This was the last steam locomotive to be supplied to the railway, by Beyer, Peacock & Co. and was by far the most powerful locomotive on the railway.  It was sixteen years prior that the previous delivery had been made, No.13 Kissack and in the intervening time former Manx Northern Railway stock was renumbered accounting for the inconsistency in order.

Ideally suited for the heavy South Line boat trains, a job which had previously taken two locomotives either double-headed or banked, it was this duty with which the locomotive was most associated..  Considerably larger than previous orders with a 3’ 9” diameter boiler, large tanks with a capacity of 520-gallons each, higher pressure and 12” bore cylinders. 

It was also the only locomotive to be fitted with vacuum ejectors from new and steam sanding equipment.  Spending the majority of its working life on the south line it saw little use outside the main holiday season.  Never re-boilered it was relegated to lighter duties on the Peel Line latterly, with reduced pressure and lasting until 1964 with it was withdrawn.

Repainted into the new Spring Green livery and displayed at St. John’s Station in 1967 and again the following year; on closure of the Peel and Ramsey lines it was later on show at Douglas Station until entering the then-new railway museum in 1975 when it was repainted into the post-war Indian Red livery without lining detail, funded by the Supporters’ Association.  

Only removed from the railway museum once when the exhibition hall was rebuilt 1998/1999, it was at this time that the lining out detail was finally applied. Plinthed on an isolated section of track on return to the museum, and turned for visual impact, the side against the wall was not lined out at this time as it could not be viewed by the public.

It was removed again in 2019 when it was announced that it had been selected for investigation and a possible restoration to working order, though it required decontamination of asbestos prior to this, carried out in 2020 using the goods shed at Port St. Mary Station which was also the base for similar work on No.5, No.6 and No.9 that year.

In the event this did not occur though the boiler was taken to the Seven Valley Railway and the rest of the locomotive moved to off-site contractors to play with.  To date there has been no final decision on a return to service though many in the enthusiast fraternity are keen for this.  It has been said that it would be ideally suited to haul the dining train.

2026 marks the centenary of this unique locomotive, as it does for the final passenger carriage delivered, F.49 but no commemorations will take place for either milestone.  The locomotive remains on the list for potential return to operation but no target date has been set for this to occur.  Our journal Manx Steam Railway News contains updates on progress.