Paddington Station at Dusk

London’s Paddington Station offers the extreme contrast of very modern trains in a Victorian setting.

I highlighted Paddington Station in my book Brian Solomon’s Railway Guide to Europe, published by Kalmbach Media in 2018:

Paddington is one of the most impressive London stations, built by Victorian master engineer Isambard K. Brunel for his broad gauge Great Western Railway (built with tracks just over 7 feet wide). It opened 1854 to replace GWR’s original but cramped station located a short distance to the west. Paddington’s great shed was originally a three span wrought iron roof (one of the first train sheds inspired by Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace of 1851) . . . The old shed was augmented in 1914 by a forth span constructed from steel and glass, yet retaining the spirit of the original roof . . .

Kris and I paid several visits to this grand theatre of British Railways during our February 2024 trip. The most visually impressive was on the return from Oxford on a Saturday evening, when the blue glow of dusk fascilitated added charm. Recent restorations of the train shed included some stunning lighting of the iron work, which is made most impressive during the transition from day to night.

I made these photos with my Nikon Z7-II.