Exeter St David's

On 1st January 1948, GWR and SR companies were brought under the ‘’British Railways’’ umbrella, becoming Western and Southern Regions respectively. Old rivalries, however, were still as strong as ever between these BR divisions, which essentially remained as separate operations. The railways had now entered an era of cutbacks. The first blow was dealt to the WR, on closure to passengers of the inland route between Exeter and Newton Abbot, on 9th June 1958. Known as the ‘’Teign Valley Railway’’, this single-track line had often been used by GWR trains as a diversion from the exposed coastal route via Dawlish. Its closure came at a time when the SR’s North Devon route between Exeter and Plymouth, via Okehampton, remained as a viable alternative line. In the same year, the first diesel-hydraulic locomotives (D600 series) were brought into use on the WR, marking the beginning of the end for steam-hauled services on the Paddington line.

Throughout the 1950s, the SR’s Atlantic Coast Express reached Exeter Central from Waterloo in 3-hours 20-minutes. For the winter 1961 timetable, this was speeded up to 2-hours 58-minutes, making it a better contender for the WR’s ‘’Cornish Riviera Express’’. The latter was diesel-hauled, and took 2-hours 52-minutes from Paddington to Exeter St David’s. In 1962, whilst the SR considered amputating its Devon branch lines from the network, plans were formulated for an improved Waterloo to Exeter timetable. Proposed for 1963, this involved reducing journey times, so that the quickest steam-hauled express reached Exeter Central in 2-hours 48-minutes. In the event, Paddington had other ideas. BR Regional border changes saw that, from 15th September 1962, all those SR lines west of Salisbury came under the jurisdiction of the WR. This transfer had been made to compensate Paddington for the loss of its Birmingham territories to the London Midland Region. Very soon, draconian measures were put in place to reduce Salisbury and North Devon routes into backwaters. The decision was quickly made to concentrate West of England traffic – passenger and freight – on the Castle Cary line, and degrade that from Salisbury, so it was no longer a competing route.

From 1st August 1964, D800 series ‘’Warship’’ diesels started taking over from steam on Waterloo to Exeter workings, manned by SR drivers. This was at a time when steam was being phased out much more quickly on ex-GWR lines than on the Southern. On Friday 4th September of the same year, the last ACE ran via Salisbury, with portions for Exeter, Ilfracombe, and Padstow. The Waterloo to Plymouth timetable finally died when, from Monday 7th September 1964, passenger services on the ex-SR line went no further than Exeter St David’s. An exception to this was the 1:10 AM newspaper train to Plymouth, which carried a through coach from Waterloo. Daytime SR passenger trains continued to run over the North Devon route in the form of the 10:12 AM Brighton to Plymouth and 10:40 AM Plymouth to Brighton services, and local trains remained throughout from Exeter. Trains over the North Devon route to Plymouth ceased on 6th May 1968, when the section of line west of Okehampton was closed to passenger traffic. Beyond Okehampton, a short stretch of the route remained in use for freight trains bound for Meldon Quarry. The branch line to Bude had earlier closed on 3rd October 1966, but that to Ilfracombe lingered on. The commencement of the summer 1965 timetable saw that those Saturdays-only through services from London to Ilfracombe were diverted from Waterloo to Paddington. Initially, these trains ran via Castle Cary, Yeovil Pen Mill, and Yeovil Junction stations, but were subsequently re-routed via Taunton for the summer 1966 timetable, requiring reversal at Exeter St David’s. Ilfracombe and Okehampton spurs were no longer part of the passenger timetable from 5th October 1970 and 5th June 1972 respectively. Thus, northwards from Exeter St David’s, passenger trains on the former SR line went no further than Barnstaple. By this time, the Cornish Riviera Express made the journey from Paddington to St David’s in an impressive 2-hours 19-minutes.

In the meantime, steam on the Paddington route had been in terminal decline. Since nationalisation, St David’s engine shed had been designated by the code ‘’83C’’. This replaced an earlier GWR ‘’EXE’’ code. The four-road shed formally closed to steam on 14th October 1963, having been without a roof during the final year of its existence. Up until this time, the depot had been responsible for supplying motive power to a diminutive sub-shed at Tiverton Junction. In the event, the latter outlasted its parent depot, finally closing in October 1964. The large depot at Newton Abbot had earlier closed to steam in June of the previous year, diesels now fast invading, but that at Taunton was still extant. The ex-SR shed at Exmouth Junction remained in use, having become part of the WR with the lines west of Salisbury in September 1962. Formally designated ‘’72A’’ by the Southern Region, it was later recoded ‘’83D’’ by the WR, on 9th March 1963. Steam traction was virtually eliminated from the Exeter area in spring 1965. From 1st June 1965, Exmouth Junction shed was closed to steam engines, it being used to service diesels thereafter. This, too, ceased on 6th March 1967, and the shed buildings were razed to the ground three years later. The walls of the former engine shed at St David’s remained standing, amongst the plethora of sidings, but on paper it was no longer a depot of any description.

Exeter St David's

5th December 1989

5th December 1989

5th December 1989