In (say) 1962 the last KIng's Cross-Edinburgh service of the day was the 1600 'Talisman'. So if that was oversubscribed a relief might well be necessary.
In 2020 (pre-COVID) there were later trains at 1630, 1700, 1730, 1800, 1830, 1900 and 1930 (FO). Not quite the same need for reliefs even before things like far more readily available seat reservations.
In my time with BR I only recall one relief, back in the 1970s on the way to Glasgow. For some reason it was booked via Kilmarnock rather than following the parent train down the WCML from Carlisle. We then spent half an hour in Lugton loop awaiting a path forward (which the driver and secondman put to good use as they picked blackberries).
There were certainly plenty of relief trains in the late 70s - my first job involved monitoring them!
Possibly at very small depots like Stranraer. Long before 1988 larger depots tended to have links and various other devices to divide work into more discrete chunks. It wasn't very sensible to have a guard turn up in grubby overalls from yesterday's job at a colliery and then use him to cover a turn on the South Wales Pullman for example. On the Southern there were 'EMU' (only) depots as distinct from Mixed Traction/MT depots for many years.
True, but most depots (even, perhaps especially, the big ones) also had "spare" or "block" links with crews who had wide route and traction knowledge. Very useful during disruption. My father spent his entire Crewe career "on the block" and - yes - it could be oil to Rowley Regis on Monday and Class 1 to Euston on Tuesday.
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