Groudle Glen Railway’s newest locomotive Otter has been spotted out on a steam test in preparation for its official launch in July.

The locomotive was been built to a Bagnalls of Stafford SIPAT design by North Bay Railway engineers in Darlington.

Otter is shown in our photo taken during the Easter Bunny train weekend being worked on by volunteer Richard Booth.

Otter was bought by the railway after it was left with no steam engines for a period after major works were needed for Sea Lion and the privately owned Annie left the railway, leaving it only with diesel and battery powered locomotives.

The chance to purchase Otter came about while Sea Lion was being worked on by North Bay Railway.

Otter was being built, but until Groudle Glen Railway come along, there wasn’t a buyer and she risked never being finished.

But with support from the Alan Chinnery Trust, Otter was finished and will be officially launched alongside another new addition Brown Bear, built as a replica for original locomotive Polar Bear, during the Isle of Man Heritage Transport Festival in July.

The new additions will leave the line with three permanent steam engines as the two new locomotives join Sea Lion.

They operate alongside diesel locomotives Walrus, Dolphin and Maltby.

Following the Easter Bunny train weekend, the Groudle Glen Railway will reopen on May 5 and run on Sundays and Wednesday evenings throughout the summer.

For more information, visit www.ggr.org.uk.

â?¢We have photos from the Easter Bunny trains at Groudle in this week’s Examiner which is in shops now and to purchase online at http://iomtoday.co.im/buyaphoto .