Atlantic Coast Express - The Service

The Service

The heavy reliance on holiday passengers meant that the volume of traffic was very seasonal. On Summer Saturdays, the "ACE" consisted of up to five trains departing from Waterloo in the 40 minutes before 11.00a.m., stretching resources on the long single-track branch lines to the limit. In the Winter timetable, one train was sufficient for all of the branches, and stops were made at all but the most insignificant stations west of Exeter. Significant delays were frequent at the junctions, as coaches were detached or attached and shunted between the various sections of the train, belying the name of "Express".

In later years, a carriage was detached at Salisbury to join a following stopping train along the main line, and two carriages were detached at Sidmouth Junction, one for Sidmouth and one for Exmouth via Budleigh Salterton. The restaurant and buffet cars were normally removed during the major division at Exeter Central.

Services continued in much the same pattern until the outbreak of World War II, which necessitated longer trains and substantial deceleration on all lines, rendering named trains no longer appropriate.