BRITANNIA CLASS 7 LOCOMOTIVE NO. 70013 'OLIVER CROMWELL' RETURNS TO CORFE CASTLE AND SWANAGE ON FRIDAY 13TH MAY 2011

Photo Report from Andrew P.M. Wright - dated 13th May 2011
Official photographer & press officer, Swanage Railway.
Photographs are copyright as noted
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No. 70013 'Oliver Cromwell' en route to Swanage entering Corfe Castle station with the picturesque ruins of Corfe Castle in the background on Friday 13th May 2011. Photo copyright Andrew P.M. Wright

An iconic giant steam locomotive named after a 17th Century leader whose Parliamentary forces captured Corfe Castle from the Royalists during the English Civil War - and saved from the cutting torch during the 1960s - has returned to the Purbeck village on its way to Swanage.

Owned by the National Railway Museum in York as part of its National Collection, mighty Britannia Class 7 passenger and freight locomotive No. 70013 'Oliver Cromwell' ran to the Swanage Railway from London on Friday, 13 May 2011, ahead of hauling the return leg of a special 'Swanage Belle' rail tour charter train from Swanage to London's Waterloo station on Saturday, 14 May 2011.

No. 70013 'Oliver Cromwell' en route to Norden from the main line at Wareham on Friday 13th May 2011. Photo copyright Andrew P.M. Wright

The Britannia class steam locomotive has a boiler pressure of 250 pounds per square inch, a tractive effort of 32,150 pounds while it carries seven tons of coal and 4,250 gallons of water in its huge tender.

Originally allocated to the Thorpe locomotive depot in Norwich during 1951, No. 70013 'Oliver Cromwell' was later allocated to the Kingmoor depot in Carlisle.

No. 70013 'Oliver Cromwell' en route to Norden from the main line at Wareham on Friday 13th May 2011. Photo copyright Andrew P.M. Wright

Now owned by the National Railway Museum, the mighty preserved steam locomotive is maintained by the No. 5305 Locomotive Association.

When 'Oliver Cromwell' was withdrawn by British Rail at the end of steam traction during the summer of 1968, the steam locomotive was moved to the Bressingham gardens and steam museum in Norfolk in August, 1968.

No. 70013 was a star visitor to the National Railway Museum's Railfest event during 2004 before moving to the Great Central Railway in Loughborough for mechanical overhaul before its triumphant return to the main line hauling rail tour charter trains across the country.

No. 70013 'Oliver Cromwell' at Swanage loco shed on Friday 13th May 2011. Photo copyright Andrew P.M. Wright

During 2008, 'Oliver Cromwell' travelled more than 4,000 miles on the national railway network and more than 11,000 main line miles during 2009.

Volunteers started to rebuild the award-winning and volunteer-run Swanage Railway from nothing at Swanage station in 1976 and the first trains - a small industrial diesel locomotive pulling just one carriage - ran over a few hundred yards of track at Swanage during August 1979.

No. 70013 'Oliver Cromwell' at Swanage as SR 4-6-2 "Battle of Britain" Class No. 34070 'Manston' passes the award-winning Swanage signal box with a scheduled service on Friday 13th May 2011. Photo copyright Andrew P.M. Wright

The Swanage Railway's official photographer & press officer Andrew P.M. Wright has supplied over 120 photos of 'Oliver Cromwell' arriving onto the Swanage Railway on Friday 13th May 2011 To see the full set of Andrew's photos, please scroll down to the bottom of the page.