It is 10:55am as Castle 4-6-0 No 5077 Fairey Battle waits to leave Paddington with the 'Pembroke Coast Express' on September 14, 1959. Another Castle waits on the right wirth the 'Merchant Venturer' to Weston.

Peter Kerslake says "The down "Pembroke Coast Express" is on Paddington's platform two with 5077 "Fairey Battle" about to return home to Wales, working the usual eight coach formation as far as Swansea from where, after reversal, a fresh engine, invariably a Landore based "Castle", will work the reduced load of four coaches as far as Carmarthen from where the service became a slow "All Stations" service on its third and final stage to Pembroke Dock.
The last of these "Castle" hauled duties was on 17th. March 1962, the service itself terminating in September of 1963, a seven hours journey from start to finish over a distance of 244 miles!"

Photo: Peter W. Gray/Rail Archive Stephenson