As 2022 draws to a close, the Swanage Railway Trust has reported on progress with the restoration of Adams 4-4-0 T3 Class No. 563.

Hopefully, 563’s return to steam is about six months away. All work is progressing on schedule, with the locomotive at the Flour Mill, the tender chassis at Herston, and the tank at subcontractors Universal Steam at Badminton. Although there has been late delivery of some materials, the schedule is not affected.

The biggest challenge is funding, as the Trust still needs to find about £100,000. This is so that when 563 starts earning its keep it will be free of debt and its earnings will all go towards its next overhaul.

Tender

The tender frames have been moved inside Herston works where they will receive multiple coats of paint ahead of re-assembly.

The tender wheels have been needle gunned back to bare metal to prepare them for painting. They are soon to be moved off-site to have their journals polished before they are reunited with the frames.

The tender tank is being repaired offsite and appears to be in better condition than expected and will return to Herston works around March for refitting to the frames.

Work to refurbish various components for both the tender and the locomotive is ongoing and the buffers have been stripped down for inspection and repair. There are still a few long lead time items that are needed before reassembly, such as the tender springs and the pads for the axle boxes, but they aren’t likely to cause any changes to the schedule.

Flour Mill Progress

Work has concentrated on the laborious task of fitting stays to the boiler and firebox. The angle ring on the front of the boiler will soon be riveted into place, after which the boiler will be turned the right way up, so that the remaining stays can be fitted.

The boiler tubes are in stock and waiting to be fitted, and it is expected that this will be completed some time in January. That will allow the boiler to be test fitted to the frames before a hydraulic test and test steaming takes places later next year.

The firebox has been drilled and tapped and the majority of stays fitted and their heads beaten over. The throat plate is essentially complete with a few more stay heads to beat, as is the backhead.

Painting

After extensive research, an appropriate shade of purple brown has been selected as the colour for the border of the cab side, splashers, and boiler bands for the Drummond Livery.

This follows a briefing note when the National Railway Museum repainted 245, which listed a BS colour for the green, but nothing for the purple brown. That was hand mixed to a swatch, then working with the Trust’s paint supplier, Craftmasters, and Graham Muzpratt from the South Western Railway Circle, a variety of samples were obtained before selecting a colour that looked right., which enabled work to start on lining out the locomotive.