108-549: The Cornish Riviera Express is a British express passenger train that has run between London Paddington and Penzance in Cornwall since 1904. Introduced by the Great Western Railway , the name Cornish Riviera Express has been applied to the late morning express train from London to Penzance continuously through nationalisation under British Rail and privatisation under First Great Western , only ceasing briefly during
216-404: A 21-foot (6.4 m) arrival platform, and a 47-foot (14 m) combined arrival platform and cab road. A series of nineteen turnplates were sited beyond the ends of the platforms for horse and coach traffic. The first GWR service from the new station departed on 16 January 1854, though the roof had not been finished at this point and there were no arrivals. It was formally opened on 29 May, and
324-468: A Class 50 (or similar) as late as 1983. Through to 2018 HSTs continued to be used with very little change in performance despite the inclusion of an additional coach in the 1990s, although with new engines fitted. In 2018 they were replaced by Class 802s . The nameplate design for the 1958 Diesel was based on the Cornish Riviera Limited nameplate and was drawn in 1957 by Tom Stanton, aged 26, at
432-511: A daily morning and evening service in both directions, changing at Newport, Cardiff or Swansea. This route has been in existence since 1906. Paddington is the terminus for suburban trains to West London, Thames Valley , Reading , and Didcot , operated by Great Western Railway. The general off peak service pattern in trains per hour (tph) is: Great Western Railway Elizabeth line (operates from underground Elizabeth line platforms, A and B) Heathrow Express Until May 2003, Paddington
540-621: A departure board. Platform 7 is dedicated to the Heathrow Express . Flight information display screens for airline passengers are provided at the Heathrow Express ticket office near these platforms. An integrated timetable is offered between Paddington and Rosslare Europort in Ireland via the Stena Line ferry from Fishguard Harbour railway station with through ticketing to stations and
648-445: A fast train to Plymouth and Penzance. A new express service with limited stops was promoted by the GWR, commencing on 1 July 1904. It left London at 10:10 and was timed to reach Penzance at 17:10 running to Plymouth in 4 hours 25 minutes, a cut of 28 minutes on the previous fastest service. It conveyed six carriages to Penzance, including a dining car, and one more carriage for Falmouth that
756-560: A full set of construction drawings. Both proposals were rejected by the GWR Board of Directors. The LMS eventually succeeded in gaining access to the design by recruiting William Stanier , the GWR's Works Manager at its Swindon Works to become the new Chief Mechanical Engineer for the LMS. In 1935 attention was turning to streamlining locomotives, particularly with the introduction of the LNER A4 , and
864-564: A locomotive that looked attractive and well proportioned while remaining within the 20-ton axle limit. Unlike the Star class, there was no prototype. Collett was sufficiently confident of the design to place an order with Swindon Works (Lot 224) for ten locomotives in 1923, although there was a four-month delay between the appearance of the first example in August 1923 and the second in December, to allow for
972-439: A newly designed No.8 boiler which was both larger and lighter. The increased amount of steam that this produced allowing an increase in the cylinder diameter from 15 in × 26 in (381 mm × 660 mm) to 16 in × 26 in (406 mm × 660 mm). The extended frame allowed for a side window cab and an increased grate area. The result was an increase in tractive effort to 31,625 lb, and
1080-579: A result of this, GWR General Manager Sir Felix Pole proposed to LNER Southern Area General Manager Alexander Wilson that a trial of the two types should take place via an exchange arrangement. The resulting trials commenced in April 1925 with 4079 Pendennis Castle representing the GWR on the East Coast Main Line and 4474 Victor Wild representing the LNER on GWR tracks. On the first morning Pendennis Castle
1188-465: A shorter chimney was fitted. Those built before 1926 were fitted with a 3,500 imp gal (16,000 L; 4,200 US gal) tender but thereafter 4,000 imp gal (18,000 L; 4,800 US gal) became standard for the class. Between January and September 1924, the only Great Western 4-6-2 , No.111 The Great Bear , was rebuilt into a member of the Castle Class, although only
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#17328491369991296-512: A similar stop at Devonport to change locomotives as the King class locomotives were not permitted over the Royal Albert Bridge . The pre-WW2 schedules were not regained until autumn 1955 by which time the railways had been nationalised and the 1955 Modernisation Plan had been published. On 11 June 1956, chocolate and cream carriages were reintroduced on the service. The service was dieselised in
1404-422: A total of five editions being published up until 1926. An abridged 36 page booklet was also produced for free overseas distribution. In 1928 a new version of the book, written by SPB Mais made its first appearance, with revised editions published in 1929 and 1934. In 1928 a poster featuring a painting by Louis Burleigh Bruhl was issued to advertise both the book and the railway service. Other publicity featuring
1512-410: Is commonly believed that these were provided by Brunel to accommodate traversers to carry coaches between the tracks within the station. However recent research, using early documents and photographs, does not seem to support this belief, and their actual purpose is unknown. The original station used four platforms, 27-foot (8.2 m)-wide and 24-foot-6-inch (7.47 m)-wide departure platforms,
