The displaced E-4s instead worked other trains until they were withdrawn from service in 1953.

"Thieves have always worked trains and stations," a European consular official said, "but overnight assaults are fairly new."

It was finally withdrawn from capital stock in July 1963 but continued to work special trains until October of that year.

The spur is occasionally used by freight and engineering works trains.

It was the mid 1980s before any effort was made to obtain a diesel locomotive that could work trains up the line.

The five companies had equal rights over the line, each of the companies regularly working trains over it.

Initially, it was based at Swindon and used to work trains on the Malmesbury branch.

Stephen Gardner seems to work, sleep and eat trains.

This class was fitted with equipment for working push-pull trains.

The first locomotive to work trains was Mawddwy which had previously been owned by France and used during construction.