Oliver Cromwell 70013 on the 'Easterling' railtour August 15th 2009
The 'Railway Touring Company's railtour 'The Easterling' ex Lowestoft approaches Chelmsford at Generals Lane bridge Boreham at dusk (hence not very good video quality) bound for Stratford station in London on August 15th 2009. (Liverpool Street was original terminating station but was changed to Stratford at late notice for an unknown reason)
The locomotive is the 143 ton British Railways Standard Class 7MT 4-6-2 Pacific (better known as the Britannia class) number 70013 'Oliver Cromwell' This is a very special steam locomotive. It is one of only two left out of a batch of 55 locomotives, Oliver Cromwell was built at Crewe Railway Works in May 1951and delivered to Norwich Crown Point Depot soon after to which it regulary ran on this line, the London to Norwich mainline until 1963 just prior to the withdrawal of steam in this area in 1965.
It was transferred to Carlisle Kingmoor depot and this actual locomotive ran the last steam passenger train prior to the withdrawal of steam altogether on British Railways on August 11th 1968. The very next day August 12th 1968 she arrived back in Norwich en route for Bressingham Steam Museum at Diss in Norfolk. It is now owned by the National Railway Museum in York but maintained and based at and are based at the Great Central Railway in Loughborough, UK.
Restoration began to bring 'her' back to steam in 2004 and on August 10th 2008 it ran a mainline railtour for the first time in 40 years.
Oliver Cromwell 70013 on the 'Easterling' railtour August 15th 2009
The 'Railway Touring Company's railtour 'The Easterling' ex Lowestoft approaches Chelmsford at Generals Lane bridge Boreham at dusk (hence not very good video quality) bound for Stratford station in London on August 15th 2009. (Liverpool Street was original terminating station but was changed to Stratford at late notice for an unknown reason)
The locomotive is the 143 ton British Railways Standard Class 7MT 4-6-2 Pacific (better known as the Britannia class) number 70013 'Oliver Cromwell' This is a very special steam locomotive. It is one of only two left out of a batch of 55 locomotives, Oliver Cromwell was built at Crewe Railway Works in May 1951and delivered to Norwich Crown Point Depot soon after to which it regulary ran on this line, the London to Norwich mainline until 1963 just prior to the withdrawal of steam in this area in 1965.
It was transferred to Carlisle Kingmoor depot and this actual locomotive ran the last steam passenger train prior to the withdrawal of steam altogether on British Railways on August 11th 1968. The very next day August 12th 1968 she arrived back in Norwich en route for Bressingham Steam Museum at Diss in Norfolk. It is now owned by the National Railway Museum in York but maintained and based at and are based at the Great Central Railway in Loughborough, UK.
Restoration began to bring 'her' back to steam in 2004 and on August 10th 2008 it ran a mainline railtour for the first time in 40 years.