Early morning on a bright day in the summer of 1957, against a backdrop on Conway Castle and the estuary of the River Conway, ‘Britannia’ class 4-6-2 No. 70045, soon to be named ‘Lord Rowallan’, coasts into Llandudno Junction station with an express from Holyhead to London. On an adjacent track, Ivatt class ‘2’ 2-6-0 No. 46447 departs for Llandudno Town to collect the daily pick-up freight. The ‘Britannia’ class ‘Pacifics’ were introduced by British Railways in January 1951. Altogether fifty-five were built, the last appearing in 1954. They had a comparatively short working life, the first being withdrawn in favour of diesel in June 1965. Two examples are preserved, Nos. 70000 ‘Britannia’ and 70013 ‘Oliver Cromwell’. As with all Gibsons jigsaws, the beautifully illustrated pieces are made from the highest quality 100% recycled board and are therefore a pleasure to work with again and again.
