A dodgy diesel locomotive needs a further £40,000 spending on it to make it operational.

It will be 10 years this December since troublesome diesel no.21, unkindly dubbed ‘The Cabbage’, was first delivered to the island.

Since then it has been plagued by a catalogue of technical problems and has spent much of the last decade out of action.

It is currently languishing at the back of Bank’s Circus bus garage.

Details of what work needs doing to get it working again have been released Department of Infrastructure in response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by the Examiner.

It says that work was last carried out in October 2022 when a bogie was stripped to extract the traction motors, enable an axle to be replaced and allow repairs to damaged motor insulation.

This also allowed investigations of the work required for the replacement or repair of a damaged bearing.

This cost £41,000 on top of the £246,800 already spent trying to fix the loco which was purchased at a cost of £420,000.

Work that needs carrying out includes replacing of a cracked axle, gearbox repair, motor refurbishment and bogies re-assembly.

The FoI response says that an estimated £40,000 is needed to get the machine operational.

This work involves the replacement of a cracked axle, gearbox repair, motor refurbishment and bogies re-assembly.

Whether that work will be carried out is subject to ‘the outcome of future decision making’, added the FoI response.

We also asked how many miles no.21 had worked on the Steam Railway since it was first purchased.

The DoI replied that it does not hold that information prior to 2018 but during the period 2018-2021, the loco operated for 1749.4 miles in service.

Even this mileage is a surprise as it has only been in service for perhaps two months during that period.

It had resumed scheduled passengers services at the end of August 2019, having previously been out of action since June 2015.

But on October 25 that year it had to be withdrawn after it broke down at Castletown with a power problem.

It has not worked since.

The green machine was purchased to pull commuter, dining and maintenance trains as well as acting as a shunter and recovery loco.

At the time, it was claimed by transport chiefs that it would save the railways nearly £40,000 a year and would have paid for itself within 13 years.

The original plan had been to buy a new locomotive at a cost of about £750,000.

But in the event, a reconditioned second-hand machine was bought from an American manufacturer.

Early tests revealed teething problems including overheating, and its engine was replaced by the manufacturers under warranty.

Issues were then found with the 40-year-old bogies, which were not covered by the warranty.

They were sent to the UK for tests and repair.

In early 2020 Tynwald was told the loco had been in operation for just 219 days.

Video: IoM Today was given a cab ride in No.21 during its brief return to service in 2019