Volunteers who restored the unique London and South Western Railway T3 Class No. 563 are now looking to restore London and South Western Railway T9 Class No. 120 in time for its 130th Birthday in 2029.
No. 120, formerly British Railways No. 30120, arrived at Swanage on loan from the National Railway Museum in 2017 but has not steamed since 2020 when it failed its boiler examination in 2020.
Before 120 can be restored its condition must be examined, for which the volunteers are looking to raise £50,000 to enable the locomotive to be dismantled and assessed by the Flour Mill in the Forest of Dean.
Once the Flour Mill has examined 120, it will report on the work required to return 120 to service and provide an assessment of whether the cylinder block needs to be replaced.
If the report proves favourable, later this year Swanage Railway Trust will proceed to the next stage in overhauling 120.
If the report declares that 120 is unsuitable for restoration, the remainder of the £50,000 will enable 120 to be re-assembled and returned to the National Railway Museum.
Donations towards the restoration of 120 can be made by:
- a regular standing order via the Swanage Railway Trust website at http://563locomotivegroup.co.uk/project120/
It is exciting to be embarking on our second ambitious challenge because see the overhaul of the T9 as the natural follow-on project to the T3 in providing the Swanage Railway with another affordable locomotive with an impeccable Southern pedigree.
We are delighted to be able to support the National Railway Museum in its mission to ensure that selected steam locomotives from its National Collection are available for the public to enjoy in steam and hauling passenger trains.
Nathan Au, 563 Locomotive Group chairman
Following the success of the T3 restoration, we are pleased to be working with the Swanage Railway Trust on its plans for the T9.
We look forward to seeing progress towards the successful overhaul of the T9 and enjoying the splendid sight and sound of both locomotives in steam on the Swanage Railway in the future
Paddy McNulty, National Railway Museum's railway partnerships manager
The project to overhaul the T9 will start with an assessment of the locomotive to confirm what work is necessary, that the restoration work is viable and that there is the necessary financial support available before a commitment is made to the full overhaul.
“The hoped for overhaul of No. 30120 will be shared between the Flour Mill engineering works in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, and the Swanage Railway's Herston engineering works in Swanage with the Flour Mill doing the boiler and tender and the Swanage Railway doing the chassis of the T9.
“The Flour Mill successfully returned the T9 to steam in 2010 so its skilled staff are already familiar with the locomotive while their involvement in No. 30120 builds on the successful relationship established with the restoration of the T3.
Nathan Au, 563 Locomotive Group chairman
After finishing one LSWR locomotive, T3 No. 563, last year for the Swanage Railway Trust's 563 Locomotive Group, we are delighted to be involved with the restoration of another Victorian steam locomotive.
Funded by the late and much-missed Swanage Railway Trust patron Alan Moore, we overhauled T9 No. 30120 some fifteen years ago for the Bodmin and Wenford Railway in Cornwall so it will be interesting to see what ten years of hauling trains has done to the the T9.No. 30120 is ideal for the Swanage Railway.
One negative viewpoint could be that having worn out the loco, rather than returning the loco to the NRM with a note saying “Thankyou – over to you” ..They could have anticipated the potential problems and allocated funds and appeals to repair the loco, “under their care”.