by official returns, is not so high as upon some narrow gauge Railways ..." This spurred the GWR and B&ER immediately to accelerate the best train to Exeter, which would complete the in five hours. This was soon further accelerated to four and a half hours, but the B&ER added two stops—at Weston Junction and Tiverton Junction—in May 1849, slowing the down train by 15 minutes. The B&ER section was run from Bristol Express Platform to Exeter ( in an hour and 45 minutes in 1846 and two hours in 1849. The relatively slow speed of the best trains was not considered a problem until the LSWR put on a fast train on their line, 25 minutes faster to Exeter and from 1 March 1862 a -hour train was put on; at Bristol the down train backed into the B&ER terminus for the station call. These trains were "far and away the fastest in the world". However, in the succeeding years the timings were slowed once again. In 1871 the service was again accelerated to 94 minutes Bristol to Exeter. "Thus the Bristol and Exeter Company shared with the Great Western the distinction of running the fastest trains in the world. Ordinary trains took three or four hours. Cheap excursions in the summer were popular: for 1s 6d excursionists could go from Bristol to Weston and back, and for 1s from Bristol to Cheddar or from Taunton to Watchet. Excursion platforms were set up at Bedminster, Weston and Clevedon, apparently to segregate the excursionists from ordinary passengers. Ticket platforms, of course involving an additional stop, existed from the earliest days outside Bristol and Exeter, and from 1870 on either side of Taunton. The 1850 Bradshaw shows six down and seven up passenger trains; all called at all stations except two trains each way, which were probably through trains from and to London. Although the best journey time Bristol to Exeter ( was two hours, most trains required up to hours; it may be that these trains were mixed and time was spent at stations shunting goods wagons. After amalgamation On 20 July 1874, while amalgamation was being negotiated, the Somerset and Dorset Railway—not yet joint—opened its Bath extension. It was friendly with the Midland Railway (MR) and the LSWR, and a rival route from the industrial Midlands and North of England to Exeter was created, On 17 May 1876 the