A trouble-prone diesel loco that has hardly turned a wheel since it first arrived more than seven years ago looks set to return to service this month.

Diesel no.21, unkindly dubbed ’The Cabbage’, was craned back onto its wheels last week following replacement of a worn gear box and refurbishment of a motor.

It was tested on Thursday and the public transport division confirmed it should be available for service for the delayed start of the season on May 27.

No.21 has been fully operational for just 219 days during railways seasons since it arrived at the end of 2013.

It has been out of service for 1,107 days, although that included periods of training, testing and commissioning.

Diesel no.21 was bought at a cost of £420,000 to pull commuter, dining and maintenance trains as well as act as a shunter and recovery loco.

But it has been dogged with technical problems ever since it was first delivered in 2013.

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

Issues were subsequently found with the bogies (wheels), which are over 40 years old and not covered by the warranty. They were sent to the UK for tests and repair.

Following major repairs at a cost of £246,800, it resumed scheduled passengers services in September 2019, having previously been out of action since June 2015, only for it to be withdrawn the following month after it broke down at Castletown with a power problem.

In February last year it was lifted off its bogies again ready for them to be sent off, for a second time, to the UK for repairs.

A further £14,594 has now been spent on the latest works to replace a worn gear box and refurbish a motor.