Abandoned and desolate Pullman coaches, Marazion, Cornwall

Desolate abandoned Pullman coaches, Marazion, Cornwall

I spotted several old Pullman railway coaches in a state of ruin during a trip to Cornwall in 2003.

Once the byword for upmarket,  luxury train travel, several of these once glorious carriages had been dumped at Marazion station in the 1960s and put to use as camping coaches.

Desolate abandoned Pullman coaches, Marazion, Cornwall

Years of criminal neglect had seen the fine varnished wood and exquisite paintwork of the carriages being stripped away in the sea air,  leaving them in a terrible state.

Desolate abandoned Pullman coaches, Marazion, Cornwall

The coaches were on a strip of track next to the abandoned station at Marazion, which closed to passengers on 5th Oct 1964. It’s now been converted to private housing.

Desolate abandoned Pullman coaches, Marazion, Cornwall

‘Juno’, a 1923 brake parlour car looks forlorn, while just beyond it can be seen the shell of the burned out 1923 coach, ‘Aurora’.

Desolate abandoned Pullman coaches, Marazion, Cornwall

Desolate abandoned Pullman coaches, Marazion, Cornwall

The sad remains of  ‘Calais’, once a luxury 12 wheel parlour car, built in 1921.

All of the remaining coaches at Marazion disappeared shortly after these photos were taken, with a posting on the Pullman Society’s website in September 2003 reporting that the coaches had “vanished” and been replaced by an “an ominous pile of charred timber and a few odd wheel sets”

Petworth survival

Desolate abandoned Pullman coaches, Marazion, Cornwall

On a happier note, two of the coaches at Marazion were rescued in the late 1990s and have subsequently been fully restored to their former glory at Petworth railway station, where they now serve as luxury hotel rooms – we stayed there for a weekend a few years back.

See more hereMarazion station and abandoned coaches, 2003
Marazion station,  2005

8 Comments on “Abandoned and desolate Pullman coaches, Marazion, Cornwall”

  1. I have many childhood memories of staying in those camping coaches at Marazion during the late 70/80’s. My dad worked on the railway so we used to stay in them. Brilliant times and such a great setting. My love for Cornwall has never ceased.. So sad to see them go. My grandad used to be a train driver and would change his shift in order to be able to do the Penzance run, he used to slow the train down as he got to marazion and throw sweets at us, wrapped in a oily rag. I remember mars bars tasting of diesel!

  2. I too have many, many fond memories of the camping coaches. my granddad use to work for the railways. we also stayed in tenby and Dawlish. me and my sister, our parents, cousins, aunts uncles and grandparents all crowded in and somehow managed. but what fun we use to have. my last holiday in them was dawlish in 1984 when I would have been 13. the year before we’d been to marazion. it is such a shame they let the marazion ones get the way they did. and I also remember saying I was going to buy a camping coach in both marazion and Dawlish when I was younger, lol. here’s to our happy memories

  3. Just read about these in Roger Deakin’s excellent book “Waterlog” where he too laments the neglectful demise of these beautifully made carriages. Here in Australia many such carriages are restored and offered as accommodation, often in wine regions and the make for marvellous novelty holidays, especially for the kids – perhaps more nostalgic for us older folk!

    Thank you for the piece and regards from Sydney – Dave

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