70000 BRITANNIA TO PASS THROUGH SOUTH TOTTENHAM THIS EVENING

BARKING – GOSPEL OAK LINE USER GROUP NEWSFLASH 10/10/2012

70000 BRITANNIA TO PASS THROUGH SOUTH TOTTENHAM THIS EVENING

BR Standard ‘Pacific’ 70000 Britannia is hauling a UK Railtours special train from Liverpool Street to Norwich and back today to commemorate the 150^th Anniversary of the Great Eastern Railway.

The following is taken from the UK Railtours website (www.ukrailtours.com): In 1862 the Eastern Counties Railway, the Eastern Union Railway and a myriad of smaller companies merged to form the Great Eastern Railway, a mighty empire of railways with a near-monopoly in East Anglia and a hectic London suburban system too, all radiating from a city terminus in Bishopsgate.

Some ninety years later the Great Eastern Main Line to Norwich was the first line to welcome the pioneer BR Standard locomotive, 70000 'Britannia'. This fine machine was recently re-dedicated by HRH Prince Charles and has re-entered mainline service in gleaming BR lined-out green livery. So, putting two and two together, it seemed right to run a tour commemorating the 150th anniversary of the GER this year using the steam loco that, along with her sisters, brought remarkable accelerations on the Norwich main line.

The special train, which is fully booked, departs Liverpool Street at 10:23 and follows the Great Eastern Main Line through Bethnal Green, Stratford, Ilford and Romford to Norwich where it is due to arrive at 13:23. However, the return journey, departing Norwich at 17:05, still hauled by Britannia, is booked to run via Cambridge, Bishops Stortford, diverting from the Lea Valley Line at Cheshunt and following the Southbury Loop via Edmonton Green, Seven Sisters and the curve to South Tottenham and on to Copper Mill Junction, Lea Bridge, Temple Mills and Stratford, arriving back in Liverpool Street at 21:00.

So South Tottenham will see its second steam locomotive in less than a week, following the appearance of 60163 Tornado on the Southend – Canterbury Cathedrals Express last Saturday.

Glenn Wallis

Assistant Secretary

Barking – Gospel Oak Line User Group