LSWR T3 563

Sorry for coming in on this thread so late. My question is. Do we know if any other railways were considered to rehome 563. I think Swanage is a great place for this loco to be kept and with any luck we will see it in steam in a few years time.

Thanks

 

Put it on the turntable at Swanage & you can see it from passing trains & from the road over bridge - simples - but that kind of buggers up using the TT for its designed purpose!.........

To me Corfe would make a good place to display it - there's enough space in the yard to make displaying it there viable..........

 

that's how it was stored at KX and how it arrived.

 

Jeez! Hard to see? You have access to the footplate - wheelchair access. What more do you want? I go to commune from time to time with an engine, of which I am extremley fond and on whose footplate I have spent many very happy hours. I hope to again before I have to "come off."

What's your problem?

 

I like the turntable idea. It would need to be put away in a secure place at night, but what a great cameo, to see 563 on the turntable.

 

The problem is that although you can visit the footplate, you can't view the loco as a whole. I understand that there are trade-offs to allow wheelchair access, but my hope is that 563 will not be obscured in this way.

 

You mean there's something you actually agree with on this thread?.......

 

its certainly one option , if it is kept in a mobile condition then, it can be displayed anywhere on the railway, so that in its self will open up opportunities until enough funds have been raised to bring it into the works for assessment .

 

23 pages of diverse opinions to agree with or not. Let's not agree about too much ... it would be boring.

 

Absolutely agree with you. I think that the Swanage Railway has hugely improved in the last few years as far as professionalism is concerned. And I don't doubt that the SRT is aware of the priceless historical value of its new asset, and doesn't want 563 to deteriorate in any way.
But as wonderful as this news is, I must confess, like so many others have mentioned on this thread, I do have concerns about the fact that there is very little secure undercover accommodation available on the railway at the moment for 563 to be displayed to the general public. Surely hiding her away in somewhere like Herston Works or in the bowels of a carriage shed after she arrives, away from public gaze, defeats the very object of bringing her down to the railway in the first place?
Hopefully the plans that will be made doubtless be made public in the future will allay the fears that many enthusiasts have about the loco's future (says he with fingers firmly crossed....). I do feel for Swanage, they have been put in a difficult position by this whole business and the NRM needs to explain themselves I think.

 

Don't you mean Old Hill Bank? An "Old Hill Bonk" is probably a completely different thing altogether, I'd imagine.....!

 

Black Country Dialect involves swapping A's for o's!

 

Hey Phil, I completely agree with you on the front that Swanage was put in a difficult postion by the NRM. It's becoming increasingly clear now that this was not a long laid out plan of handing 563 over to the SRT, but rather an abrupt one that the NRM dropped on them, giving them little time but to agree to accept it. This in turn sadly has put them in an awkward position at the moment, with lack of storage space as many have said here being an issue, and what's worse being unable to speak up much about the situation due mostly likely to NRM wanting information to be tightly controlled till they hand it over officially.

As you've said yourself (and I'm glad some are recognising this fact), the Swanage Railway has come a long way from it's early years, becoming a well maintained and established premier heritage railway. With this in mind, I've been more then happy to give them the benefit of the doubt, and that they have in fact put their heads together to work out a solid plan for the 563's future going forward. The reasoning we haven't heard of this as yet it I suspect is either a) they've not fully put it togther as yet, or b) they can't announce it till the official handover due to some intruction by the NRM. In both cases it's not the SRT's fault however, but rather again the simple fact that this gift was offered to them out the blue, and had little alternative but to accept and work with it.

I have no doubt Swanage have big ideas in mind for the engine however, especially if they can restore to wokring order, for if there's one thing the railway has lacked it's a more unique and standout locomotive in their fleet. Many railways do tend to have certain engines as their flagships, the big attractions in their own right, such as Calbourne for the IOWR, Sir Nigel Gresley for the NYMR and of late P&O for the GWSR. Be it their size or unique appearance, these engines will appear most often on their leaflets and posters, for they attract people to the railway the most. Apart from the M7, all the others engine they have at Swanage while impressive, are ones you can find elsewhere commonly enough. 563 however, is a very different story...

