BR Class 7 XP Britannia No 70000

The highlight of the day was to see No 70000 storm through Bearsted at 70mph at the head of the Golden Arrow express on its outward journey from Peterborough to Canterbury West.

The photo doesn’t capture anything of the speed, sound, energy, majesty and pure excitement of this iconic locomotive doing what it was built for - hauling express passenger (XP) trains at speed.

There is some footage on Facebook of the train running through the station which I don’t think anyone can see unless they are subscribed to the page.

Britannia was designed by Robert Riddles and built in Crewe entering service in 1951 and was the first of a class of 55 locomotives. The name came from Bishop Eric Treacy, with Britannia becoming the name given to the whole class. All the locomotives were named some of prominent Britons, some from former Star Class locomotives and some from Scottish Firths.

Britannia lasted just 14 years in BR service being withdrawn in 1966. In preservation Britannia has been about a bit, had its share of failures and mishaps but was in fine fettle today. The loco is owned by https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Scot_Locomotive_and_General_Trust and was returned to service in March this year.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BR_Standard_Class_7_70000_Britannia

Thank you to all who offered information about sourcing wallpaper. You’ve given us lots of leads to follow up.