1620-751: Is different and it has no transepts. The area between the rear of the hotel and the concourse is called the Lawn. It was originally unroofed and occupied by sidings, but was later built up to form part of the station's first concourse. Paddington's capacity was doubled to four tracks in the 1870s. The quadrupling was completed to Westbourne Park on 30 October 1871, Slough in June 1879 and Maidenhead in September 1884. An additional platform (later to become No. 9) opened in June 1878, while two new departure platforms (later Nos. 4 and 5) were added in 1885. One of
1728-467: Is operated by the Great Western Railway train operating company. ... there [is] surely no train ... to which the word romance could be more aptly applied than to the Limited Through trains from London Paddington to Penzance began running on 1 March 1867 and included fast services such as the 10:15 Cornishman and 11:45 Flying Dutchman , but these still took nine hours or more for
1836-552: Is still recognisable. The station complex is bounded at the front by Praed Street and at the rear by Bishop's Bridge Road, which crosses the station throat on Bishop's Bridge . On the west side of the station is Eastbourne Terrace, while the east side is bounded by the Paddington arm of the Grand Union Canal . The station is in a shallow cutting, a fact obscured at the front by a hotel building, but which can be clearly seen from
1944-502: The Bakerloo , Circle , District , and Hammersmith & City lines . It is one of 11 London stations managed directly by Network Rail . The station has been perennially popular for passengers and goods, particularly milk and parcels. Major upgrades took place in the 1870s, the 1910s and the 1960s, each trying to add additional platforms and space while trying to preserve the existing services and architecture as much as possible. Paddington
2052-563: The Big Four grouping in 1923. A tube railway for the Post Office, opened in December 1927, could cater for around 10,000 mailbags every day. Paddington was extended again from 1930 to 1934. Platforms 2 to 11 were extended past the Bishop's Road bridge and a new parcel depot was built. Suburban services, which had never been considered important at Paddington, were increased as new housing estates in
2160-584: The Cornish Riviera Express were a jigsaw and a lantern-slide lecture which could be hired for shows to interested groups around the country. London Paddington station Paddington , also known as London Paddington , is a London railway station and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by
2268-671: The Crosville Motor Services bus depot. In summer 2018 it was moved briefly to Tyseley Locomotive Works in Birmingham to make an appearance at their open weekend before moving to its planned home at the West Somerset Railway for restoration. It is now located at Loughborough on the Great Central Railway , but will not be restored to mainline standards as its current owner intends to run it for its first ticket on
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#17328491369992376-579: The Elizabeth Line , alongside London Liverpool Street , it has become far busier, and London Paddington had become the 2nd busiest station in the United Kingdom during the 2022–23 period, with 59.2 million total passengers, behind London Liverpool Street and ahead of London Waterloo , the former busiest station. Paddington is the London terminus for long-distance high-speed trains operated by Great Western Railway . Two services go to Heathrow Airport :
2484-614: The Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the main line station dates from 1854 and was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel . As of the 2022–23 Office of Rail & Road Statistics, it is the second busiest station in the United Kingdom, after London Liverpool Street , with 59.2 million entries and exits. Paddington is the London terminus of the Great Western Main Line ; passenger services are primarily operated by Great Western Railway , which provides commuter and regional passenger services to west London and
2592-420: The Heathrow Express travels non-stop at a premium fare, while Elizabeth line takes the same route but calls at all intermediate stations. The station has 13 terminal platforms, numbered 1 to 12 and 14 from south-west to north-east (left to right as seen from the concourse). Platforms 1 to 8 are below the original three spans of Brunel's train shed, platforms 9 to 12 beneath the later fourth span. Platform 13
2700-732: The London Underground to reach workplaces in the West End or the City . However, recent redevelopment of derelict railway and canal land, marketed as Paddington Waterside , has resulted in new office complexes nearby. The station is in London fare zone 1 . In addition to the Underground stations at Paddington, Lancaster Gate station on the Central line is a short walk away to the south. A little further to
2808-413: The London Underground map . This same practice applies to all the London mainline rail termini, except London Bridge. Parts of the station, including the main train shed , date from 1854, when it was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel as the London terminus for the Great Western Railway (GWR). It is one of eleven stations in London managed by Network Rail . After several false starts, Brunel announced
2916-739: The National Collection upon withdrawal and has not run since being preserved. It can currently be found at STEAM, the Museum of the Great Western Railway in Swindon. No. 7027 Thornbury Castle was in ex-Barry Scrapyard condition and in July 2016 was sold by Pete Waterman to the Somerset transport firm JJP Holdings SW, transported to Weston-super-Mare on a low loader , then placed on a temporary track in
3024-699: The Pilbara region of Western Australia and exported in 1977. In 1989 it was moved by road to Perth where it double-headed with 4472 Flying Scotsman operating as far as Esperance . In 2000 it was donated by Rio Tinto to the Great Western Society and restored to operational condition at the Didcot Railway Centre in 2021. As of 2024 , three Castles are operational. Both 5043 and 7029 have mainline certificates with 4079 restricted to only operate on heritage lines. Two engines, 5029 and 5080, are in
