"error_page"& "return" bug?

[Nginx User]

On 19 February 2012 15:03, Maxim Dounin <mdounin at mdounin.ru> wrote:
> Another possible aproach is to use named location in error_page.
> It won't re-execute server rewrites (that is, rewrite module
> directives, including the "return" directive, specified at server
> level) and will work as well.

Unfortunately, this doesn't appear to work as expected either

Server {
       # listen etc
       ...

       error_page 503 = @sitedown;
       return 503
       location @sitedown {
               root /server/path/to/folder;
               # Don't you wish try_files could accept a single parameter?
               try_files $uri /custom503.html;
       }

       ...
}