A UNIQUE Victorian steam train that has taken six years and £500,000 to restore to full working order has steamed under its own power for the first time in 75 years.

Built in 1893 by renowned locomotive engineer William Adams, the London and South Western Railway T3 class No. 563 has been restored to its former glory.

Swanage Railway in Dorset has helped to save the historic locomotive after it was donated the train back in 2017.

The T3 was saved from being cut up at a scrapyard so it could celebrate the centenary of London’s Waterloo station in June 1948.

After being donated to the Swanage Railway Trust by the National Railway Museum six years ago, the locomotive underwent a 'challenging and meticulous' restoration before travelling under its own steam at a restoration base in Gloucestershire. 

The 81-tonne T3 passed its boiler exam on July 12 and is hoped to be a regular fixture on the Swanage Railway route this autumn.

563 locomotive group chairman Nathan Au said: “There were a lot of emotions as the unique T3 steamed for the first time and moved under its own power - nostalgia and pride about the fundraising and restoration journey as well as excitement. 

“With the locomotive splendidly restored in its lined out 1890s green livery, it was incredibly satisfying to watch No. 563 run back and forth on what was a special day and a very proud moment – the culmination of a huge amount of work. 

“It was very humbling to be among the first people to drive the T3 and I could feel the locomotive’s potential power and I am really looking forward to No. 563 stretching its legs on the Swanage Railway."

It is hoped the T3 will haul its first passenger train in 75 years on the Swanage Railway later this year, which will mark the centenary of the Southern Railway and the 185th anniversary of the formation of the London and South Western Railway.

The last survivor of its T3 class, London and South Western Railway No. 563 had travelled a total of more than 1.5 million miles when it was withdrawn from service by the Southern Railway Company in August 1945.

Swanage Railway Trust chairman Gavin Johns added: “The T3 is a splendid direct link to the Swanage Railway's past – back to the early days of the London and South Western Railway in the 1880s and 1890s when holidaymakers first visited the Isle of Purbeck by train.

“The restoration of No. 563 gives us the opportunity to show our visitors what the railway was like during Dorset’s industrial and social development in the 19th century."

A video of the T3’s historic first steaming can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX7IhfUS4gg

To make a donation - or start a standing order - to the restoration project, visit 563locomotivegroup.co.uk