3132-552: The Thames Valley region, as well as long-distance intercity services to South West England and South Wales . The station is also the eastern terminus for Heathrow Express and the western terminus for Elizabeth line services from Shenfield . Elizabeth line services also run through Paddington westwards to Reading , Heathrow Terminal 5 , and Heathrow Terminal 4 , and eastwards to Abbey Wood . Situated in fare zone 1 , it has two separate tube stations providing connections to
3240-412: The "front portion of the original frames and the number plates were used again but probably little else". The new locomotive was renamed Viscount Churchill and survived until withdrawal in July 1953. In April 1925, Star class No. 4009 Shooting Star was likewise rebuilt as a Castle by extending the frames and fitting a new Castle Class boiler and cab. It was renumbered and renamed 100 A1 Lloyds and
3348-754: The 1950s, with the first 100 A1 Lloyds withdrawn from Old Oak Common in March 1950. The first "new build" Castle, number 4091 Dudley Castle , was withdrawn from Old Oak Common nearly nine years later in January 1959. The lowest mileage of a Castle was the 580,346 miles run by 7035 Ogmore Castle between August 1950 and June 1964; the highest mileage of any Castle class was by 4080 Powderham Castle which totalled 1,974,461 miles in 40 years and 5 months. The last three Castles to be withdrawn were all allocated to Gloucester shed, with 5042 Winchester Castle and 7022 Hereford Castle withdrawn in June 1965. The last to be withdrawn
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3456-472: The 20-ton limit then set by the civil engineers, and in the end, nothing came of the idea. Charles Collett succeeded Churchward as Chief Mechanical Engineer of the GWR in 1922 and immediately set about meeting the need for a new locomotive design that would both supplement the Stars and replace them on the heaviest expresses. Collett's solution was to take the basic layout of the Star with an extended frame, and add
3564-486: The 4 hour mark, although the increased weight of these locos prevented their use in Cornwall. The King class were also permitted an increased maximum load of 360 tons between Newton Abbot and Plymouth; above this a stop was required to attach a pilot locomotive. In 1935, new coaches in the shape of the 9 ft 7 in (2.9 m) wide Centenary carriages, but there were few other significant changes until World War II . At
3672-462: The A4 design, or the sense of power associated with the streamlined LMS Coronation Class introduced 2 years later. Once the additions had been added a test run was carried out between Bristol and Swindon during which Manorbier Castle achieved a speed of 100 mph, but the experiment did not have any lasting effect on GWR locomotive design and the additions were later removed. The Castles handled all but
3780-476: The Acton-Northolt line closed. When its London Marylebone terminus was closed, Chiltern Railways diverted its services to London Paddington as did Wrexham & Shropshire between 2008 and 2011. On 9 August 1920, a passenger train collided with the buffers. Two people were injured. The following year, a passenger train was being shunted into a platform and collided with three luggage vans already occupying
3888-634: The D600s, latterly shedded at Plymouth Laira and restricted in their range, could still be seen taking the service in Cornwall as late as 1961. D1000 Western Class locomotives took over in 1964 but the D800s returned in 1968 - 1970, now working in pairs. Westerns were not fitted for electric train heating and so were replaced by Class 50 locomotives when air-conditioned Mark 2 carriages were introduced in 1975 and although these were initially unnamed, they were soon given names of warships, some of which were once carried by
3996-483: The GCR before considering future mainline certification. Two of the eight preserved Castles, nos. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe and 7029 Clun Castle , are fitted with double chimneys while the remaining six are still fitted with the original single chimney. 4079 was purchased by Sir William McAlpine and hauled a small number of railtours on the main line in its early preservation years before being sold to Hamersley Iron in
4104-409: The GWR felt that they could gain publicity in this area. Instructions were passed to Swindon Works to select a suitable locomotive and as 5005 Manorbier Castle was being prepared for test, additions were made to the locomotive to effect some streamlining. The application of shaped steel sheet in an attempt to smooth airflow has been described as a "bodge-up" and certainly lacked either the elegance of
4212-646: The Home Counties started being built. Bishop's Road station was rebuilt, giving an extra four platforms to Paddington (Nos. 13–16) and providing a new ticket office and entrance for suburban services next to the bridge. A public address system was introduced in 1936. By this time, around 22,000 parcels a day were being forwarded from Paddington, with the Royal Mail service processing around 4,500 mailbags and 2,400 parcel bags every day. The station came under attack several times during World War II . On 17 April 1941,
4320-514: The Limited ran throughout the war, but was cancelled in the winter of 1946/47 due to a coal shortage, not being restored until the following summer. Nonetheless, in the summer 1952 timetable, the non-stop run had been extended to Truro, 279 miles from Paddington, although the working timetable showed a 4-minute stop at Newton Abbot to attach a pilot locomotive to assist over the South Devon Banks and
4428-438: The London end of the four train sheds. Platform 14 can only be reached indirectly via the north-western end of platform 12. A footbridge crosses the north-western end of the station and gives access to platforms 1–12 and 14. There are ticket barriers to platforms 2–7 and 10–14. A first-class lounge on Platform 1 provides complimentary refreshments and Wi-Fi internet access. It also has screens showing television news as well as
