A planned visit to a Norfolk preservation railway by the Oliver Cromwell, one of the most famous steam locomotives that survives today, will not go ahead this weekend.

A planned visit to a Norfolk preservation railway by the Oliver Cromwell, one of the most famous steam locomotives that survives today, will not go ahead this weekend.

The BR Pacific 70013 Oliver Cromwell was due to be running passenger services on the Mid Norfolk Railway on Sunday.

But due to circumstances beyond their control it will no longer be able to visit.

It had been stored at Dereham railway station's yard for a week until today when it left just before noon for Norwich.

From there it is due to run a trip to London via Lowestoft tomorrow.

It had been due to return to Dereham the following day but due to problems with timings discovered at the last minute it will no longer do so.

The train is known as the great survivor - having hauled British Rail's last steam train on August 11, 1968, bringing to an end an era which stretched back to 1804.

It was one of a series of new engines launched in a blaze of patriotism to mark the post-war revival of the railways and worked the express between London and East Anglia.

In October 1967 she entered the Crewe Works and became the last BR-owned steam locomotive to undergo routine heavy overhaul.

Just a year later, British Rail unveiled its modernisation plan which left no room for steam and the engine was retired to the Bressingham Steam Museum.

Now operating steam tours around the UK by the Railway Touring Company (RTC), Oliver Cromwell is owned by The National Railway Museum based in York and is part of the National Collection.