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London
Paddington
Station
1947
- 1963
|
© Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
1947
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Oil-burning 'Hall' 4-6-0 at Paddington From
Platform 2/3 a Down stopping train waits to leave Platform 4, with an unusual
locomotive: 'Hall' No. 4907 'Broughton Hall', built January 1929,
renumbered 3903 as one of eleven 'Hall's temporarily converted (May 1947 – April
1950) to oil burning under the Government's abortive scheme during the
post-war coal shortage: note the oil-tank in the tender. “With apologies for the poor quality of the photograph”. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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New - and novel - GWR Hawksworth '9400' After the War, Hawksworth introduced an enlarged
version, the '9400' class, of the traditional 0-6-0 Pannier tank. With
Bishops Bridge above, no.9405 was only a month old (built May 1947, withdrawn
June 1965) when backing out after the empty train it had brought in had
departed. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Evening expresses at Paddington From Platform
2/3 'King' no.6026 'King John' (built July 1930, withdrawn September
1962) is waiting to leave from Platform 1 on the 6.30pm to Bristol, while at
Platform 2 the 6.35pm to Cheltenham has 'Saint' no.2954 'Tockenham Court', a “relic” from 20 - 30 years
earlier - built March 1913, withdrawn July 1952. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
1948
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Typical GWR suburban train leaving Paddington A local
train (probably for Slough and Reading) leaving Platform 6, headed by '6100' Prairie
tank no.6114 (built September 1931). From 1931 until 1960 the whole class of seventy
'6100s' worked in the London Division, dominating the suburban services. “Just four
months since Nationalisation, this engine is still in Great Western livery
and lacking a smokebox number-plate. Right over on the left can be a seen an
LPTB Underground train on the Hammersmith & City line.” © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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'County' 4-6-0 about to leave Paddington with a Worcester line express This is
the 1.45pm departure, calling at Reading, Didcot, Oxford
and principal stations via Worcester to Hereford (due 6.25pm - rather a slow
journey). Hawksworth 'County' no.1017 'County of Hereford' was built March
1946, has yet to receive its smokebox number-plate and later a
double-chimney; it was withdrawn December 1962. The train is at Platform 1
with the locomotive out beside the extension leading to the parcels station. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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South Wales Express
entering Paddington Station From the end of Platforms 8/9, towards
Platforms 10/11 and Paddington Goods Station 'Castle' no.7001 'Sir James
Milne' (built May 1946 as 'Denbigh Castle', renamed February 1948
after the last Chairman of the GWR, withdrawn September 1963) is heading the
7.30am from Carmarthen via Swansea etc. Five years later there is a similar
scene (25th July 1953) albeit with different boys and more modern
coaching stock. .© Ben
Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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1948 Locomotive Exchanges Passing Paddington
Goods station, Gresley A4 Pacific no.60033 'Seagull' whistles as it
arrives at Paddington on the 8.30am express from Plymouth with the
dynamometer-car leading - an extraordinary sight at the time. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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1948 Locomotive Exchanges “Stanier
'Coronation' 8P no.46236 'City of
Bradford' has some admirers - but with no dynamometer car as this was a
'dummy run'.” © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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1948 Locomotive Exchanges From the
extension of Platform 1, rebuilt LMS 'Royal Scot' 7P no.46162 'Queen's
Westminster Rifleman' is leaving Platform 3 at Paddington, on a trial run
with a dynamometer-car, with the 1.30pm express to Plymouth. “After the
Nationalisation of the Big Four Companies on 1st January 1948, in
the Summer a succession of trials of express, mixed-traffic and heavy-freight
locomotives was made, to determine which - if any - of the Companies' modern
locomotives was the 'best', before new Standard designs were drawn up for the
whole of British Railways. Each
Railway tried out all the others' selected types, except that owing to
loading-gauge restrictions the Great Western types could not be tested on the
former LMSR or SR main routes. Living in London - and with elastic Graduate
Student hours - I was able to rush round the termini and get some
photographs: here I captured one of the Express Locomotive trials, of an
ex-LMS locomotive on the ex-GWR”. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
1950
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A 'Saint /Court' 4-6-0 at Paddington Moving out
from Platform 5 is one of the Churchward 'Saint' 4-6-0 locomotives that
survived into the early 1950s, no.2954 'Tockenham
Court'. (Built March 1913, withdrawn July 1952). © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
1953
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Paddington Station, with holiday crowds South-east along Platforms 1 and 2 lines to
buffer-stops, on a peak Summer Saturday morning Saturday, 25th
July 1953. “Note the smart clothes!” © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Paddington Station, exit on Departure side From the
end of Platforms 4/5 underneath Bishops Road Bridge to Westbourne Bridge. On
the left is the Departure Box and beyond it the Parcels station. Several
locomotives are coming and going, the nearest being Prairie tank no.6119. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Express from Weston-super-Mare enters
Paddington From the
end of Platforms 6/7 'Castle' no.4084 'Aberystwyth Castle' (built May
1925, withdrawn October 1960) brings the 8.20am from Weston-super-Mare
into Platform 8 - past a bevy of young spotters languishing on the platform.
