Birmingham steam locomotive to help launch Jubilee flotilla

A famous steam locomotive, based in Birmingham, is to help launch a flotilla of more than 1,000 boats to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

The Princess Elizabeth, built in 1933 at Crewe, will sound its whistle from a railway bridge over the Thames in London to start of the procession of vessels on June 3rd.

Organisers of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant say it will be one of the largest flotillas ever assembled on the Thames.

The boats will carry up to 30,000 people between Battersea Bridge and Tower Bridge.

They will include a floating belfry with chiming bells.

No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth - nicknamed Lizzie - is based at the Tyseley Locomotive Works in Birmingham.

The engine will haul a special train to London called The Diamond Jubilee.

Princess Elizabeth, named after the young princess who is now The Queen, took part in a record breaking Anglo-Scottish run by the London Midland and Scottish Railway in 1936.

It ran non-stop from London to Glasgow in under six hours. Its driver, Tom Clark, was later awarded the OBE.

In March the locomotive hauled a special train up the Lickey Incline near Bromsgrove, attracting hundreds of lineside spectators.

It is currently undergoing repairs to its smokebox in Birmingham.