This month marks 130 years since T3 Class 4-4-0 steam locomotive No. 563 was built by the London & South Western Railway.

The locomotive is now in the care of the 563 Locomotive Group at the Swanage Railway, which is in the process of restoring it to full working order. Thanks to the public’s generosity through donations and standing orders, just £65,000 is needed to complete the restoration so that 563 can once again be seen running, hopefully in only a few months’ time.

As part of its restoration, the longitudinal stays have been refitted to the boiler along with the boiler tubes, and are in the process of being expanded at the Flour Mill works in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire.

London & South Western Railway crests have been hand painted on the splashers, whilst the tender frames have undergone a great deal of preparation, the first coat of gloss paint has been applied to the tender, and the steam brake cylinder has been fitted.

No. 563 was one of 20 LSWR T3 express passenger that were designed by William Adams for the London and South Western Railway and  constructed between 1892 and 1893.

Although all engines passed to the Southern Railway at the1923 Grouping, they started to be withdrawn in 1930 and by the end of 1933 only three remained, with 563 being the last T3 operational until it was withdrawn in August 1945 and set aside for preservation.

Between May and October 2011, 563 was used in a production of The Railway Children in Toronto, Canada, and again from December 2014 to January 2017 at King’s Cross in, London.

The locomotive was transferred to was transferred to the Swanage Railway Trust on 30 March 2017, since when it has been undergoing a full restoration programme.

The Swanage Railway Trust is keen to raise the neccesry funds to complete the restoration, and donations can be made online at the Swanage Railway Trust’s website at www.swanagerailwaytrust.org/t3-appeal or the 563 Locomotive Group website www.563locomotivegroup.co.uk