Construction History
Designed at British Railways' Derby Works, the new class was constructed at British Railways' Crewe Works between 1951 and 1954. The initial order was for 25 locomotives, but such was the demand for the Britannias on the Eastern Region that more were rushed through construction before the teething problems had been ironed out on the prototypes. In total, 55 members of the class were constructed over three batches at Crewe Works, where each was given improvements to improve reliability and efficiency, and to overcome flaws with the original design.
- First batch: 70000–70024, constructed between January and October, 1951
- Second batch: 70025–70044, constructed between September 1952 and October 1953
- Third batch: 70045–70054, constructed in 1954.
Read more about this topic: BR Standard Class 7
Famous quotes containing the words construction and/or history:
“The construction of life is at present in the power of facts far more than convictions.”
—Walter Benjamin (18921940)
“The thing that struck me forcefully was the feeling of great age about the place. Standing on that old parade ground, which is now a cricket field, I could feel the dead generations crowding me. Here was the oldest settlement of freedmen in the Western world, no doubt. Men who had thrown off the bands of slavery by their own courage and ingenuity. The courage and daring of the Maroons strike like a purple beam across the history of Jamaica.”
—Zora Neale Hurston (18911960)