Torbay Express

Ex-GWR 'Castle' 4-6-0 No. 5079 Lysander heads the down Torbay Express out of Parson's Tunnel at Dawlish

The Torbay Express in 1960

The Torbay Express is a named passenger train operating in the United Kingdom.

Great Western Railway

Historically, the Torbay Express name was applied to services operated by the Great Western Railway from Paddington to Torquay and Paignton.

BR Standard Class 8 Locomotive 71000 Duke Of Gloucester arrives at Kingswear railway station in August 2011 as the Torbay Express.

Revival

First Great Western

The Torbay Express name is also used by First Great Western for its 10:00 service from London Paddington to Paignton (via Bristol), and the 14:15 return (via Castle Cary and the Berks and Hants line).

Summer steam excursion

Ex-GWR 'King' 4-6-0 No.6024 King Edward I heads the revived Torbay Express charter at Sprey Point, Devon, July 2006

From 2003, Past-Time Rail revived the Torbay Express as a passenger charter steam locomotive service, to run on certain summer Sundays and some Saturdays, from: Bristol Temple Meads via stops at Weston-Super-Mare and Taunton; to Paignton and onwards via the Dartmouth Steam Railway to Kingswear. For the 2014 season, two of the booked railtours ran via Westbury instead of Weston, calling at Bath Spa, Trowbridge, Westbury and Taunton, then picking up the normal route. At first, this was done because of engineering works. However, thanks to its success, the same concept is being repeated with two trains for the 2015 season.

After Past-Time Rail went bankrupt in June 2009, the service obligation has been taken over by Torbay Express Ltd. This company was formed as a subsidiary of booking agent Pathfinder Tours, itself a subsidiary of Riviera Trains. As well as taking direct bookings, the company also takes bookings through Pathfinder Tours, who advertise the service as part of their tour programme, and also supply their own volunteers to steward the trains.

Since being taken over by Pathfinder Tours/Riviera Trains, the British Railways Mark 1 coaching stock has been supplied in historic cream/brown by Riviera, and staffed by Pathfinder. The back-up diesel locomotive is supplied and operated by DB Schenker Rail (UK), sourced from a varying number of spot-hire companies, mainly West Coast Railways. During the operating season, the coaching stock is stabled in a spare covered road under the engine shed of Bristol Temple Meads, whilst the steam locomotive is stabled at a temporary operating base at Bristol Barton Hill MPD.

Initial steam power was supplied by GWR 7800 Class 7802 Bradley Manor and GWR 4073 Class 5051 Earl Bathurst, but has varied since by season, latterly supplied from the Jeremy Hosking-backed Locomotive Services Ltd. Motive power has included: GWR 6000 Class 6024 'King Edward I'; LNER Class A4 60009 'Union of South Africa'; LNER Class A1 60163 'Tornado'; SR Battle of Britain Class 34067 'Tangmere'; BR Class 8P 71000 'Duke of Gloucester'; BR Britannia Class 7MT 70000 'Britannia'; LNER Class A4 4464 'Bittern'; SR West Country Class 34046 'Braunton'; GWR 4073 Class 5029 'Nunney Castle'.

External links

• Company website
• Part 1 Part 2 YouTube videos