BR standard class 7 70013 Oliver Cromwell
70013 Oliver Cromwell is a British Railways standard class 7 (also known as Britannia class) preserved steam locomotive. She was one of the last steam locomotives in operation on British Railways (BR) in 1968.
One of 55 of her class, Oliver Cromwell was built at Crewe Works, being completed on 30 May 1951. Initially allocated to Norwich Crown Point depot, she remained there until 1963 when she was transferred to Carlisle Kingmoor depot. Steam in East Anglia ended in 1965, after which the north-west of England became the steam locomotive's last stand. On 3 October 1967 she entered Crewe Works and became the last BR-owned steam locomotive to undergo routine heavy overhaul. She was selected to operate the last steam passenger train prior to the abolition of steam traction and in the summer of 1968 Oliver Cromwell hauled several specials, culminating in the Fifteen Guinea Special of 11 August that year.
Oliver Cromwell was later earmarked for the National Railway Museum's National Collection, replacing 70000 Britannia (which was later preserved privately), and despite a steam ban after the 11 August 1968, moved under her own steam on 12 August to her old shed at Norwich, and then on 13 August to Diss where she was transported to Bressingham Steam & Gardens. At Bressingham, she was in service to provide footplate rides till the 1980s, before retiring into the museum exhibition.
In 2004, she has been selected for restoration back to main line standard. The locomotive will be overhauled at the Great Central Railway with a view to hauling trains both on the Great Central and specials on the main line. The restoration aims to be complete by 2008, which will incidentally be the 40th anniversary of the end of British main line steam.
