THE Flour Mill workshops at Bream in the Forest of Dean have begun the exploratory dismantling of the Swanage Railway’s LSWR T3 4-4-0 No. 563 to see if the former National Collection engine can be returned to steam.
Staff at the market-leading expert in the restoration of Victorian steam locomotives have begun removing the boiler cladding and unbolting pipework so the boiler can be lifted in June.
The 1893-built locomotive was controversially gifted to the Purbeck line by the National Railway Museum, with the strict condition that if the railway ever finds it does not want it any longer, it has to be offered back.
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Meanwhile, the Flour Mill is building what is believed to be the first big standard gauge boiler built in the UK for many years. It has been contracted to build the boiler by John Savery, owner of Nene Valley Railway-based Polish Tkp 0-8-0T No. 5485.
Read more News and Features in Issue 242 of HR – on sale now!
