The 'Atlantic Coast Express' - or 'ACE' - was the Southern Railways' primary express train from London Waterloo to the West Country. Operating between 1926 and 1964, it served, at its maximum, no fewer than nine different termini in Devon and Cornwall, including Plymouth, Bude, Ilfracombe and Padstow. The train had its origins in the post-World War 1 environment where the SR was seeking to compete both with the GWR in terms of traffic to the West Country but also increasingly against the coach and the private car.
The level of service varied considerably during the year. In the winter months a single train alone was normally required but in the summer, at the height of the holiday season, the express could be formed by as many as five different departures from Waterloo between 10am and 11am. The service reached its zenith in the 1950s when the Bulleid Pacifics brought higher speed operation - including the first timetabled mile-a-minute schedule to the Southern Region - and the train's final outing came as late as 1961. However, by this date the writing was on the wall as many of the lines over which the train operated were threatened with closure.
John Scott Morgan, a renowned railway author, provides a detailed and fascinating portrayal of this popular top link express route from its origins right through to final withdrawal on 5 September 1964.