The paintshop yard at Crewe Works was a magnet for visiting enthusiasts hoping to see a locomotive in pristine condition and immaculate livery, a sight that inevitably wouldn't last once returned to traffic! Pictured in June 1955, the recipient is BR Riddles 'Standard Britannia' 70015 'Apollo' waiting to be retuned to its allocated 'home' of Old Oak Common MPD (81A). Up until 1957 all Britannia overhauls were undertaken by Crewe irrespective of the region where they were in service.

© Ken Widd. Steve Armitage Collection