Paddington to Penzance During the Diesel Era Part 3

Paddington to Penzance During the Diesel Era Part 3 by Bernard Mills covers Plymouth to Penzance.

Paddington to Penzance during the Diesel Era follows the course of the Great Western Railway’s main line from London Paddington to Penzance through a wonderful selection of colour images from the renowned railway photographer Bernard Mills. The images cover a period of more than 50 years and date back to the mid-1960s, with the primary focus being the diesel-hydraulic era of the 1970s.

This final book in a three-part series explores the GWR’s Cornish Mail Line from Plymouth to Penzance. Leaving Plymouth, the line crosses Brunel’s spectacular Royal Albert Bridge and enters Cornwall. Passing through pastoral farmland, the line reaches Cornwall’s only city, Truro, before passing through former mining country to reach the coast at Penzance.

The book is divided into three chapters, each covering part of the route:

Plymouth to Liskeard
Liskeard to Truro through Mid-Cornwall
Truro to Penzance through West Cornwall

Each chapter contains a series of colour photographs taken along the route during the post-steam era. A wide variety of diesel locomotives and multiple units can be seen working between Paddington and Taunton, including the iconic Western Region Hydraulic classes.