Greater Anglia marks jubilee with train naming

Peter Brown

May 1, 2012

Greater Anglia got into the Royal spirit currently sweeping the UK when Richard Jewson, the Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk named one of its class 90 electric locomotives, No 90 009 Diamond Jubilee at Norwich station on Monday 30 April.

After the ceremony, the locomotive returned to its base at nearby Crown Point depot before entering service with its new identity the following day hauling express trains between Norwich and London Liverpool Street.

The Lord Lieutenant said: ‘It’s a tremendous privilege to represent the Queen at first hand. When she succeeded to the throne in 1952 I was eight.

‘As well as looking back over her 60 year reign, it is also a time to look forward and I have no doubt the Queen will look forward. We all look forward to a summer of positive celebration.’

Customer services director Andrew Goodrun told the guests at the ceremony that the naming was the idea of three Greater Anglia apprentices at the Crown Point Depot, Norwich.

He said: ‘They felt it would be a fitting tribute to recognise the Diamond Jubilee with union flags on a locomotive. It follows a long tradition of naming locomotives on the Great Eastern route.’

Goodrun went on to say that the locomotive will be seen by people attending the Olympics and Paralympics as Stratford is on the route.