SWANAGE OFFICIALLY ACCEPTS ITS LSWR 4-4-0 GIFT
FORMER National Collection ‘T3’ No. 563 has been unveiled as part of a new display at Corfe Castle on the Swanage Railway. The ‘Purbeck Line’s’ newly acquired 4-4-0 was symbolically handed over from the National Railway Museum to the Dorset branch line in a ceremony on May 27. Legal title for the LSWR express locomotive had already been passed into Swanage Railway Trust (SRT) ownership (SR466). “To see it in its proper setting… is a wonderful thing,” NRM head curator Andrew McLean told invited guests. He added: “We know it will be very well looked after”, before revealing the graceful lines of the ‘T3’ from behind a white cover. Descendants of the locomotive’s designer, William Adams, were also present. The locomotive is currently on display to the public in the former cattle dock at Corfe Castle station. In an interview with Steam Railway conducted three days after the ceremony, Mr McLean said that the “fine detail” of any of the Swanage Railway’s plans for the locomotive was for the line itself to “share if it would like” following the transfer of ownership of the Nine Elms 4-4-0. Swanage Railway Trust Chairman Trevor Parsons subsequently told the magazine that the short-term priority was to get No. 563 undercover before this winter. “We would prefer to cover it where it is,” he said, “but we’re looking at various options and getting quotes”. A protective measure has already taken place, with the removal of all nonferrous metals to avoid any potential for theft of, or damage to, the 1893-built locomotive’s footplate fixtures. These will be kept on display in the museum at Corfe Castle, which is protected by security alarms. Mr Parsons said that he was “confident that over a period of time it would come back to life… it’s a super idea”. The railway has not given any firm date for any mechanical inspection of the ‘T3’ to take place. A return to inter-war Southern Railway olive green as part of such a potential return to steam hasn’t been ruled out: “With three or four of our Maunsells [carriages] - that would be great.” The engine is currently turned out in original LSWR pea-green livery. The Swanage chairman confirmed that the NRM has a “first opportunity” to reclaim the locomotive should the trust ever wish to dispose of it.