abbot, wheretherewerealso
loco servicing facilities until1981.
The line to Kingswear wassold by
Britis hRailatthe endof 19 72, to be
reopenedat the beginning of 1973
as thePaignton&DartmouthSteam
Railway –altho ughaconnectionremains
to thi sday fo rthrough-railtoursand
loco movements.
Loco-hauled summerSaturday
servicestoT orquay and Paignton
remained busythrough the1970s and
1980s, with Classes35,42, 4345,46,
47, 50and52featuring–although
localservic es were also inthehands
ofClasse s22, 25, 31 and33at
various times.
Summer1984 had20loco- hauled
arrivals anddeparturesfromPaignton,
whichbegan intheearlymorning ❯2
1