Southern Railway 34046 'Braunton' at West Brompton

See this locomotive in the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMBcyYRMenc

Seen powering away from a station stop at Kensington Olympia is preserved Southern Railway rebuilt West Country Pacific number 34046 'Braunton', heading through West Brompton on the West London Line whilst working the 'Canterbury Belle' from Bristol Temple Meads to Canterbury. Braunton had taken over from diesel traction at Willesden Junction.

Although the West London Line did allow the movement of Southern Railway engines on its rails, the line was constantly juggled between various operators, including the Great Western Railway and the London, Midland & Scottish Railway. During the 1950's the line saw a major decline in services and was on the brink of closure altogether until major investments in the late 1980's saw the route electrified and operated by Network SouthEast Class 313's between Clapham Junction and Stratford. Within the space of 10 years the line went from seeing only 1 unadvertised train per day to having a half-hourly service, which has continued to be built on and now sees a London Overground Class 378 every 15 minutes together with Southern Class 377's bound for Milton Keynes.

West Brompton station itself was closed to national rail traffic in 1940, only being served by the District Line on its Kensington Olympia branch. But in 1999 the station was reopened and now features frequent commuter trains.

It should also be noted the large structure of Earl's Court Exhibition Centre immediately north of the station, a structure that could easily be mistaken for a large railway terminus in its own right.