A steam engine, which hadn’t left the railway museum for more than 20 years, has been moved ahead of a proposed overhaul and return to steam.

Number 16 Mannin, the largest locomotive ever used in the island, has been an almost permanent fixture in the museum since it opened in 1975.

The only time it has been removed was during restructuring work in the museum in the late 1990’s.

The Examiner previously reported that the engine is being considered for a return to steam after director of transport Ian Longworth told a UK railway magazine he wants to bring the unique locomotive back into service by the 150th anniversary of the railway in 2023.

A nonstandard locomotive built in 1926, she was the last one supplied to the island by Manchester-based manufacturer Beyer Peacock.

To make the move, Mannin was lifted from its display and moved over to the track inside the museum which links to the main line.

Removing Mannin from the museum required rail engineers removing the royal carriage from the museum, along with number six engine Peveril, and storing them in the carriage shed at Port Erin.

Mannin was then itself towed out of the museum and stored in the carriage shed allowing for Sutherland, the railway’s first engine which pulled the inaugural train from Douglas to Peel on July 1, 1873 to take up its new place in the museum in front of the royal carriage with Peveril in place at the back of the line up.

However, the proposal to restore Mannin is not a universally popular one, some members of heritage groups in the island have voiced their opinion that as the engine most closely resembles its original condition, it should be left as a museum artefact.

It has also not yet been confirmed what will be taking Mannin’s place on the single piece of track in the museum.

A spokesman for Isle of Man Transport said: ’We will take the opportunity over the coming months to assess the condition of Mannin to determine the scope of the work that may be required to return the loco to traffic.’