£40,000 appeal last push

STEAM train enthusiasts hope an historic Victorian locomotive will be back hauling trains this autumn for the first time in 75 years now that a six-year, £500,000 restoration is nearing completion.

A £40,000 appeal to finish the work – boosted when a supporter pledged to match fund public donations up to £4,000 – has been launched.

Swanage Railway volunteers have been working to restore the London and South Western Railway T3 class locomotive No. 563 since the National Railway Museum gave it to Swanage Railway Trust in 2017.

The 81-tonne loco, which dated from 1893 and was the last survivor of its class, had travelled more than 1.5 million miles when it was withdrawn from service by the Southern Railway Company in August 1945.

It had been bound for the scrapyard, despite being one of the finest express passenger train locomotives of the Victorian era, but was rescued to help celebrate the centenary of London’s Waterloo station in 1948.

It is hoped the loco will be back in steam and hauling trains at Swanage this autumn for both the centenary of the Southern Railway and the 185th anniversary of the formation of the London and South Western Railway.

563 Locomotive Group chair and Swanage Railway volunteer Nathan Au said: “It’s a race against time but, hopefully, we can do it with public help.

“We are very grateful to a generous and committed supporter of the locomotive’s restoration, who wishes to remain anonymous, for match-funding all donations received by the end of June up to a limit of £4,000.

“The boiler of the T3 has been restored and steamed at the Flour Mill locomotive workshops in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, and the boiler will be steamed there again in the next few weeks now that the boiler has been installed in the frames of the locomotive which has been painted to a very high standard.

“All being well, we are hoping to transport the restored T3 locomotive to Swanage station during the late summer where the locomotive will be reunited with its restored and splendidly painted coal and water tender.

“There will then follow a period of locomotive testing, commissioning and footplate crew training before No. 563 triumphantly hauls its first passenger train since 1948 in the autumn.”

563 Locomotive Group treasurer Steve Doughty added: “The T3 is a 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 Purbeck by train

“The ambitious and historic restoration of the T3 is thanks for the consistent generosity of our many supporters who recognise just how unique and historically important this project is.

“Now, we have launched an appeal to raise £40,000 needed to complete the restoration of even if the company has stopped trading.

Health and Safety Executive launches Asbestos Awareness Campaign focusing on younger workers.

Battens Solicitors is supporting the Health and Safety Executive in its asbestos awareness campaign ‘Asbestos and You’ which will target all tradespeople with a focus on younger workers in trades such as plastering and joinery. Michelle Green, Batten’s Senior Associate in Personal Injury law reports on the campaign.

The HSE is concerned that there may be a perception amongst younger workers that asbestos is an issue which only impacts older workers who may have been exposed to asbestos before its use was banned in 1999. Working in buildings which were built or refurbished before the year 2000 can still pose a significant risk if the appropriate preventative steps are not taken.

The diseases associated with exposure to asbestos can often take many years to develop. The victims of such exposure can usually take legal action against those who exposed them to dangerous amounts of asbestos even if that exposure took place many years ago and

Battens has a history of making successful claims on behalf of the victims of asbestos related illness. We advise our clients in person and provide a local and sympathetic service.

Many victims of industrial disease are not aware that in some cases, where a Defendant company has been identified, is insured and where negligent exposure has been admitted. It may be possible to obtain private treatment for them, including access to some retroviral medications which can be difficult to obtain on the NHS. Battens can advise you on this aspect of your claim.

If you are suffering from an asbestos related illness, or any other form of personal injury or industrial disease and you would like to make a claim please do not hesitate to get in touch. There will be no charge to you for this initial discussion. In most cases we can offer clients a ‘no-win, no-fee’ agreement.