Peter Kerslake says "70034 "Thomas Hardy" was working the "Hook Continental" boat train which ran on former Great Eastern metals between Liverpool Street and Harwich Parkeston Quay.
Rostered to "B12" and "B17" locomotives in earlier years the "Hook Continental" grew in popularity as boat trains to and from Europe were increased by the L.N.E.R. and the arrival of the "Britannias" in 1951 provided the Shedmasters at Statford with a long awaited design well capable of handling the boat train traffic, thereby relegating the "Sandringhams" to secondary duties.
70034 was initially allocated to the London Midland Region from new in December1952 and sent to Manchester's Longsight Depot before moving to the Eastern Region at Stratford the following year and then in January1959 when the wholesale transfer away of Stratford's "Britannias" took place it moved to Norwich. June 1961 saw 70034 go from Norwich to March, a transfer which took many of the eighteen "Britannias" so transferred out of service as there was insufficient work for them at March and they were left unused and uncared for in the open with a very real threat of being condemned.
Their salvation was a wholesale transfer to the London Midland Region and following overhaul at Crewe 70034, in company with 70000, 70001, 70005, 70010 and 70012 was sent to Willesden in March1963.
"Thomas Hardy" was finally withdrawn from Carlisle Kingmoor in May1967".