Preview

Early morning at Penzance in September 1974 as Western Class 52 D1050 ‘Western Ruler’ waits patiently at the buffer-stops having arrived at the head of the previous night’s sleeper train from Paddington� Note the GUV at the head of the formation to carry the morning’s newspapers and the wall in the left background over which generations of spotters have noted the trains and locomotives coming and going from the station� Penzance is situated 299 miles from Paddington, exactly the same distance as Euston to Carlisle, but with totally different topography�

The train parked here in number 4 platform at Penzance is perhaps more interesting than the Western Class 52 D1021 ‘Western Cavalier’ at its head. It consists of two ex-Great Western Siphon G bogie-vans affixed with Enparts identification plates and they bookend a Mark 1 Corridor Brake, all allocated to the motive power department. The train is either waiting to back down to Long Rock motive power depot to deliver/pick-up locomotive spare parts, or has finished its business there and is awaiting a suitable empty-stock and/or parcels train to which it can be attached for return to its home depot which could be Laira, Bristol Bath Road, Old Oak Common, or possibly even Swindon Works