THE WATERCRESS Line has been awarded a £895,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant to restore a steam locomotive which will become the attraction’s flagship engine.
The steam railway at Alresford bought the Southern Railway Merchant Navy Canadian Pacific locomotive in 2006 and it ran until 2008 when an overhaul was due.
A Watercress Line spokesman said: “All of these giants of British engineering require an overhaul every 10 years. At 74 years old this 95 ton engine will be completely stripped down and rebuilt by our growing team of skilled engineers and apprentices.”
The three year restoration will cost £1.5m in total, with the remaining £605,000 met through fundraising and donations to the Mid Hants Railway Preservation Society, the charity behind the Watercress Line.
Two wooden framed coaches will also be refurbished as part of the project.
Managing director Colin Chambers said: "We look forward to sharing progress of the restoration, and it will be fantastic to have this beautiful Southern locomotive back in steam and at the heart of the railway."
Canadian Pacific was built in 1941 just a few miles away from Alresford in Eastleigh, and this is where its restoration will begin.
Eastleigh Works has rented out part of the building where the 30 Merchant Navy Class engines were built so that the project team has space to strip down and rebuild the engine.
Components will be restored at the line’s engineering facilities at Ropley, which are on view to visitors.