Mail Trains of the South West, U.K.

The Great Western Railway Iron Duke Class (Top Left) was a class of broad gauge steam locomotives for express passenger train work. The prototype locomotive, Great Western, was built  in April 1846. They were in service until about 1885. Many of the nameplates can be seen at the National Railway Museum and at Swindon Railway Museum.

Steam Locomotive, Gt Western Railway, No 6000 "King George V", (Top Right) was  built at Swindon in 1927 and  withdrawn from service  in 1962. The locomotive is preserved at the National Railway Museum. The locomotive was the first of the "King" Class locomotives.

British Rail’s Class 52, Loco No D 1013 “ Western Ranger” (Bottom  Left) is a diesel hydraulic locomotive built for the Western Region of  British Railway between 1961 and 1964. All were given two-word names, the first word being Western; thus the type became known as Westerns. Western Ranger was withdrawn from service is in 1977 and is preserved.

The Inter City 125 (Bottom Right) was the brand name of British Rail’s High Speed Train (HST) fleet, introduced in 1976. After three decades, the majority of the HST fleet is still in front-line revenue service, even though Inter City 125 brand name is no longer in use. The HST still forms the backbone of express services on several British main lines. Most are expected to be replaced within the next 10 years.