A charming steam locomotive is heading south from Scotland to join a rail gala in Dorset this weekend.

Caledonian Railway 439 class tank No. 419 will be hauling trains on the Swanage Railway for its Spring Steam Up event.

This is the same event where visitors can see the Flying Scotsman on display at Corfe Castle, as previously reported.

To keep with the Scottish theme, a locomotive based at Swanage is being renumbered and given a different splash of colour in honour of its long-scrapped sister engine which once operated north of the border.

The 1955 Brighton-built British Railways Standard Class 4 tank No. 80104 will be renumbered No. 80126, a transformation which will also include the locomotive being given a Scottish ‘blue’ smokebox door number plate as well as blue numbers on the sides of its coal bunker.

The Spring Steam Up from tomorrow to Sunday, March 31 will also see nostalgic freight trains run on the Swanage Railway between some of the passenger trains.

Scottish Caledonian Railway tank No. 419 will be joined by Victorian London and South Western Railway T9 class steam locomotive No. 30120.

Meanwhile, Southern Railway U class steam locomotive No. 31806 will be operating tomorrow with 1960s British Railways Class 33 diesel No. 33111 operating on the Saturday and Sunday.

Swanage Railway Company business division director Mick Gould said: “Our ‘Spring Steam Up’ event will be bringing an interesting Scottish flavour to the Swanage Railway thanks to the Caledonian Railway tank No. 419 which is a charming locomotive.

“It will be interesting to see it operate with the temporary re-creation of the Scottish-based Standard Class 4 tank No. 80126 – giving an evocative taste of railways north of the border from the 1900s through to the 1960s.

“We are very grateful to the Scottish Railway Preservation Society for allowing its recently overhauled Caledonian Railway tank to travel down to Purbeck – the furthest south that the historic locomotive has ever operated."

He added: “The event will see passenger trains operating alongside more traditional freight services, as well as our popular Wessex Belle and Dorsetman dining trains on the Saturday and Sunday evenings.

“With some trains being pulled by two steam locomotives and some unusual engine workings, our Spring Steam Up is set to be a wonderful event bringing the best of Scotland to the south."