Given its historical significance as the earliest surviving bogie carriage, the sole remainder of the original series, and its 1876 vintage, the Supporters’ Association have decided, to coincide with its own 60th anniversary, to launch a fundraising appeal to restore the carriage to operational use, the initial target, which is dependent on a number of factors, is to launch the carriage for its own one hundred and fiftieth anniversary which occurs in 2026.  F.6 is the last bogie carriage of an initial order of six delivered from Brown, Marshall & Co., Ltd., of Birmingham and dating from 1876, the first batch of bogie rolling stock purchased by the railway, having initially opted for four-wheel stock for its opening in 1873.  It is of what was to become a standard design of six compartments, with passenger accommodation is provided in five of the six, the final one being for the guard; the two central compartments are designated first class, while two third class  compartments are open-backed.  Lookout windows are included in the guards’ end bulkhead in common with other carriages.

In 2024 the opportunity arose to obtain F.6 and repatriate it to the railway; as a result the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters’ Association entered into discussions on how best to achieve this and a sale price of £10,000.00 was agreed, the vehicle remaining in its stored location off-island until such time as it became practical to repatriate it, and identify storage space on the island.  This also involved liaison with the railway’s management to assess its future on the railway.  In recent years the railway has steadily increased its number of passengers travelling and with the increase in Cruise ships visiting the island this is expected to continue to rise in number. A need exists for extra carriages to carry the expected increase in footfall, it is important to give the passengers the experience of going back in time and F.6 will take them back to 1876.