Port Line has arrived on the Swanage Railway's relaid Purbeck Line.

Press release dated 26th February 2000 from Steve Kerley, Southern Locomotives Ltd. Photographs are copyright Andrew P.M. Wright

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'Bournemouth's Best Engine' which once raced between London and Weymouth hauling prestige express trains during the heyday of steam has arrived on the Swanage Railway's relaid Purbeck Line for repair work and a year's working holiday by the sea.

A MASSIVE Leviathan of steam that once hauled premier express trains between London, Southampton, Bournemouth and Weymouth during the heyday of steam - attracting the nickname of 'Bournemouth's best engine' - has arrived on the Swanage Railway's relaid Purbeck Line.

Ex-BR Merchant Navy class rebuilt Bulleid Pacific No. 35027 'Port Line' was restored from a rusting scrapyard hulk to a gleaming steam machine more than ten years ago by the Port Line Project, now Southern Locomotives Ltd.

Based at Bournemouth station in the 1950s and the 1960s, 'Port Line' was built in 1948 and named after the Port Line merchant navy shipping line. The steam locomotive hauled prestigious express trains like the Bournemouth Belle and the Royal Wessex until it was withdrawn by BR in September, 1966.

Twenty-two years later,'Port Line' hauled its first train since being sent to the South Wales Barry scrapyard by BR on the Bluebell Railway in East Sussex in 1988. For ten years, the locomotive ran on the Bluebell until its ten year operating permission ran out in 1998.

It was only when the Swanage Railway increased the maximum axleloading weight for locomotives on its five and a half mile line to Harman's Cross, Corfe Castle and Norden park and ride that 'Port Line' was able to run.

'Port Line' made the journey from the Bluebell to the Swanage Railway on a low-loader road transporter - arriving at its Norden park and ride station and road/rail interchange north of Corfe Castle.

The locomotive was unloaded on the morning of Friday, February 25th, 2000, before being towed down to Swange by an ex-BR Class 14 diesel locomotive where 'Port Line' has been put on display at the end of the station's run-round loop.

Here we see Port Line with Pete Pickering posing for the Echo Photographer at Swanage.

After boiler repairs, 'Port Line' will spend up to a year hauling trains on the Purbeck Line - rubbing shoulders with three other steam locomotives restored from scrapyard by Southern Locomotives Ltd.

Those engines are unrebuilt Battle of Britain class Bulleid Pacific No. 34072 '257 Squadron' as well as ex-BR Standard Class 4 Tanks No. 80104 of 1955 and 80078 of 1954 - the latter being recently restored.

"Southern Locomotives Ltd is proud to bring its flagship steam locomotive to the Swanage Railway," said Southern Locomotives Ltd spokesman Steve Kerley of Poole.

"'Port Line's arrival at Swanage completes a Southern Locomotives Ltd quartet of restored engines which show just what the company has achieved.

"'Port Line' is important and has a special place in our hearts because it was the first ex-main line steam locomotive restored from a rusting wreck by Southern Locomotives Ltd, then known as the Port Line Project.

"Many people thought we could not do it but we proved them very wrong," he added.

But Southern Locomotives Ltd is not resting on its laurels because in Swanage Railway's Herston engineering works on the outskirts of the town, work is taking place on the restoration of Southern Locomotives Ltd's fifth ex-main line engine - rebuilt West Country class Bulleid Pacific No. 34028 'Eddystone' which was built at Brighton for the Southern Railway in 1948.

After a year's running at Swanage, the plan is to give 'Port Line' a major overhaul to enable her to haul trains for another ten years.

'Port Line's first appearance after being restored on the Swindon Cricklade Railway and the former Swindon railway works was at the Woking 150 railway anniversary festival in Surrey during 1988.