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4536-460: The Stars. The first, No. 4073 Caerphilly Castle , made its debut at Paddington station on 23 August 1923. The choice of 4082 as Windsor Castle proved fortuitous as this locomotive was used to haul the Royal Train when King George V and Queen Mary visited Swindon Works in 1924, and much publicity was gained when the king was invited to drive the engine back from the works to the station before
4644-533: The Swindon Drawing Office. These sample timetables give an idea of how the speed and calling points of the train have changed over the years. Times are for the London to Penzance service on Mondays to Fridays. Slip coaches and other portions detached from the main train are not included. ♣ Now named Bodmin Parkway § Closed on 5 October 1964 In the 1920s the maximum number of coaches for an individual train
4752-618: The Swindon Works to Swindon railway station , accompanied on the footplate by Queen Mary . Plaques to commemorate the event were fixed to the sides of the cab and it was considered to be a royal locomotive from then onwards. At the king's state funeral on 28 January 1936, Windsor Castle was chosen to haul the funeral train from Paddington Station in London to Windsor & Eton . It was preceded at ten-minute intervals by another six trains hauled by Castle-class engines, each carrying royal and other important mourners. The same locomotive
4860-468: The climate to that of Italy and featured maps of Cornwall and that country which were arranged to show the similarity of the shape of the respective country and county. Postcards were also produced showing local views and a map of the "Cornish Riviera". A series of books entitled The Cornish Riviera were published. The first was a 152-page book in 1904 – the first ever published by the railway company – written by A.M. Broadley, and revised several times,
4968-405: The construction of a railway from Bristol to London on 30 July 1833. This became the GWR, and he intended it to be the best railway in the country. The GWR had originally planned to terminate London services at Euston as this allowed them to use part of the London and Birmingham Railway 's track into the station, which would have been cost effective. This received government approval in 1835, but
5076-401: The correction of any teething problems. Thereafter the remaining eight locomotives came out at regular intervals until April 1924. They were 4073–4082, the number series continuing unbroken from the Star class. The last 12 Star class locomotives, which were built in 1922–23, had been given names of abbeys in the western area served by the GWR. The new locomotives were named after castles, also in
5184-458: The departure side of the station was hit by a parachute mine, while on 22 March 1944, the roof between platforms 6 and 7 was destroyed by two 500-pound (230 kg) bombs. Passenger traffic greatly increased through Paddington during the war, partly by evacuation to the relatively quiet Thames Valley , and because holidaymakers chose to travel west as large areas of the south and east coasts had been taken over for military purposes. On 29 July 1944,
5292-474: The earlier Warship classes. Class 47 diesel-electrics also appeared from time to time throughout the 1970s. The last locomotive hauled Cornish Riviera ran on 5 August 1979 hauled by Class 50 locomotive 50 039 Implacable and on the following day High Speed Trains were introduced to the service, although summer relief services (additional trains usually run in advance of the main train to cater for additional passengers) were still formed of hauled stock with
5400-466: The early 1950s a King was the normal motive power for The Limited between Paddington and Plymouth , although with the advent of the BR Standard Britannia locomotives, these were also used. In 1958 diesel traction took over on The Limited in the shape of the pilot D600 Warships . These however were not sufficiently reliable and D800 Warships began working the train by 1960, although
5508-407: The end of through trains between Paddington and Birkenhead . These two, and six other Castles, survive in preservation. Of the eight Castles to be preserved, six have steamed in preservation and have been operated on the main line. Three were obtained direct from BR, 4073, 4079 and 7029, with the remaining five being rescued from Barry Scrapyard . No. 4073 Caerphilly Castle was given directly to
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#17328491369995616-734: The fitting of double chimneys to selected engines, combined with larger superheaters, further enhanced their capacity for sustained high-speed performance. The fastest recorded speed of a Castle Class engine was 102 mph achieved by 7018 Drysllwyn Castle at Little Somerford in April 1958 while hauling The Bristolian from Bristol to London. The non-stop run over 117.6 miles took 93 minutes 50 seconds, an average speed of more than 75 mph. Between 1946 and 1948 five engines—100A1, 5039, 5079, 5083 and 5091—were converted to oil-firing, but were soon restored to burn coal. Eleven Halls were also temporarily converted. On 28 April 1924, King George V drove locomotive No. 4082 Windsor Castle from
5724-404: The five storeys of the main block. It was originally run by a consortium of GWR shareholders and staff, before the company took over operations completely in 1896. The station was substantially enlarged in 1906–1915 and a fourth span of 109 feet (33 m) was added on the north side, parallel to the others. The new span was built in a similar style to the original three spans, but the detailing
5832-515: The heaviest loads, these being entrusted to the 30-strong King Class , themselves a development of the Castles with an even larger boiler and smaller wheels (6 ft 6 in diameter) for both increased tractive effort and to allow for loading gauge clearance. The Castle class was noted for superb performance overall, and notably on the Cheltenham Flyer during the 1930s: for example, on 6 June 1932
