70013

Cleaning the pit below 70013 Oliver Cromwell of its ash & clinker.

British Railways Standard 7 4-6-2 70013 Oliver Cromwell is being fired by Roger on the East Coast main line near Doncaster while working up to Barnetby from Southall.

James firing 70013 between Leicester & Rothley.

Oliver Cromwell at rest.

Carnforth shed, Lancashire. British Railways Britannia Class 4-6-2 70013 Oliver Cromwell & an unidentified Stanier Black 5 in light steam at the north end of the shed blacken the late afternoon atmosphere as they await their next duties. I visited the shed in the evening en route back to Manchester Victoria on a Northern Railfans trip. The tall concrete building is the ash lift, an efficient way to clear away the piles of ash & char from engine disposals which could quickly accumulate in a large shed like Carnforth. Small tubs were filled by hand and then hoist up the tower & tipped into waiting 16 ton wagons for onward disposal. The much larger concrete coaling tower is just out of shot. 70013 has now (May 2008) been restored at the Great Central Railway at Loughborough after spending most of the time since August 1968 at Bressingham in Norfolk. The plan is to run-in the loco on the Great Central ready for main line train duty in 2008 to commemorate 40 years since the end of steam on BR.

It's 22.27 and we have just arrived back in Crewe with the Scarborough Flyer from Scarborough pulled by British Railways 4-6-2 70013 Oliver Cromwell. Crewe station is pretty quiet although there is a small welcoming party at the south end of platform 5. Peter the driver has a few words with one of them. We departed Crewe for Scarborough at 07.27 so it's been a long day - 18.5 hrs since we got up in fact - but we still have to stable the stock, turn the loco and support coach and get back into Crewe Heritage Centre. We turned on the triangle via Gresty Lane, Crewe Sorting Sidings North & Crewe station.

British Railways Standard Pacific 70013 Oliver Cromwell, fresh from its time at Butterley and with new tyres and repaired wheels, is being worked on. I was Spare crew today and since both the morning firemen had turned up for duty I spent the morning deep in the bowels of 70013 working with James to refit the front sanding equipment, left & right. It took longer than planned as neither of us had been involved in removing them so working out how they actually fitted was a challenge! We got there in the end.

British Railways Standard pacific 70013 Oliver Cromwell was in service over the weekend. After her recent protracted maintenance period out of action 70013 first ran again on Friday. She will be heading off onto the main line again in the not-too-distant future.

It's 50 years since the end of regular BR steam but here are two British Railways Standards passing on a double track main line today! Who would have thought? Pacific 70013 Oliver Cromwell seen storming up the bank out of Rothley was running on that day in 1968 although our engine, 2MT 2-6-0 78018, was languishing in Woodham's scrapyard in Barry at the time. The train reporting number 1L50 was an RCTS special hauled by 70013 on August 4th 1968 from Lostock Hall - Euxton Jn - Chorley - Bolton - Salford - Manchester Victoria - Miles Platting - Reddish South - to Stockport Edgeley. Recreating the Experience indeed!