HEMERDON

Max. gradient: 1-in-41

The Great Western Railway’s South Devon main line is at complete odds with the London-bristol route. Brunel engineered the latter to be as level as possible, to ensure high speeds. In Devon, he had some very hilly terrain to conquer, so he turned to an experimental system which literally sucked the train over the hills; unfortunately, the atmospheric railway system wasn’t a success. The GWR had inherited the South Devon Banks - Dainton, Rattery and Hemerdon, of which the latter is the toughest: eastbound trains start cold from Plymouth and then face a gruelling climb at 1-in-42. It’s a particularly difficult section for steam, as former WCRC Traction Inspector Ray Churchill explained to Steam Railway magazine: “Hemerdon is the real challenge as you’re hitting the bottom with a cold engine.”

the GWR’S 4‑6‑0s were designed to provide maximum adhesion over the South Devon banks. ‘Castle’ No. 4098 Kidwelly Castle pilots ‘King’ No. 6016 King Edward V on Hemerdon with the up ‘Cornish Riviera’ on June 20 1958. TREVOR OWEN/COLOUR-RAIL Right:...