This working lives of the Western Class 52 locomotives contained on this website could not have been achieved without the generous input of so many enthusiasts over the years. While I have sat burning the midnight oil collating it all, many others deserve a massive pat on the back for supplying notebooks and records to supplement the official BR records which we have had access to. Hopefully, before anybody decides to criticise this work on forums and elsewhere, they will think about the following people, because it is their work too that they will be criticising, and that would be very unfair and unjustified.

So, without, further ado and in no particular order, I have put together a list of the people who have been at the forefront of the information supply chain. If I have forgotten anyone, it is not for any other reason than my advancing years. In which case please write to trackrecordpress@gmail.com and I will place you on the list. All that is left to say is a massive thank you to everyone, please take a bow…

What a line-up! A Western, almost certainly D1012 Western Firebrand, a Hymek Class 35 and a WR Pullman sit at Old Oak Common in the running shed at the now long gone London depot. Photograph and copyright: A. Curtis Collection/WLRS Archive

Tom Sawyer; Clive Barlow; Sean Greenslade; Roger Geach; Andy and Graham Braund; the late Kevin Vercoe; Andy Bevington; Gary Morgan; Kevin Williams; Mark Alden; Paul Robinson; Keith Bullock; the Western Locomotive Research Society; the late Oliver Black; Claire Haresnape-Tyson; Paul Haresnape; the late Derek Wright; Chris Milner; Nick Pygott; David Brown; the late Phil Mingo; the Western Locomotive Association; Diesel Traction Group; the late George Russum; Marc Koch; Keith Stephens; the late Dave Thorpe; Chris Guntripp; Martin Street; Hugh Dady; the late Michael Mensing; the late Colin Caddy; the late Norman Preedy; John Glover; Derek Everson; Paul Winter; Julian Ogle; Steve Burdett; Les Feasby; Mike Woodhouse; Roger Fry; Mike Norris; the late Mike Stephens (Shopping Controller Paddington); Design Research Unit; Shopping Control Office, Paddington; Ian Norledge; Paul Stanney; Tim Fairweather and Stu Fairweather; Kevin Parkes; Steve Boon; John Kite; Steve Speck; Martyn Witts; Trevor Lawrence; Pete Bowyer; Mark Bristow; Mike Bryant; David Canning; Chris Hatton; Julian Hill; Gareth Jones; Stuart Morris; Gary Morris; Gwynne Parry; Bob Tiller; the D&EPG; Richard Williams; Tim Duncan; Barry Gay; Steve Bielby; Steve Crowther; Paul Townsend; Neil Phillips; Eric Curnow; Paul Gildersleve; Bob Hunter; Chris Hazlehurst; Jim Lambert; Rob Mabbett; Paul Manning; the late Greg Heathcliffe; Pete Sargieson; Adrian Meakin; Rod Ash; Bob Masterman; Graham Harris; Raymond Shinn; Fred Kerr; Robert Thomas; Hugh James; Steve Thomas; Nigel Fletcher; Nigel Painter; Steve Bramley; Martin Nicholson; Richard Petherick; David Green; Vaughan Machin; Paul Bettany; Andrew Royle; Richard Charlson; Robert Clarke; Mel Thorley; Howard Bolton; the Landore crew; Arnie Furniss; Alan Whincup; Greg Brookes; David Cross; Peter Rosier; Professor Duguld Cameron; Kenneth Sadler; Bruce Peter; David Tillotson; Mike Wade; Peter Holden; Paul Straw; Terry Jones; David Marshall; Stephen Parker and Andy Stace.

How you can help…

This Western database is FREE resource for enthusiasts, photographers and the media and the one primary aim is to keep it up-to-date and as accurate as possible. Therefore, we continue to rely on the goodwill of like-minded individuals who want to make a contribution to this website’s contents. So, in the interests of accuracy, if anyone has a query on any of the workings, for example they saw a Class 52 on a particular day but is at odds with what has been included here, then please use the dedicated email below:

westernlocoresearchsociety@gmail.com.

Please provide as much details as possible. Please be aware that the use of head codes was often wrong and should not be relied upon entirely to determine the working. Also some head codes such as ‘1A55’ for example were duplicated, for trains like the 21.05 Penzance-Paddington and 09.55 Paignton-Paddington. Also, if anyone would like to contribute their own sightings, either by listing them in an email or scanning in their actual notebooks, then please send them to the same email address. Please ensure, however, that the information contains: date, engine, train or time through a location, head code (if known), if a light engine movement is recorded then it would help if any head codes in either direction were noted. We look forward to your continuing support. Remember the more we can put together, the better this resource will be for people down the years and it will also help to keep the memory and details of the working lives of the fleet very much alive.

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A message to you all…

How you can help…