Swanage Railway General Discussion

I see an update and new photos has "popped up" on Facebook on the Swanage Railway Trust 563 Locomotive Group (but not the 563 webpage).
Maybe being ready before the Wareham service ends on Sept 9th might be tight? So might mean getting a bus service if using the mainline to ride behind 563?

I also notice a new cream tea service on the Maunsell heritage carriages in July while the dining train is being refurbished
https://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/events/view/cream-teas

 

For anyone that hasn't seen the latest photos of 563.

 

I thought it was said up thread there will need to be a lot of training before it gets to a situation where it may haul passenger trains. End of the Wareham service is only 65 days away.
When is the dining set being refurbished?

 

Now, that does look good, i might have to book a short holiday in Swanage next year.

 

A word from our treasurer, Steve Doughty:
''You’ve helped us hit the target! £40,000 was raised in June! What a month! The last thirty days have been incredible, with 563 looking increasingly ‘ready for the road’ at the Flour Mill, with the painting of the engine complete to exhibition standard and the overhaul of the tender at Herston Works catching up fast. Your response to the wonderful pictures we’ve been sharing with you and the generous ‘match funding’ offer that we received has been overwhelming, such that as Treasurer I can breathe a sigh of relief that the money in remains ahead of the money out. Thank you ever so much, your generosity has been amazing. So where are we exactly, financially, as we approach the finishing line? As with most steam locomotive overhauls, the exact amount needed to finish the job becomes clearer at this final phase of the project. The outstanding balance needed to finish the locomotive has been kept under constant review to ensure that our fundraising target is aligned as closely as possible to the best estimate of the final cost. While we are in the right region, it has also taken more time and labour in June than originally anticipated to undertake the cosmetic jobs on both the engine and tender. We have not compromised on the quality of the work yet and don’t intend to start now. The finish achieved by the Flour Mill, Phil Anderson and Herston Works has been worth every penny and we hope you agree. However, with the recent additional work and the engine still to be tested and made ready for service, our latest estimate is that we are now just £10,000 from fully funding the project. Can you help us to get there? The plan is to reunite the T3’s engine and tender back at the Swanage Railway later this summer and start the process of commissioning, testing and training so that 563 will be ready to enter service this Autumn, all being well. We are currently making plans for a launch event and the first public running dates. We will confirm details shortly to give you as much notice as possible and get those dates in your diary. We hope you can join us for the next stage of the journey!''
Swanage Railway Trust 563 Locomotive Group
Registered Charity No. 1087318

 

I do not think that plans to refurbish the dining set have been approved yet.

Given the simply stunning exhibition finish on 563 is it going to be kept undercover so as to preserve the finish as long as possible?

 

If there is any paint left over, can the M7 appear in LSWR livery?

 

It doesn’t matter what colour it is, the paint is only a protective coating……. if you’re paying for it you can choose the colour…… etc etc.

No I totally agree Martin. After 30 years running in preservation in nothing but black, it would be great to turn out the M7 to match the T3.

 

Being a natural pessimist - I would say it MAY be in steam but unlikely to be working anything by 9th September. Some extra work is still needed on the tender, I understand, before painting & lining can be completed and it can leave Herston Works.
Once connected, both loco and tender will need to be extensively inspected at Swanage which, I suspect, may not be a quick job. There's no point in doing a fine restoration job only to spoil matters by rushing engineering inspection before use in steam.
Also, footplate and engineering staff will need some time to assimilate what they have to do to get the best out of the T3. It may look like the T9 [4-4-0, etc.] but like all engines it is likely to have it's own idiosyncrasies which will have to be discovered before it enters passenger service.

Or, you can go a bit 'up market' for a Champagne Afternoon Tea in the ex-Devon Belle Observation Car No.14: https://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/ev...ea-in-the-devon-belle-pullman-observation-car

 

W

Woe betide the first person who puts a scuff mark on that!

 

Suspect steel toe cap slippers will now become the norm for footplate crews when oiling up, etc!

 

That colour looks very different from the (age-faded?) pale green livery that the engine used to carry in the NRM. On the other hand, it is close to the shade of green carried by the NRM's M7 No 245.

 

You mean like this one?

Would be a great idea if there were a set of period coaches to go with 53, but seeing that there isn't it is probably better to remain in BR black IMHO.

Peter

EDIT Apologies to @bluetrain who posted while I was prepairing my post.

 

It is very different as 563 used to carry a green from a different period of its LSWR life.

Peter

 

It's definitely a dream, one day. It's fair to say that there are those of us within the 563 Group who have thought of doing something to accompany it, although this is obviously not an announcement that it's going to happen!

 

Why? It is a typical steam loco of the Victorian period and there are plenty of similar locos in operation on heritage railways. An experienced engine crew will soon find their way around it and quickly work out how to get the best out of it. Swanage after all does have experience of both the M7 and T9 and I don't recall that "a lot of training" was required before they entered service. On the other hand I'm sure that it will need some running in but that is a different matter.

Peter

 

The engine has had an awful lot of effort put into it from both an engineering and fundraising point of view and the 563 group, along with the railway as a whole agree that crew training on 563 will be essential to protect the investment made in 563. Crews will have practical training and be provided with literature to ensure that when they come to work on public trains, they will be competent and confident with the locomotive. Whilst we have every confidence in our crews, no one ever suffered by having MORE training.
The training will also allow the locomotive to settle down and run in.
As for paintwork protection, the engine fits in the engine shed at Swanage and we have plans to maintain the finish achieved as part of the general maintenance of the loco.

 

Putting my speculation hat on, but could it be SMS related? A locomotive with no one alive who's driven it or had decades of preservation under it to base it off. The T9 is the closest relative but sounds like a smart piece of caution to me to make sure there's an experienced base of crews.

 

Hamilton Ellis commented that "The L&SW probably held the record for the variety of its locomotive liveries and for the number of times they were changed". LSW had engines in Indian red for part of the Joseph Beattie period, and a variety of greens and browns during other periods. Each loco superintendent appeared to change livery at least once, sometimes twice.

Ellis didn't live to witness the modern TOCs with their livery changes every couple of years!

 

I see your point Peter, but from what I’ve been told from certain friends of mine who sign certain locomotives from supposedly similar classes there are certain little quirks and foibles that can catch out the unweary.
(A certain someone I know was never a big fan of 5000 during its time at Bridgnorth for example)

Whilst I have no experience of footplate work I don’t think it’s a bad idea to ‘feel the way in’ regarding 563.
There have been several incidents in the past where crew unfamiliarity has caused a few problems, and much as I’m looking forward to seeing 563 in action, I don’t think it’s a bad thing to spend some time making sure everyone knows what they’re doing.
Just my thoughts,
Matt