Hornby R3520 Britannia Class 4-6-2 70007 Couer De Lion

Hornby R3520 Britannia Class 4-6-2 70007 Couer De Lion

Professionally Renamed Weathered Britannia Class 4-6-2 70021 Morning Star

The BR Standard Class 7 the Britannia Class, is a class of 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive designed under Robert Riddles for use by British Railways for mixed traffic duties. 55 were constructed between 1951 and 1954. The design employed results from the 1948 locomotive exchanges undertaken before further locomotive classes were constructed. Three batches were built at Crewe Works before the publication of the 1955 Modernisation Plan.

The Britannia Class design was based on best practices from the pre-nationalisation railway companies regarding operating efficiency and lower maintenance costs;[2] various weight-saving measures also increased the route availability of a Pacific-type locomotive on the British Railways network. The Britannias received a positive reception from their crews, with those regularly operating the locomotives giving them favourable reports as regards performance. However, operations in some areas of the British Railway network returned negative feedback, primarily due to the indifferent operation of the locomotive, which affected its adhering to timetables. They could reach speeds of up to 90 mph (145 km/h).