Flying Dutchman (train)
Encyclopedia
The Flying Dutchman was a named passenger train service from London Paddington to Exeter. It ran from 1849 until 1892, originally over the Great Western Railway
(GWR) and then the Bristol and Exeter Railway
. As the GWR expanded, the destination of the train changed to Plymouth and briefly to .
's and BR
class 55 Deltics
, the Flying Dutchman was named after a famous racehorse, which had won both the Derby
and St. Leger
in 1849. The racehorse was in turn named after the famous Dutch Admiral Tromp.
In 1845 the 09:30 morning express train between London Paddington and Exeter was taking 5 hours with stops at Didcot, Bath
, Bristol and Taunton
, this being reduced to 4½ hours during that year. In 1848 the train, now the 09:50 from London Paddington, covered the 53.1 miles to Didcot in 55 minutes, setting a world record start-to-stop average of 57.9mph. The return train was the 11:45 from Exeter. In 1849, the Train took on the name "Flying Dutchman", and added a stop at Chippenham
without extending the overall journey time. The up train time was changed to 12:30 which gave an arrival at Paddington of 17:00.
In the 1850s performance deteriorated, but the introduction of a service from London Waterloo to Exeter in 4¾ hours by the LSWR in 1862 resulted in the down Flying Dutchman being retimed to leave Paddington at 11:45 with the 1840s journey time of 4½ hours being restored. This was, however, a brief interlude and soon the time to Exeter has stretched to 5 hours and 5 minutes. At this time the train left Paddington with 7 coaches. Two were detached at Swindon; one for Weymouth and the other for Cheltenham, and after detaching 2 more at Newton Abbot for Torquay the remaining three coaches worked through to Plymouth. By 1867 things had got so bad for the GWR that the Flying Dutchman ceased running, being cancelled in October of that year.
, was equalled by a new standard gauge train; the 15:00 from Paddington, which also carried third class passengers; third class was finally introduced to the Flying Dutchman in 1890. The last run of the Flying Dutchman, still Broad gauge, was on 29 May 1892; the 11:45 from Paddington the following day was a standard gauge express train, but not distinguished by any name.
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
(GWR) and then the Bristol and Exeter Railway
Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...
. As the GWR expanded, the destination of the train changed to Plymouth and briefly to .
Early history
The name Flying Dutchman has a convoluted history. In common with many steam and diesel engines such as the LNER A1LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3
The London and North Eastern Railway LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3 locomotives represented two distinct stages in the history of the British 4-6-2 "Pacific" steam locomotives designed by Nigel Gresley...
's and BR
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
class 55 Deltics
British Rail Class 55
The British Rail Class 55 is a class of diesel locomotive built in 1961 and 1962 by English Electric. They were designed for the high-speed express passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between and Edinburgh. They gained the name "Deltic" from the prototype locomotive, DP1 Deltic, which...
, the Flying Dutchman was named after a famous racehorse, which had won both the Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
and St. Leger
St. Leger Stakes
The St. Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.Established in 1776, the St. Leger...
in 1849. The racehorse was in turn named after the famous Dutch Admiral Tromp.
In 1845 the 09:30 morning express train between London Paddington and Exeter was taking 5 hours with stops at Didcot, Bath
Bath Spa railway station
Bath Spa railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Bath, in South West England.-Architecture:Bath Spa station was built in 1840 for the Great Western Railway by Brunel and is a grade II* listed building...
, Bristol and Taunton
Taunton railway station
Taunton railway station is a junction station on the route from London to Penzance, from London Paddington station. It is situated in Taunton, Somerset, England and is operated by First Great Western...
, this being reduced to 4½ hours during that year. In 1848 the train, now the 09:50 from London Paddington, covered the 53.1 miles to Didcot in 55 minutes, setting a world record start-to-stop average of 57.9mph. The return train was the 11:45 from Exeter. In 1849, the Train took on the name "Flying Dutchman", and added a stop at Chippenham
Chippenham railway station
Chippenham railway station serves the market town of Chippenham in Wiltshire, England. The station is on the Great Western Main Line, in between and , and is served by First Great Western main line services between Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington, and a smaller First Great Western local...
without extending the overall journey time. The up train time was changed to 12:30 which gave an arrival at Paddington of 17:00.
In the 1850s performance deteriorated, but the introduction of a service from London Waterloo to Exeter in 4¾ hours by the LSWR in 1862 resulted in the down Flying Dutchman being retimed to leave Paddington at 11:45 with the 1840s journey time of 4½ hours being restored. This was, however, a brief interlude and soon the time to Exeter has stretched to 5 hours and 5 minutes. At this time the train left Paddington with 7 coaches. Two were detached at Swindon; one for Weymouth and the other for Cheltenham, and after detaching 2 more at Newton Abbot for Torquay the remaining three coaches worked through to Plymouth. By 1867 things had got so bad for the GWR that the Flying Dutchman ceased running, being cancelled in October of that year.
Latter years
The Flying Dutchman began running again in 1869, taking 4¾ hours from Paddington to Exeter, but this was accelerated in 1871 when the LSWR began a service taking 4½ hours from Waterloo; The Flying Dutchman was now taking 4¼ hours to Exeter and 6¼ hours to Plymouth, and during the summer was extending to Penzance although taking an extra 3 hours. By 1876 the LSWR, in extending their main line to Plymouth, introduced a train that reached Exeter in 4 hours and Plymouth in 6 hours 38 minutes, and also carrying third class passengers in contrast to the GWR express which only carried First and Second class passengers. In 1879 the Flying Dutchman, still running on the broad gaugeBroad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
, was equalled by a new standard gauge train; the 15:00 from Paddington, which also carried third class passengers; third class was finally introduced to the Flying Dutchman in 1890. The last run of the Flying Dutchman, still Broad gauge, was on 29 May 1892; the 11:45 from Paddington the following day was a standard gauge express train, but not distinguished by any name.