Locomotive donated to Swanage Railway Trust is restored

It has taken six years and £500,000 to restore the London and South Western Railway No 563. to its full working order.

The 81-tonne T3 was saved from the scrapyard back in June 1948.

It was then donated to the Swanage Railway Trust by the National Railway Museum in 2017.

Following a 'challenging and meticulous restoration' the locomotive has passed its boiler exam.

The T3 No.563 (Image: Swanage Railway Trust)

The 563. Locomotive Group chairman Nathan Au said: “There were a lot of emotions as the unique T3 steamed for the first time and moved under its own power - nostalgia and pride about the fund-raising and restoration journey as well as excitement and celebration.

“With the locomotive splendidly restored in its lined out 1890s Drummond passenger green livery, it was incredibly satisfying to watch No. 563 run back and forth on what was a special day and a very proud moment – the culmination of a huge amount of work by many people to make a unique project possible.

It is hoped the T3 will haul its first passenger train on the Swanage Railway in the autumn to mark the centenary of the Southern Railway and the 185th anniversary of the formation of the London and South Western Railway.

The T3 No.563 (Image: Swanage Railway Trust)

It is expected that No. 563 will be reunited with its restored tender – which carries the coal and water required by the locomotive - at Swanage during August.

Swanage Railway Trust chairman Gavin Johns said: “The T3 is a splendid direct link to the Swanage Railway's past – back to the early days of the London and South Western Railway in the 1880s and 1890s when holidaymakers first visited the Isle of Purbeck by train.

“The T3 steam locomotives hauled trains from London to Corfe Castle and Swanage from the 1890s to the 1930s so the restoration of No. 563 gives us the opportunity to show our visitors what the railway was like during Dorset’s industrial and social development in the 19th century.”