Special club aims to raise £50k for T3 tender
THE Swanage Railway group overseeing the restoration of William Adams LSWR 4-4-0 No. 563 has set up a special club to raise money for the £50,000 overhaul of the tender.
Taking a leaf from The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, which established separate clubs for the sponsorship of individual comments for its new-build projects with phenomenal success, the Swanage Railway Trust 563 Locomotive Group has formed the 563 T3NDER Club to fund the overhaul by volunteers in the line’s workshops.
The work will include stripping the tender to the bare frames for inspection and protection, the replacement of the tank floor and the wrought iron brake components, assessment of the existing springs, minor frame repairs around the front dragbox, remetalling and machining of axlebox crown bearings and horn way faces, and non-destructive testing of wheelsets and spring hangers. Its water and coal capacity will be slightly adjusted during restoration to better meet the requirements of heritage railway operations, but without altering the external appearance.
Support
In the new club, 100 supporters are being invited to donate £500 each, with an option to do this over 12 months.
Special benefits for members include opportunities to ride on the inaugural train behind No. 563 during its first official day in public service on the Purbeck line, and a visit to the workshops at the Flour Mill at Bream in the Forest of Dean and the Swanage Railway to view restoration progress.
They will be offered the chance to work on the tender overhaul and will receive a special T3NDER Club badge.
During the last two years, the restoration of the 1891-built locomotive has progressed at the Flour Mill, with its complete disassembly to a ‘kit of parts’ for full condition assessment and the fabrication of a new copper inner firebox, along with four new girder stays and a new angle ring to join the boiler to the smokebox.
The frames, splashers and cab sides have been stripped, cleaned and painted, and the driving and bogie wheels have undergone nondestructive testing, and also been stripped and painted.
The intention is to initially restore No. 563 in LSWR green, but the group intends to show the engine in every past form and has been considering a future repaint into Southern Railway olive green – complete with appropriate modifications – after a 73-year absence.
During their working lives the T3s worked from Waterloo to Swanage, playing their part in the development of the thriving Purbeck seaside resort.
Ownership
In March 2017, custodian the National Railway Museum gifted No. 563 to the Swanage Railway on condition that if the Purbeck line ever decided that it no longer wanted it, it would offer it back.
➜ For more details about the T3NDER Club, visit swanagerailwaytrust. org or 563locomotivegroup.co.uk, or email 563locomotivegroup@ swanagerailway.co.uk