Vintage Trains - 2013 Tour Program

I've been told something similar, Neil. The explanation I heard was related to the Newton Abbott-Plymouth route. I was told that the crew on the train engine were likely to be more senior and therefore more experienced. Putting them on the front meant the most senior driver had control of the brake - very important when the assiting engine was staying on the train all the way through, including two steep decents. The crew of the assisting loco, especially on the busiest days, might be really green. I heard it wasn't unusual for a junior driver's first express passenger turn to be assisting over the South Devon Banks on a summer Saturday.

I've an idea that the GWR did not follow this practice everywhere. It must have taken twice as long to add an assisting engine coupled inside as one coupled on the front. Does anyone know what happened on, say, the Shrewsbury-Aberystwyth route, or in South Wales?