Great Western Coffee Shop

The permanent station at London Paddington was opened by the Great Western Railway on 29th May 1854. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, with architectural detailing by Matthew Digby Wyatt, it remains, in my opinion, one of the best railway terminuses in the world. 

http://www.inpaddington.com/content/paddington-stations-160th-birthday
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Paddington_station

Not to mention the wrought iron detailing on the end screens for arches 1 to 3 by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel

I worked at Paddington from 1978 to 1990 as one of the station electricians, even today it is still a joy to travel through although I do hanker after those bygone days it was great place to work.

I had to check Wikipedia to see if this was the same man responsible for a tall landmark in Paris. I'm astonished, I had no idea he was involved in the building of the station (although there is no mention of Paddington on his Wikipedia page).

Last sentence on this link to NR's webpage http://www.networkrail.co.uk/london-paddington-station/history/?cd=2

Blimey, you're making me feel old.

I was at Royal Oak to see King George V take the special celebration train out for Paddington's 125th birthday.  Main line steam was very rare then and that 1979 train may just have been the first steam since 1965 from Paddington (if you know better, please say).  Raneleigh Bridge depot (opposite the station) was still fully operational then too.

My abiding memory of Paddington then was of a station full of BRUTEs - it is much better today.

A tour of London stations in the late 70s was brilliant - first 50s, then HSTs at Paddington, DMUs at Marylebone, Electrics at Euston, Peaks at St Pancras, Deltics (swoon) at King's Cross, 47s at Liverpool St, never mind Broad Street, the 1940 stock on the Drain etc.

Nostalgia, eh!

Waterloo was a delight too, as it is in a different way today.  It was my London station from home and I saw it with the ancient departure boards, on station post office and before any modernisation had happened. 

33s then prevalent (I missed the Warships and - EMU wise - Nelsons).  Then 50s followed briefly by 47s.

The recent creation of a balcony has cleared the concourse and that's brilliant.