Long Rock – Steam Era

Although Long Rock depot was undoubtedly “a blot on the landscape”, it was a magnet for me, whenever a visit was possible. Before the railway came there was a long beach of sand between Penzance and Marazion with marshland behind and it was on this land spit that the railway laid its lines. When space for engine servicing and turning was too constrained by Penzance’s growth, this third Engine Shed was built to a standard GWR style and lasted for well over 60 years, though lack of sufficient investment in its latter days took its toll. However, some of the railway’s top express locos ended their daily runs here, and a lot of local services and a substantial volume of freight meant the shed was kept busy much of the day.