The Red Dragon (train)
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Passenger train |
| First service | 5 June 1950 |
| Current operator | Great Western Railway |
| Former operator | Western Region of British Railways |
| Route | |
| Termini | Carmarthen London Paddington |
| Service frequency | Daily |
| Train number | 1L12 / 1B27 |
| Lines used | Great Western South Wales West Wales |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | GWR 4073 Castle, BR Standard Class 7 Britannia (1950-1965) Intercity 125 (1983-2018) 800/3 (2019-present) |
The Red Dragon is a named passenger train service operated by Great Western Railway in the United Kingdom from Carmarthen to London Paddington.
The Red Dragon was introduced by the Western Region of British Railways on 5 June 1950, departing Carmarthen at 07:30 for London Paddington, returning at 17:55. However, in practice the main train started and terminated at Swansea with only a through portion working west of there to Carmarthen. Haulage was by Castle class locomotives at first, then by BR Standard Class 7 Britannias.[1] Both were supplied by Cardiff Canton MPD.
It was withdrawn on 12 June 1965.[1] It was resurrected in 1983/84 as The Red Dragon Executive' with InterCity 125s, becoming The Red Dragon Pullman in 1988.[2][3][4] It was withdrawn again, before being reintroduced by First Great Western on 13 December 2009.[5]
As at July 2019, the name was carried by the 07:30 from Carmarthen and the 17:45 return operated by Class 800s.[4]
