An appeal by the Swanage Railway Trust to raise £25,000 for the restoration of the tender of a Victorian steam locomotive is less than £3,000 short of its total.

The tender belongs to the unique Victorian T3 class steam locomotive No. 563 which was built in 1893 by the London and South Western Railway to haul express trains on the London and South Western Railway.

It was withdrawn by the Southern Railway in August 1945 after it had run 1.5 million miles and was due to be scrapped.

However, it was saved after being chosen by British Railways to celebrate the centenary of London’s Waterloo station in 1948.

In 2017 the National Railway Museum gifted the locomotive to the Swanage Railway Trust. A £500,000 restoration of the locomotive began in 2019 using specialist contractors in Gloucestershire.

Restoration of the tender, which stores 3,300 gallons of water and three tonnes of coal for the engine, is costing £50,000 and is being carried out at the Swanage Railway’s Herston engineering works on the outskirts of Swanage.

The Swanage Railway Trust hopes to have the 81-tonne locomotive back in steam and hauling trains in 2023, for the first time in 75 years, for the centenary of the Southern Railway and the 185th anniversary of the formation of the London and South Western Railway.

The Swanage Railway Trust’s 563 Locomotive Group chairman, Nathan Au, said: “We are delighted the appeal to the restore the T3’s tender is just £5,000 short of reaching its £25,000 total and we urge people to continue to donate to help realise the dream of No. 563 steaming past the dramatic ruins of Corfe Castle and through the beautiful Isle of Purbeck.

“The T3 is a visual delight and an evocative time machine back to the days of the Victorian railway system which helped to power the industrial revolution, develop communities and our cities as well as bringing economic development and prosperity to this country during the 19th century.

“The last time that No. 563 hauled a train was in 1948 and many people thought they would never see the unique T3 locomotive work again.

“We are working hard to ensure the engine’s preservation for future generations to enjoy and the best way to do that is by seeing No. 563 brought back to life so it can haul trains for the first time in 75 years.

“Given its Victorian heritage, the T3 has an incredibly rich history to tell and it is unique because it is the only surviving tender engine designed by the renowned locomotive engineer William Adams.

“No. 563 is the only steam locomotive owned by the Swanage Railway Trust and returning it to working order gives us the opportunity to show our visitors what the railway was like during Dorset’s industrial and social development in the 19th century.

“No. 563 is a direct link to the Swanage Railway’s past – right back to the early days of the London and South Western Railway when holidaymakers first visited Purbeck by train,” added Nathan who is a volunteer steam locomotive driver on the heritage line.

Swanage Railway Trust chairman Gavin Johns explained: “All the fund-raising work has been managed by the 563 Group, supported by the Swanage Railway Trust, for which the Group must be congratulated.

“As always, we’d like to thank our supporters for their generous standing orders and donations that have helped us achieve a significant number of milestones on the railway in a relatively short amount of time.

“With continued support from the public and Swanage Railway members, the T3 could be back in steam and hauling a train during 2023 which is very exciting indeed,” added Gavin who is a volunteer signalman on the Swanage Railway.

Donations towards the restoration of the T3 tender can be made by visiting the Swanage Railway Trust website at http://swanagerailwaytrust.org/appeal.

To find out more about the work of the 563 Locomotive Group – and how you can help – visit http://563locomotivegroup.co.uk.