This is an engine that is a great asset if used correctly, much like the T9 has for the B&WR, and I very much doubt this is lost on the members of SRT.

 

I was a volunteer TTI at Swanage for a while quite a few years ago, and the railway I remember then looked tatty and unloved (the carriage windows were so dirty you couldn't see out of them!). But after visiting the line again a couple of years ago during the weekend when the extension to the River Frome Viaduct officially opened, and again during the Strictly Bulleid event a few weeks ago, I have been hugely impressed by how much the railway has improved in all areas. Well done to everyone concerned.
563 will be a great asset if correctly used, as you say - particularly as she will be in the company of the M7, another LSWR engine. But the key word in that sentence is a very big "if". Like you, I am prepared to give SRT the benefit of the doubt and accept they've worked out a solid, sustainable plan for 563s future. Because the potential for things to go very wrong is huge. And the last thing I think any of us enthusiasts want is for the SRT and the Swanage Railway to end up looking like the bad guys when the situation isn't of their making in the first place. The NRM really does have some serious explaining to do - but I honestly think they regard enthusiasts as a nuisance.

 

Again I'd agree, believe me I am not the sort that'll just blindly defend someone or something even if the fault/blame is clear to see, if the SRT don't do well by 563 as time passes I will be one of the first to start speaking out against them. What I am however is one that prefers to give the benifit of the doubt, such as yourself for instance, and not start criticising when there's little or anything to speak for or against on the matter.

I do not wish to see Swanage be seen as the villains either, for I'd agree its clear that the NRM are the ones that should be taking the brunt for this sudden move with little to no info on it. Sadly I suspect your belief of their regard to enthusiasts is most likely not far from the truth...

Really ever since Steve Davies left, who was very much more connected with and appreciative of the movement, wanting to get the museum more actively involved, the NRM has become cold and disinterested in doing anything of the sort now. They only seem to care about numbers, be it money or visitors coming into the museums buying gifts and such. I wouldn't be surprised if part the reason they got rid of 563 is simply because it's less expenses they have to spend on maintanance for it's upkeep, plus space taken by it when they could fit in some coffee kiosk or the like...

 

And North Staffs as well.

PH

 

As an aside to the issue regarding 563 and the NRM is how will this affect other items being given to the museum?. On the list of being kept from scrapping is 58050 (last loco built at Doncaster) which is currently in Spain I believe, so they require DBC to bring it back from theach continent to be claimed, trouble is two other loco's given to the NRM 47798 royal 47, which worked with the Carnforth cowboys and I belive will be going to work for VT soon and 37350, first built 37 is going to be returned to the mainline to work for?? , both potentially take work away from the very company that gifted them. So why would anyone other company consider giving away and asset that is worth x amount of money if that gift comes back and bites them?

 

Do you know what's really annoying? Actually, as Mrs.Brown would say, fecking annoying.
Having the railway that you have worked on for more than 60% of your life being criticised for no justifiable reason.
The easy option is to react and then all that ends up happening is a war of words which is of no use at all.

So to you all on here who have criticised Swanage I would ask just bite your tongue, give us a bit of time and I am 100% sure you will approve of our plans for 563.

Now we have had a Strictly Bulleid Gala.....How about a Strictly LSWR gala in a few years...... Now I wonder what engines we could use...

 

Most of the recent posts have been expressing sympathy for the Swanage Railway apparently being given this loco with minimal notice and thus being placed in a difficult position where, in the short term, whatever they do (including keeping quiet) will be wrong. See especially posts #453 and #455.

 

You missed the main point of my post....
"So to you all on here who have criticised Swanage I would ask just bite your tongue, give us a bit of time and I am 100% sure you will approve of our plans for 563."