GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY, PADDINGTON. Opened to Maidenhead, June 4th, 1838; to Twyford, July 1st, 1839; to Bristol, June 30th, 1841. The rail is on the broad gauge, and the engineer I.K.Brunel, Esq., son of Sir Isambert Brunel. The box tunnel on this line is 3168 yards in length.

Peter Cunningham, Hand-Book of London, 1850

Great Western Railway. - HORSES AND CARRIAGES. -  Horses and carriages are conveyed to or from Windsor, Taplow, Maidenhead, Bourne End, Great Marlow, Henley, Reading, Pangbourne, Goring, Wallingford, Abingdon, and Oxford, and horses only to and from Cookham. They are conveyed by certain trains only, for which see time-tables. In no cases are horses or carriages conveyed by trains which run to or from Bishop's-road Station, or to or from the Metropolitan line. The rates from Paddington to the stations on the river are as under:

Previous intimation should be given to the station master when horses or carriages are about to be sent, so that the necessary vehicles may be obtained and put in readiness by the time the horses or carriages are brought to the station. 
    COMPARTMENTS RETAINED·- Compartments, in carriages of any class, are reserved for families or parties of friends who are desirous of travelling together. Application should be made beforehand to the superintendent of the line, or the station-master at Paddington, as passengers cannot depend upon getting an empty compartment after they arrive at the station, if no previous notice has been given. The number of the party should always be stated.
    CLOAK ROOMS. - Passengers' luggage can be deposited in the cloak-rooms at Paddington, Westbourne- park, and all other stations on the line. The charge which the company makes for warehousing passengers' luggage, which has been, or is about to be conveyed on the railway, is 2d. for each package for an period not exceeding three days and 1d. per package for every day or part of a day after three days.
    CHEAP TICKETS FOR PICNIC AND OTHER PLEASURE PARTIES - Between May 1 and October 31 of every year, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class return tickets at reduced fares are issued from all London stations to bona fide pleasure or picnic parties of not less than six 1st class, or ten 2nd or 3rd class passengers. The tickets are available for use on the day of issue only; they are not issued to London in any case, nor from London to any place more than thirty mile distant, in order to obtain these tickets it is necessary that application should be made for them at least three clear days before the excursion is proposed to be made and the letter of application must specifically state that the party is exclusively a pleasure party, and give the following information:
    1. The probable number of the party.
    2. The class of carriage for which the tickets are required.
    3. The stations from and to which the party will travel.
    4. The date of the proposed excursion, and the trains by which the party intend to go and return
    The application may be addressed either to the general manager, the superintendent of the line, the superintendent of the London division (Paddington), or the station-master at Paddington. The power of refusing any application is reserved; but if it be granted, a letter of authority will be sent to the applicant, on production of which at the booking-office of the station from whence the party travels the necessary tickets will be issued. The fares are generally about a single fare and a quarter. From Paddington to the undermentioned stations on the Thames they are as under:

ANGLERS' TICKETS - Cheap 3rd class return tickets to the under-mentioned stations are issued from all London stations by all 3rd class trains to anglers who are bona fide members of anglers' clubs, and who produce their cards of membership at the time of taking their tickets. The fares from Paddington are as under:

Maidenhead , 2s 10d
Taplow ...  2s 6d
Twyford ... 3s 6d
Henley ... 4s 0d
Great Marlow ... 3s 6d
Cookham ... 3s 1d
Bourne End ...  3s 3d
Pangbourne ... 4s 7d
Goring ... 5s 0d

Anglers' tickets are in all cases "return" tickets, and are available for three days.
    OUTSIDE PORTERS FOR TRANSFER OF LUGGAGE - Where two stations belonging to separate companies are adjacent to each other, out-porters are appointed to convey passengers' luggage from one station to the other at fixed charges. 
    The Bishop's-road and Praed-street Stations adjoin the Paddington Station, and the authorised charge for the conveyance of luggage from one to the other is 2d. per package.
    At Reading the stations of the Great Western and South-Eastern Companies adjoin. The charges for the transfer of luggage are:

Single packages .. .. 0s 2d
Two or more packages, not exceeding ½ cwt. each .. 0s 1d 
Each package exceeding ½ cwt. each .. 0s. 2d..
Large quantities per ton .. 2s. 0d.

