1950s East Anglia scene showing Britannia Class 70009 Alfred the Great. Railway Art Birthday Card by Railway Artist Malcolm Root

The metals of the former Great Eastern Railway became the spot for some of the best runs by the B.R Standard 7P class locomotives, normally known as “Britannias” after the first engine of the class. The locomotive here, 70009 Oliver Cromwell became a familiar sight on the two most famous trains to depart from London Liverpool Street station, namely the “Hook of Holland” and “The Broadsman”. Classmate Oliver Cromwell would go on to haul one of the two last steam-hauled trains on British Railways and is now, happily, preserved in full working condition and can sometimes be seen working trains on its former home route.