The LSWR T3 class is a class of express passenger

4-4-0 4-4-0, in the Whyte notation, denotes a steam locomotive with a wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles (usually in a leading bogie), four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels. First built in the ...

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

s designed for the

London and South Western Railway The London and South Western Railway (LSWR, sometimes written L&SWR) was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Originating as the London and Southampton Railway, its network extended to Dorchester and Weymouth, to Salisbury, Exete ...

by William Adams. Twenty were constructed between 1892 and 1893. One, No. 563, has been preserved and restored to full working order. The class were numbered 557–576, and had been intended as a variant of the X2 class with slightly smaller driving wheels ( versus ). In reality, the coupled wheelbase was lengthened by and the locomotive was fitted with a deep firebox long – the largest firebox of any of Adams' designs - with a 19¾ square foot grate area. All passed to the Southern Railway at the

grouping Grouping generally refers to the creation of one or more groups, or to the groups themselves. More specifically, grouping may refer to: * Shot grouping in shooting sports and other uses of firearms * the use of symbols of grouping in mathemati ...

in 1923. Withdrawals started in 1930, and by the end of 1933 only three remained. No. 557 went in 1936, 571 in 1943, and the last, 563 was retired in August 1945 and set aside for preservation, at which point it had run 1.5 million miles. From May to October 2011 it was in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, on loan for use in a theatrical production of

The Railway Children ''The Railway Children'' is a children's book by E. Nesbit, Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in ''The London Magazine'' during 1905 and published in book form in the same year. It has been adapted for the screen several times, of which the ...

Roundhouse Park Roundhouse Park is a park in the downtown core of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is in the former Railway Lands. It features the John Street Roundhouse, a preserved locomotive roundhouse that houses the Toronto Railway Museum, Steam Whistle Bre ...

, a role it reprised from December 2014 to January 2017 when the production was staged at King's Cross, London. On 30 March 2017, No. 563 was transferred to the Swanage Railway Trust. The locomotive has now moved permanently to the

Swanage Railway The Swanage Railway is a railway branch line from near Wareham, Dorset to Swanage, Dorset, England, opened in 1885 and now operated as a heritage railway. The independent company which built it was amalgamated with the larger London and Sout ...

with a formal handover ceremony held at

Corfe Castle Corfe Castle is a fortification standing above the Corfe Castle (village), village of the same name on the Isle of Purbeck peninsula in the English county of Dorset. Built by William the Conqueror, the castle dates to the 11th century and ...

on Saturday 27 May. Following an individual donation, the Swanage Railway declared their intention to explore the possibility of restoring the locomotive to working order, with a public appeal for additional funds being launched in October 2017. The evaluation was positive and a full restoration programme was begun, with a target of returning to operation in 2023. 563 returned to full public service on 8 October 2023 after a launch ceremony and supporters' special trains the previous day.

References

External links

LSWR T3 class SRemG

LSWR T3 No.563 Swanage Railway

Video of 563's return to steam day, 7 October 2023. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lswr T03 Class London and South Western Railway locomotives, T03 4-4-0 locomotives 2′B n2 locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1892 Standard-gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain Passenger locomotives in the United Kingdom