    At Oxford the charges are fixed according to circumstances by the station-master.
    The fares charged for through tickets do not in any case include the conveyance of luggage between the stations.
    The men appointed to the duty are in uniform, and the companies cannot control the charges made by any other persons whom passengers may employ to convey  their luggage.
    CHEAP SATURDAY TO MONDAY TICKETS. - On Saturdays and Sundays 1st and 2nd class return tickets to Windsor are issued at Paddington, Kensington, Uxbridge-road, Westbourne - park, Aldgate, Bishopsgate, Moorgate. street, King's-cross, and stations on the Metropolitan Railway between Aldgate and Edgware. road inclusive; and from Mansion House, Charing-cross, Victoria, and all stations on the District Railway between Mansion House and Gloucester-road inclusive; also from Hammersmith, Shepherd's Bush, Latimer-road, and Notting-hill, available for the return journey till the Monday following inclusive. Fares from either of the above-mentioned stations: 1st class, 4s 6d.; 2nd class, 3s. 6d.
    Similar tickets are also issued on Saturdays only from Victoria, Battersea, Chelsea, and West Brompton, available for return during the same period and at the same fares.
    On Saturdays and Sundays cheap 1st and 2nd class return tickets to Henley are issued at Paddington, Kensington, Uxbridge-road, Westbourne-park, Hammersmith, Shepherd's Bush, Latimer-road, and Notting-hill, available for the return journey till the following Monday inclusive. Fares: 1st class, 7s. 6d.; 2nd class, 5c. Also from Aldgate, Bishopsgate, Moorgate-street, King's-cross, and stations on the Metropolitan Railway between Aldgate and Edgware-road inclusive; and from Mansion House, Blackfriars, Charing-cross, Victoria and all stations on the District Railway between Mansion House and Gloucester-road inclusive. Fares : 1st class, 8s. ; 2nd class, 5s. 6d.
    Tickets are also issued (on Saturdays only) from Victoria, Battersea, Chelsea, and West Brompton, available for return during the same period. Fares 1st class, 7s. 6d;  2nd class, 5s.
    These tickets must he used on the down journey on the date of issue, but are available for the return journey by any train on Sunday or Monday.
    BOATS AND CANOES-These are conveyed in the guard's van or on the roof of a carriage at the rate of 2d. per mile, with a minimum charge of 5s. Ifs carriage truck is required the same charge is made as for a private carriage ; if two trucks are required a charge is made for one private carriage with 50 per cent, added. In cases, however, where the crew, not less than four in number, travels with the boat, the charge for the letter will be reduced one-half; but in order to obtain this reduction previous application must he made to the superintendent of the line, who will send a written authority to the applicant, to be produced when the tickets are taken.
    Boats or canoes are conveyed only at the risk of the owner, and therefore care should be taken to see that they are properly covered, or otherwise protected before they are sent to the station.

CHEAP DAY EXCURSIONS. - Cheap Day Excursion Tickets are issued by certain specified trains, from May 1 to October 31, to the following places from Paddington, Westbourne-park, Kensington (Addison-road), Uxbridge-road, West Brompton, Chelsea, and Battersea. Also from Aldgate, Bishopsgate, Moorgate-street, Farringdon-street, and stations on the Metropolitan Railway between Aldgate and Edgware-road inclusive; and from Mansion House, and all stations on the District Railway between Mansion House and Gloucester-road inclusive; and from Hammersmith, Shepherd's Bush, Latimer-road, and Notting-hill, there and back, in 3rd class carriages, at the following fares

Windsor.. .. .. 2s 6d
Maidenhead.. .. 3s
Taplow 3s
Cookham .. .. 3s. 6d.
Bourne End.. .. 3s. 6d.
Great Marlow .. 3s. 6d.
Henley 3s. 6d.

    The trains by which these tickets are available are published month by month in the Great Western Company's Book of Time Tables must be careful to note that if the cheap tickets are used by any other than the specified trains or if the journey there and back be not completed in the one day, the full ordinary fares will be charged.
    SALOON CARRIAGES. - Saloon Carriages constructed to carry about twenty-four passengers (1st class only) may be retained for parties of not less than seven passengers. Application should be made to the superintendent of the line, Paddington Station, some days before the date on which the carriages will be required, as the number is limited, and in the summer there is often a great demand for them. These carriages are not retained for parties holding picnic or other tickets issued at reduced rates.
    CHANGING TO AND FROM THE METROPOLITAN LINE. - Passengers between the Metropolitan line and the Great Western Railway change either at Bishop's-road, Praed-street, or Westbourne-park. Trains run through the Bishop's-road Station to and from the City, from and to Hammersmith, Richmond, &c., every few minutes throughout the day, and passengers by these trains should change either at Bishop's-road or Westbourne-park. Some of the main-line trains do not stop at Westbourne-park, and therefore persons not fully conversant with the time-table will do well to change at Bishop's-road. Westbourne-park is, however, more convenient for passengers coming from Hammersmith Kensington, or the western suburbs served by the Metropolitan trains running through that station, as the change is made by simply walking from one side of the platform to the other.
    The trains between Aldgate and the Mansion house run via Praed-street, consequently passengers arriving at Paddington in those trains must change at that station. Bishop's-road communicates with the Paddington Station by means of a covered way; but persons passing to and from the Praed-street Station must cross the street.
    The authorised charge for conveying luggage between Paddington and Bishop's-road or Praed-street is 2d. per package, irrespective of weight.
    PRIVATE BROUGHAMS.- Broughams may be hired at the Paddington Station at a fixed charge of for the first hour, 3s. after the first hour, 2s. 6d. per hour; or at 1s. 6d. per mile if according to distance. A note to the station-master will always secure the attendance of as many carriages as may be required on the arrival of the train.

Charles Dickens (Jr.), Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames, 1881