5940-402: The journey. In the early years of the 20th century there was keen competition between the Great Western Railway (GWR) and the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) for the rail traffic between London and Plymouth. The LSWR route via Salisbury was 15 miles shorter than the GWR via Bristol, but to counter this the GWR started running non-stop to Exeter, and this provided the basis of a plan for
6048-490: The last 2 days of the trial by gaining 15 minutes on the schedule in both directions. In 1926, number 5000 Launceston Castle was loaned to the London, Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) where it ran trials between London and Carlisle . The locomotive fulfilled the LMS requirements so well that the latter first requested the GWR to build a batch of Castles for use on the West Coast Main Line , and, failing that,
6156-517: The late 1950s. D1000 Western diesel-hydraulics introduced in 1964 could keep the four-hour schedule to Plymouth even with a 500-ton train and an additional stop at Taunton . Further cuts in time saw Plymouth being scheduled in 3 hours 35 minutes before the Westerns were withdrawn in 1977 to be replaced by Class 50 Diesel-electrics hauling Mark 2d/e/f air-conditioned coaches. These were, in turn, replaced in autumn 1981 by HSTs . Since privatisation ,
6264-503: The late 2010s improved air quality. London Paddington has always been one of the busiest stations in the UK, and was ranked as the 8th busiest station in the United Kingdom during the 2016–17 period according to the Office of Rail & Road, with 36.6 million passengers during that period, and was placed between Stratford and London St Pancras International . However, as a result of the opening of
6372-451: The line. A carriage was derailed and a luggage van was wrecked. On 23 November 1983, a sleeper train hauled by Class 50 locomotive 50 041 Bulwark was derailed on the approach to Paddington after speeding through a crossover. Three of the seventy passengers were injured. GWR 4073 Class The 4073 or Castle Class are 4-6-0 steam locomotives of the Great Western Railway , built between 1923 and 1950. They were designed by
6480-399: The lines between what is now platform 5 and 7 was removed, in order that the latter could be moved to a more southerly position. Aside from the June 1878 work, Brunel's original roof structure remained untouched throughout the improvements. The GWR began experimenting with the electric lighting in 1880, leading to Paddington being decorated with Christmas lights that year. Although the system
6588-797: The locomotive exchanges between the GWR and the LNER , but while keeping time the loco used much more coal than 4074 Caldicot Castle . Then in 1948 and 1955 ex-LMSR Princess Coronation Class 4-6-2s were similarly tried; on the second occasion the locomotive was 46237 City of Bristol . In 1956 the Kings were temporarily withdrawn for modifications, their place being taken on the Cornish Riviera by ex-LMSR Princess Royal and Princess Coronation class 4-6-2s 46207 Princess Arthur of Connaught , 46210 Lady Patricia , 46254 City of Stoke-on-Trent , and 46257 City of Salford . During
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#17328491369996696-514: The main station building. Coinciding with this project, a new taxi rank and pick up point was built north of the main station, as well as comprehensive upgrades to Paddington tube station . The underground platforms opened as the Elizabeth line on 24 May 2022. The station had historically been criticised for very poor air quality inside the train shed; however, the replacement of diesel InterCity 125 trains by bi-mode Class 800 and 802 trains in
6804-423: The main stations for military movement during the war, Paddington was used for some of this traffic. On Armistice Day 1922, a memorial to the employees of the GWR who died during the war was unveiled by Viscount Churchill . The bronze memorial, depicting a soldier reading a letter, was sculpted by Charles Sargeant Jagger and stands on platform 1. The GWR was the only railway company that continued through
6912-462: The move at various stations to serve holiday destinations such as Weymouth , Minehead , Ilfracombe , and Newquay , and the train began to run non-stop to Newton Abbot where a pilot engine was added for the climb over the Dainton and Rattery banks , the southern outliers of Dartmoor . By the middle of World War I the train had grown to 14 coaches, even running in two portions on summer Saturdays, but
7020-402: The name, the prize being three guineas (£3.15). Among the 1,286 entries were two suggestions, The Cornish Riviera Limited and The Riviera Express , which were combined as The Cornish Riviera Express , although railwaymen tended to call it The Limited . For the first two years, the new train ran only during the summer, but from the third year became a year-round feature of the timetable. With
7128-492: The older temporary station was demolished the following year. The Great Western Hotel was built on Praed Street in front of the station from 1851 to 1854 by architect Philip Charles Hardwick , son of Philip Hardwick (designer of the Euston Arch ) in a classical and French-chateau design. It opened on 9 June 1854, and had 103 bedrooms and 15 sitting rooms. Each corner contained a tower containing two additional floors beyond
7236-500: The opening of a 20 + 1 ⁄ 4 mile shorter route along the Langport and Castle Cary Railway in 1906, it was possible to start the train twenty minutes later from Paddington and still arrive in Penzance at the same time. New 68 ft (21 m) Concertina carriages were scheduled for the train at the same time. Additional slip coaches were added to be dropped from the train on
7344-523: The other three sides. To the north of the station is the Westway , to the northeast is Edgware Road , and to the east and southeast is the London Inner Ring Road . The surrounding area is partly residential, and includes the major St Mary's Hospital , restaurants and hotels. Until recently there was little office accommodation in the area, and most commuters interchanged between National Rail and
