Four steam locomotives would grace the rails of the Swanage Railway, as they held a 'Victorian Weekend' over the weekend of March 22nd24th.

Two veterans of steam would draw the main focus during the event, with SE&CR O1 Class 65 joining resident LSWR T3 Class 563. 65, based at the Bluebell Railway in Sussex, was built in 1896 at Ashford works as a South Eastern Railway O Class, later being rebuilt in 1908 into its current O1 form by the newly formed South Eastern & Chatham Railway. The locomotive would give a combined 65 years of service, before withdrawal in 1961 under British Railways ownership. On the other hand, 563 never entered service with British Railways, as the T3 was withdrawn in 1945 by the Southern Railway upon the conclusion of World War II. 563 only predates 65 by three years, having been built in 1893 at LSWR’s Nine Elms works. Not only are 65 and 563 the sole survivors of the O1 and T3 Classes respectively, but 65 is also the only surviving ExSER locomotive in preservation. Between the pair, they share a combined 259 years of history, with 65 at 128 years old in various guises and 563 celebrating its 131st birthday during March.

Bolstering the Victorian pair, Rebuilt ‘West Country’ Class 34028 “Eddystone” and U Class 31806 would be rubbing shoulders over the weekend. This pair offering good comparisons with their Victorian counterparts, especially in the case of 563 and 34028; both being designed as express passenger locomotives, altered from a preexisting class.

The event saw an intensive timetable in use, with three coach sets in action on the Purbeck branch line. On the Friday of the event, one of the coach sets was withdrawn due to its brake coach suffering with a hot box. With no suitable brake vehicle available, the resident Class 117 DMU would be substituted in for the remainder of the event operating as a fixed three coach set.

Locomotives:
SE&CR O1 Class 65
LSWR T3 Class 563
ExSR Rebuilt 'West Country' Class 34028 "Eddystone"
ExSR U Class 31806

00:00 65 & 563 on shed at Swanage
02:38 65 & 563 Dickers Crossing
03:42 34028 Corfe Common
04:26 65 & 563 Corfe Common
05:44 563 New Barn
06:59 65 New Barn
08:14 65 Wurzel Crossing
09:41 65 Quarr Farm
10:29 563 Quarr Farm
11:27 65 Townsend Bridge
12:33 563 Townsend Bridge
14:19 65 King George Playing Field
15:44 31806 King George Playing Field
17:00 65 Dickers Crossing
17:40 563 Dickers Crossing
19:16 65 & 31806 Dickers Crossing
20:45 65 & 563 on shed at Swanage

All footage filmed on Saturday the 23rd of March 2024.