A specially re-painted locomotive with a strong Falmouth connection has been unveiled to mark the 175th anniversary of the Great Western Railway.

First Great Western has teamed up with heritage group, the Great Western Society to launch the new-look sleeper locomotive, Pendennis Castle, which has been repainted in original Great Western Green.

The new-look Pendennis Castle will haul the Night Riviera Sleeper, which operates between London Paddington and Penzance. Built at Brush in Loughborough in 1965, it was originally part of a fleet of 512 locomotives.

It is the second Pendennis Castle, the first being a steam version No.4079. During an almost faultless 40-year career No.4079 clocked up 1.75 million miles and still remains in its original condition.

A lengthy restoration project is currently underway and it is hoped the steam locomotive Pendennis Castle will be back in use in a few years time.

Great Western Society chairman, Richard Croucher, said: “We still have more work to do on our Pendennis Castle but we hope that, when she is complete, the two locomotives can perform together out on the main line as a living demonstration of both the fascinating history of the Great Western Railway and the vital contribution that it still makes to our modern society.”