7452-668: The outbreak of war all trains to the West Country were to travel via Bristol , and departure of the Cornish Riviera was moved to 14:35, although this change only lasted until October when the departure time returned to 10:30 with Exeter as the first stop. By summer 1941 it seemed that everyone was taking their (brief) summer holidays in the West Country, and the Cornish Riviera ran in five sections for Penzance, St Ives, Paignton , Kingswear and Newton Abbot respectively. Ironically
7560-493: The pocket timetables it publishes, and its services to Bath, Bristol, Weston-super-Mare and South Wales are in timetable number 1. With the building of the Elizabeth line Paddington gained two more low level platforms numbered A and B. These are located underground in the Elizabeth line section of the station directly to the south west of the main concourse. The concourse stretches across the heads of platforms 1 to 12, underneath
7668-540: The process of undergoing overhauls. 5080 is due to have its boiler assessed in 2024 to ascertain the cost of its overhaul; to speed up the engine's return to service only the boiler is to be overhauled while its bottom-end remains intact. The engine will only operate on heritage railways at first, but a full mechanical overhaul to mainline standards will be undertaken once enough money has been raised. The engine will eventually become part of Tyseley's pool of mainline certified alongside class members 5043 and 7029. In 2023, 5029
7776-561: The prototype for the Star Class, No. 4000 North Star was rebuilt into a Castle, being subsequently withdrawn in 1957. Between 1937 and 1940 a further ten members of the 'Abbey series' of the Star class (Nos. 4063–4072) were rebuilt as Castles on Lot 317. They were allocated new numbers 5083 to 5092 but retained their original names and were withdrawn between 1958 and 1964. When introduced they were heralded as Britain's most powerful express passenger locomotive, being some 10% more powerful than
7884-523: The railway's Chief Mechanical Engineer, Charles Collett , for working the company's express passenger trains. They could reach speeds of up to 100 mph (160 km/h). The origins of this highly successful design date back to the Star Class of 1907 which introduced the basic 4-cylinder 4-6-0 layout with long-travel valves and Belpaire firebox that was to become characteristic of Great Western Railway (GWR) express passenger locomotives. The Star class
7992-585: The rebuilding of Westbourne Park station. The work was halted because of World War I but resumed in 1926, to be completed the following year. Three new platforms were added; platform 12 in November 1913, platform 11 in December 1915, and platform 10 the following year. The roof was completely reconstructed between 1922 and 1924, replacing Brunel's original cast-iron columns with steel replicas. Unlike several other London termini, Paddington saw no damage during World War I . Although Victoria and Charing Cross were
8100-523: The return journey, with the Queen and several high-ranking GWR officers also on the footplate. During 1924, 4073 Caerphilly Castle was exhibited at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, alongside Nigel Gresley 's Flying Scotsman . The Great Western declared their engine to be more powerful than its bigger LNER rival, and in terms of tractive effort alone they were entitled to do so. As
8208-407: The same year. By this time, public opinion had turned against wholesale demolition and redevelopment of stations such as Euston, and consequently the rebuilding work was done with an eye towards preserving Brunel and Wyatt's original station design. Special steam services began to be run from Paddington again in the 1980s. In 1982, a bronze statue of Brunel was erected on the station concourse. It
8316-525: The scheduled time and used less coal, considerably denting LNER pride. For the LNER, Victor Wild was compared on the Cornish Riviera Express to 4074 Caldicot Castle and although it kept to time the longer wheelbase of the Pacific proved unsuited to the many curves on the route. Again the GWR took the honours with Caldicot Castle burning less fuel and always ahead of time, this being illustrated on
8424-439: The service has been operated by Great Western Railway , still using HSTs. As at September 2016, the Cornish Riviera name is carried on the 10:06 from London Paddington and 08:44 departure from Penzance. It now follows the basic calling pattern of other London to Penzance services calling at most stations in Cornwall. The first trains were worked by City Class 4-4-0 steam locomotives, including 3433 City of Bath which worked
8532-460: The site of the goods depot. Brunel did not consider that anything less than a grand terminus dedicated to the GWR would be acceptable, and consequently this was approved in February 1853. The main station between Bishop's Bridge Road and Praed Street was designed by Brunel, who was enthusiastic at the idea of being able to design a railway station himself, although much of the architectural detailing
8640-403: The south lie the conjoined parks of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens . The narrow busy section of the incoming main railway line between Ladbroke Grove and Paddington station is known as Paddington Throat among some engineers. The National Rail station is officially named London Paddington , a name commonly used outside London but rarely by Londoners, who call it just Paddington , as on
8748-619: The special demonstration train on 30 June 1904 that took the coaches down ready for the first public train the following day. In the early days the French 4-4-2 compound locomotive 102 La France was also used on the Cornish Riviera . After this, with the weight of trains increasing, the train was increasingly worked by larger two-cylinder 4-6-0 Saint Class locomotives. In 1907 the more powerful Star Class four-cylinder 4-6-0s were introduced, which in turn were superseded by Castle Class 4-6-0s in 1924. Locomotives were usually changed at Plymouth,
