EAW015852 ENGLAND (1948). Clapham Junction, Wandsworth, 1948. This image has been produced from a print.

The Southern Railway commenced operation of the Devon Belle on 20 June 1947. The train was made up entirely of Pullman coaches of which all seats were reservable (not a common facility at the time) and for the benefit of passengers to and from Ilfracombe there was an observation car, attached at the rear as can be seen in this photograph. The two observation cars were numbered 13 and 14 and being 'single-ended', due to the large windows that allowed passengers to see out from the back of the train, They had to be turned on the turntable at the end of each journey for the return journey. This could sometimes be a difficult operation at Ilfracombe station, due to the exposure of the site to the winds off the Atlantic Ocean. When the train was introduced Pathe made a short newsreel reporting the event. Despite initial popularity, the train was not as much of a success as hoped and was withdrawn at the end of the 1954 summer season. The date of the photograph being May would account for both Pullman sets being together at Clapham sidings as the Summer Timetable - when the train ran, had not yet come into operation.