Beyond the electrified Hammersmith & City lines is the great bulk of
Paddington Goods. ‘This scene seemed at the time to be everlasting.’ © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
1955
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Ian Allan 'Trains
Illustrated' Excursion Platform 1 at Paddington and: the
train is about to leave for a memorable run, by the 'Lickey
Limited' to Bristol Temple Meads, then to Birmingham New Street - up the Lickey Bank and back via Bordesley Junction to
Paddington. “This 'Castle' class no.7017 'G.J.
Churchward' (built September 1948, withdrawn February 1963) took the
excursion to Bristol and, after turning, up as far as Bournville, where
Stanier Class 5 no.44842 took over through New Street and round to Bordesley
Junction, whence 'Castle' No. 7007 brought the train back up to Paddington. “ © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
1956
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Two expresses for Penzance waiting to leave A busy
Summer Saturday at Paddington, with two expresses beneath Bishops Bridge for
Penzance waiting to leave. With train-spotters watching, at Platform 3, ‘King’
no.6025 'King Henry III' (built July 1930, withdrawn December 1962) is
on the 11am to Penzance and Kingsbridge; at Platform 4, ‘Hall’ no.5941 'Campion
Hall' (built February 1935, withdrawn September 1962) heads the 11.5am to
Penzance. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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'Merchant Venturer' Modernised
'King' 4-6-0 No. 6002 'King William IV' (built July 1927, withdrawn September
1962) is ready to leave Platform 1 at Paddington with the 11.15am ‘Merchant
Venturer’ to Bristol Temple Meads and Weston-super-Mare. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Condenser-fitted Pannier tank Ex-GWR
condenser-fitted Pannier tank at Paddington. Supplementing the converted no.8700
(renumbered no. 9700), ten of the Collett '8750' class Pannier tanks were
built new in 1933 for the traffic on the Metropolitan Underground route from
Paddington to Smithfield. With
condensing apparatus and other modifications. No. 9701 (built September 1933,
withdrawn June 1961) is seen here off the end the Arrival platforms at
Paddington, with the great Goods Station behind, beyond the electrified
Hammersmith & City lines. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Paddington Station arrivals board at Christmas “On the
Friday evening (21 December) there was a terrible fog
and the board indicators could not show lateness of more than two digits (99
minutes)!” © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
1957
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Paddington Station, exit on Departure side Towards
Bishops Bridge from near the end of Platforms 2/3, on the right at Platform
3, 'King' no.6004 'King George III' waits to leave on the 'Merchant Venturer',
11.15am to Bristol and Weston-super-Mare. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Mitre Bridge The rare
sight of a 47xx 2-8-0 on passenger work at Mitre Bridge. Only on Summer
Saturdays were these 'Night Owl' 47xx class 2-8-0s employed on express work,
usually as here on the 12.5pm Paddington – Plymouth. No.4700 (built May 1919,
withdrawn October 1962) is approaching Old Oak Common East. “Apologies for the poor quality, but perhaps justified by rarity”. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
1958
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Weymouth departure Seen from
Platform 2/3, 'Castle' no.5001 'Llandovery Castle' leaving from
Platform 4 on the 6pm express to Weymouth, while 'Modified Hall' no.7927 'Willington
Hall' backs down onto a train at Platform 3. On the left empty stock is
running into Platform 5. “The
'Castle' was already thirty-two years old and lasted another five years, but
the Modified 'Hall' was a 'youngster' built in October 1950 and withdrawn in December
1965.” © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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'County' propels empty stock from Paddington Propelling
stock from a local train out of Platform 9 or 10 is Hawksworth' County' no.1004
'County of Somerset' (built October 1945, withdrawn September 1962 -
the first to go). Behind is the massive Paddington Goods station. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Relief Express to Cheltenham leaving Paddington Seen from
the end of Platforms 2/3, 'Hall' no.5987 'Brocket Hall' (built November
1939, withdrawn July 1962) blasts away underneath Bishops Bridge with a
Whitsun relief to the 6.35pm to Cheltenham. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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'City of Truro' at Paddington From the
buffer stops on Platform 2 at Paddington. “The scene is typical of the terminus
in those days, normally the locomotive on empty-stock work would have been a