8856-446: The station directly to Heathrow Airport . From 1999 until 2003, Express Baggage check-in facilities for airline passengers were provided in the Lawn, however these were progressively replaced by retail units. The station's fourth span was renovated in 2010, involving repair and restoration of the original glazed roof, so that platforms 9 to 12 can once more enjoy daylight. A false ceiling or crash deck had been in place since 1996. Work
8964-464: The station was closed for three hours because the platforms were saturated with passenger traffic, while on the subsequent August bank holiday , crowds were controlled in tight queues along Eastbourne Terrace by mounted police. Steam traffic began to be replaced in the late 1950s. Between 1959 and 1961, suburban services switched to diesel multiple units , while the last regular long-distance steam train left Paddington on 11 June 1965. The track layout
9072-515: The train being worked through Cornwall by a local locomotive – a City or Duke class or later, a Hall Class 4-6-0. In 1927 the train became the responsibility of the new King Class 4-6-0s, but these were too heavy to cross the Royal Albert Bridge into Cornwall. In 1952 BR Britannia Class 4-6-2s worked the train west of Plymouth for a short period. At various times visiting locomotives have been tested on this demanding roster. LNER A1 Class 4-6-2 4474 Victor Wild saw trials in 1925 as part of
9180-717: The train to travel to Plymouth without the need to stop to attach a pilot locomotive , use of slip coaches keeping the load below the 310 ton limit for the Castle Class. However the pre-eminence of the Castle class did not last long as the Southern Railway Lord Nelson class of 1926 topped them for tractive effort, and so the King class was developed, particularly with the heavy West-country holiday trains in mind. Their introduction from 1927 allowed arrival in Plymouth to reach
9288-532: The train was suspended in January 1917 as a wartime economy measure. Running of The Limited resumed in summer 1919 although a 60 mph blanket speed limit was still in force, and it was not until autumn 1921 that pre-war timings were reinstated. In 1923 new steel-panelled coaches and, more importantly the introduction of the Castle Class locomotives, billed as the "most powerful locomotive in Britain". This allowed
9396-470: The train, pulled by 5006 Tregenna Castle , covered the 77.25 miles from Swindon to Paddington at an average speed of 81.68 mph start-to-stop (124.3 km at an average speed of 131.4 km/h). This world record for steam traction was widely regarded as an astonishing feat. In 1946 Frederick Hawksworth , Collett's successor, introduced a higher degree of superheat to the Castle boiler with resulting increased economy in water consumption. From 1956
9504-413: The two World Wars. The name is also applied to the late morning express train running in the opposite direction from Penzance to London. Through performance and publicity the Cornish Riviera Express has become one of the most famous named trains in the United Kingdom and is particularly renowned for the publicity employed by the Great Western Railway in the 1930s which elevated it to iconic status. Today it
9612-426: The west, beginning with Caerphilly Castle . Over the twenty-seven years from August 1923 to August 1950, 155 Castles were built new at Swindon Works and a further sixteen were converted from other classes. In February 1952, two engines, 4082 Windsor Castle and 7013 Bristol Castle , swapped names and numbers: 7013 was disguised as 4082 to run George VI 's funeral train and the numbers were never swapped back. 4082
9720-646: Was 7029 Clun Castle in December 1965, which worked the last steam train out of Paddington on 27 November 1965. 5003–04/06–08/11–13/16–17/19–21/24/27/30/32–36/44–48/52–53/59, 5061/62/64/66–69/72/75/77–78/82/84/88/90/94–95, 7016 5001/15/22–23/25/29/31/38/40–41/43/49–51/58/60/65/71/80–81/87/92–93/97/99, 7000–01/06–07/09/15/17–18/20–21/27–28/30–31/33/36–37 5000/02/18/26/37/39/54–57/70/73–74/76/85/89/91/96/98, 7002–05/08/10/12/19/25–26/32 See List of GWR 4073 Class locomotives On 4 March 1967, Nos. 7029 Clun Castle and 4079 Pendennis Castle hauled specials from Banbury and Oxford respectively to Chester , to mark
9828-427: Was 14 giving an overall gross weight of 520 to 530 tons, this being reduced during the journey as coaches were slipped. The number of coaches was reduced during the summer timetable as the Cornish Riviera Express ran as 2 portions In addition to the Cornish Riviera Express , the Great Western Railway promoted the "Cornish Riviera" in other ways. A poster campaign using the slogan See your own country first likened
9936-545: Was built 1881, and by the 20th century over 3,000 churns were being handled at the station every day. Other goods such as meat, fish, horses and flowers were also transported through Paddington. Passenger traffic continued to improve as well. In March 1906, the goods depot at Westbourne Park was moved to Old Oak Common . The main departure platform was extended in 1908 and used for milk and parcels. In 1911, work began to separate light and empty carriage traffic from running trains between Paddington to Old Oak Common, which involved
10044-482: Was by his associate Matthew Digby Wyatt . He took inspiration from Joseph Paxton 's Crystal Palace and the München Hauptbahnhof . The glazed roof is supported by wrought iron arches in three spans, respectively spanning 68 feet (21 m), 102 feet (31 m) and 70 feet (21 m). The roof is 699 feet (210 m) long, and the original roof spans had two transepts connecting the three spans. It
10152-468: Was completed and the restored roof unveiled in July 2011. A second phase of improvements began in July 2014 and was completed two years later. Network Rail originally planned to demolish Span 4 and build an office block over it, which was successfully contested by Save Britain's Heritage . In the mid 2010s, construction began on an underground station as part of the Crossrail project, located south west of