2-6-2T or 0-6-0T. However, on this occasion I was astonished to see the
veteran record-breaking no.3440 'City of Truro'. After preservation for 26
years, it was restored to working order by BR in 1957 and based at Didcot put
to regular revenue-earning service. For a month in July 1958, this entailed
working up to Paddington on a morning residential train and back in the
evening, thence put on empty stock work during the day.” © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Rare visit of a '5600' 0-6-2T to Paddington Standing
at the end of Platform 5 under the Bishop's Road Bridge, probably after
working empty stock from Old Oak Common, Collett '5600' class 0-6-2T No. 6654
(built August 1928, withdrawn June 1965) is the rare visitor. Most of the
Class worked in South Wales, a few elsewhere, but only the odd one was
brought to the London Division (in the mid-fifties), none to 81A (Old Oak
Common). © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
1959
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Worcester Express entering Paddington Station 'Castle' no.7025
'Sudeley Castle' (built August 1949,
withdrawn September 1964) is terminating at Platform 10 at Paddington, the
train having left Wolverhampton at 2.15pm to run via Stourbridge Junction and
Kidderminster to Worcester, then to London via Oxford. Behind, and beyond the
Underground's Hammersmith & City lines, is the great Paddington Goods
station. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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'6100' class 2-6-2T by Paddington Arrival Signalbox From Platform
7 towards buffers along No. 8: the Arrival side of the ex-GWR London
Terminus. Collett '6100' class no.6157 is one of the whole class
of seventy that worked the suburban services; it was built March 1933,
withdrawn May 1962. Bishops Road Bridge is above. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
1960
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Outside Paddington Station A variety
of locomotives waiting to take up duty, mainly for empty stock working out to
Old Oak Common depot. The nearer locomotive is one of the 9400 class and
represents the final development of the pannier style tank locomotive for
shunting duties, developed as late as 1948, and mainly built under the
British Railways regime. Next to the
‘9400’ is one of the 5100 class large Prairie tank locomotives which may well
be waiting to take a commuter service out of Paddington rather than empty
stock. “Of
interest is the passenger vehicle visible to the left. This is distinctively
of LNER origin and some way from its normal territory. It is standing in the
long parcels bay which extended out beyond platform 1 of Paddington Station.” © Alan Murray-Rust (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Near Westbourne Park Large
prairie locomotive no.6142 brings a rake of empty coaches into Paddington for
an express working. This class of locomotive formed the principal motive
power for commuter services out of Paddington as well as doing empty stock
work. “The houses in the background have been replaced by modern
maisonettes.” © Alan Murray-Rust (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Wolverhampton Express ready to leave Paddington From
Platforms 2/3 towards the buffer-stops. About to depart from Platform 4 the 1.10pm
to Birmingham (Snow Hill) and Wolverhampton (Low Level) will run by the direct
route via Bicester, headed by no.6011 'King James I' (built April 1928,
withdrawn December 1962). © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
1961
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Paddington Arrival Signal Box Late
design of signal box by the Great Western Railway associated with the
installation of colour light signalling at larger stations. Opened in 1939 as
a rebuild after a fire in 1938 of the original 1933 box. The
locomotive was 9477, one of a class of heavier 0-6-0 pannier tanks introduced
shortly before nationalisation for heavy shunting duties. A number were
allocated to the London area for empty stock working into and out of
Paddington. “Note also
the milepost showing that although the photographer is still on the platform,
he is a quarter of a mile from the buffer stops!” © Alan Murray-Rust (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Paddington departure No.5014 'Goodrich Castle' heading westwards to an undetermined
destination. © Alan Murray-Rust (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Scene from barrier on Arrival side (Platform 8) at Paddington Station Collett no.5994
'Roydon Hall' (built December 1939, withdrawn March 1963) at Platform 8;
another express has just arrived at Platform 6. The collection of barrows was
no doubt awaiting the Mail traffic that night. “The girl accidentally featured was a total stranger!” © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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'Warship' Diesel waits to leave Paddington on a Plymouth express Swindon-built