10260-465: Was decommissioned in December 2016 to permit lengthening of platform 12 for 10-coach trains. Platform 14 is within the Metropolitan Railway 's old Bishop's Road (Suburban) station to the north-west. Immediately alongside are through platforms 15 and 16, used by the London Underground 's Hammersmith & City and Circle lines. The current operator, Great Western Railway, assigns numbers to
10368-404: Was designed to take the top express trains on the GWR, with 61 in service by 1914, but after World War I there was a need for an improved design. To meet this need, Chief Mechanical Engineer George Churchward had in mind an enlarged Star class design with a standard No.7 boiler, as fitted to his GWR 4700 Class express freight 2-8-0. However, this combination would have taken the axle load over
10476-555: Was detached at Truro then added to a branch train to complete its journey. Other stops were made at Plymouth North Road , Gwinear Road (for the Helston branch ), and St Erth (for the St Ives branch ). The return train from Penzance started at 10:00 and called additionally at Devonport . A public competition was announced in the August 1904 edition of the Railway Magazine to choose
10584-411: Was first served by London Underground trains in 1863, as the original western terminus of the Metropolitan Railway , the world's first underground railway. In the 20th century, suburban and commuter services appeared at Paddington as the urban sprawl of London moved westwards. Despite the numerous upgrades and rebuilding, plus damage sustained in particular during World War II , Brunel's original design
10692-575: Was part of the Virgin CrossCountry network with services to the North of England and Scotland via Oxford and Birmingham New Street . From June 2005 until May 2018, Paddington was the terminus for Heathrow Connect services. Until December 2018, Chiltern Railways operated a weekday parliamentary service from South Ruislip and to High Wycombe via the Acton–Northolt line . It ceased when
10800-435: Was rejected as a long-term solution by Brunel as he was concerned it would also allow Liverpool to compete as a port with Bristol if the railway from Birmingham was extended. The first station was a temporary terminus for the GWR on the west side of Bishop's Bridge Road, opened on 4 June 1838. The first GWR service from London to Taplow, near Maidenhead, ran from Paddington in 1838. After the main station opened, this became
10908-464: Was renamed First Great Western in 1998, and merged with First Great Western Link and Wessex Trains to form the Greater Western franchise in 2006. In 2015, the operating company was renamed Great Western Railway . In the mid 1990s, the Great Western Main Line approaches and platforms were electrified as part of the Heathrow Express project. Opening in 1998, the airport rail link connects
11016-451: Was reorganised in 1967, abolishing the distinction between arrival and departure platforms that had been a feature of Paddington since opening. A new set of sidings was built south of Royal Oak, and the track curve into Paddington was eased. Services to the Midlands were rerouted via Marylebone during this time. The station concourse was enlarged in 1970, and the ticket office was rebuilt in
11124-529: Was requested for the funeral of King George VI in February 1952; however, Windsor Castle was under repair at Swindon, so the number, name plate and commemorative plaques were swapped with No. 7013 Bristol Castle for the event. Following the funeral, the two locomotives retained their exchanged names and numbers, but the commemorative plaques were returned. No. 7013 (originally 4082) was scrapped in September 1964 while number 4082 (originally 7013) survived until February 1965. Withdrawal of steam power started in
11232-510: Was sculpted by John Doubleday and funded by the Bristol and West Building Society . Between 1989 and 1999, the Lawn was re-roofed and separated from the concourse by a glass screen wall. It is surrounded by shops and cafes on several levels. As with other major British railway termini, Paddington is owned and managed by Network Rail . Train services were privatised in 1996, initially to Great Western Trains and Thames Trains . The former company
11340-414: Was to work a 480-ton train from King's Cross to Doncaster , and LNER officials fully expected the smaller, lighter engine to encounter problems climbing Holloway Bank. However, railway writer Cecil J. Allen records that the GWR locomotive made a faster start from King's Cross to Finsbury Park than any LNER Pacific he had recorded up to that time, and over the trial Pendennis Castle kept well within
11448-406: Was unreliable, it spurred the GWR on to a more ambitious lighting scheme in 1886, in which a 145V AC supply could light the terminus, office, goods yard and Royal Oak and Westbourne Park stations. It was praised for its scale and showing that electricity could compete with gas lighting on the same scale. Paddington became an important milk depot towards the end of the 19th century. A milk dock
11556-429: Was withdrawn from service in 1964 as 7013 and 7013 was withdrawn from service as 4082 in 1965. The new-builds were as follows. Great Western Railway British Railways (Western Region) These locomotives were built with minimal changes to the dimensions. However, from 5013 Abergavenny Castle there was an alteration to the shape of the front-end casing over the inside cylinders, and from 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
11664-437: Was withdrawn in 1950. In October 1925 a second Star class, No. 4016 The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) , was similarly converted to a Castle although in this case, it retained its name and number. Two further conversions of Stars were undertaken in 1926; Nos. 4032 Queen Alexandra and 4037 The South Wales Borderers retaining their names and numbers and surviving until 1951 and 1962 respectively. In November 1929
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