2,200hp 'Warship' Type 4 Bo-Bo Diesel-hydraulic no.D829
'Magpie' heads the 4.30pm at Platform 3, while another 'Warship' is at
Platform 2, but there is still a 'Castle' on another Down express at Platform
4. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
1962
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'Capitals United Express'
ready to leave Paddington The Down 'Capitals United Express' will leave at 8.55am, with
'Castle' no.5087 'Tintern Abbey' (rebuilt November 1940 from 'Star' no.4067
of January 1923, withdrawn August 1963). The train will arrive at Swansea at 1.25pm,
reverse and continue to Neyland (arr. 4pm) and
Milford Haven (arr. 4.15pm), the portions dividing at Johnston. Just above is Bishop's Bridge; beyond
and over the Up main and local lines and the Underground (Hammersmith &
City) lines is the great Paddington Goods Station. Note the adjacent
‘searchlight’ signal with Rule 55 exemption plate. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Large Pannier Tank on empty stock work at Paddington From near the
barriers on Platforms 4/5, Hawksworth '9400' class no.8436 (built May 1953,
withdrawn June 1965) has brought in from Old Oak Common the stock for the
next express from Platform 4. Note the trolleys piled with bags of Mail. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Paddington’s approach ‘Searchlight’ signals in abundance “I was at
the end of Platforms 4/5, underneath Bishop's Bridge Road. Beyond the end of
No. 1 on the left is Paddington Departure Signalbox, then the parcels
station. In the centre distance two 0-6-0 Pannier tanks wait between empty
stock jobs; Westbourne Bridge is beyond and in the dim distance Royal Oak
(LT) Station can just be glimpsed. On the right, a 61XX 2-6-2T leaves with
the empty stock of an Up express and passes Paddington Goods Station.” © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Empty stock coming into Paddington Station From
Platform 4/5 under Bishop's Road Bridge, Hawksworth '1500' class no.1506
(built September 1949, withdrawn December 1963) is bringing the stock into
Platform 3 from Old Oak Common Carriage Depot. Behind is the Departure
Signalbox and the Parcels Station: ahead is Westbourne Bridge and to the
right Paddington Goods. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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On a summer evening a 'Castle' prepares to leave Paddington. The 7.5pm
to Cheltenham St James' has Collett 'Castle' no.5057 'Earl Waldegrave'
(built June 1936 as 'Penrice Castle', renamed October 1937, withdrawn March
1964). © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
1963
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Platform 6/7 at Paddington From near
the barriers at Platform 6/7 'Castle' no.7000 'Viscount Portal' (built
May 1946 with modifications - named after the wartime Chief of the Air Staff,
never after a Castle, withdrawn December 1963) has arrived with the 10.5am
express from Hereford. “A father
and son examine 7000's footplate admiringly, while the Driver stoops down to
(probably) look for the cause of that knocking noise he had heard. Beyond
Platform 9 on the right is the cab-road: the cars seem old - but the people
are well-dressed. Not much sun is coming through Brunel's great roof.” © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Express at Paddington about to leave for Devon Towards
the buffer-stops from under Bishops Road Bridge; 'Castle' no.5057 'Earl
Waldegrave' (built June 1936 as 'Penrice Castle', renamed October
1937, recently fitted with double-chimney, withdrawn March 1964) is heading
the 10.5am to Kingswear. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Express from Cornwall arrives with two Diesel-Hydraulics From
Platform 8-9 at Paddington, the train, arriving at Platform 10 is probably
the 12.30pm from Newquay, headed by 'Western' Type 4 C-C no.1054 'Western
Governor' piloting 'Warship' Type 4 B-B no.D848 'Sultan'.
“One of them - probably D1054 - had likely failed on the way”. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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Empty stock train entering Paddington From the
end of the long Platform 8/9, with the long Parcels Platform extending from
No. 1 behind. Headed by the first of the new small group of outside-cylinder Pannier
Tanks introduced by Hawksworth in 1949, no.1500 (built June 1949, withdrawn December
1963) having passed under Westbourne Bridge, the train has come from Old Oak
Common Yard over the flyover at Ladbroke Grove. © Ben Brooksbank (CC-by-SA/2.0) |
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COPYRIGHT BLOODANDCUSTARD Photographic Copyright Ben Brooksbank (CC-BY-SA/2.0) & “Quoted text” by the Photographers |
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