Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer has admitted he would not have bought the much-maligned diesel locomotive.

It comes after it was revealed the diesel loco 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.

It was purchased at a cost of £420,000 to pull commuter, dining and maintenance trains as well as act as a shunter and recovery loco.

Some £246,800 has been spent on getting the diesel fixed so far.

Mr Harmer, who became minister three years after the locomotive was bought, made the confession during Tynwald last week.

It was suggested the railways could do more to link up with active and integrated travel programmes.

Marlene Maska MLC made the suggestion of introducing a ’modern light electric railway system’, which could be used by commuters, meaning the heritage vehicles were not the main vehicles used on the tracks. But Mr Harmer sounded a warning about mixing up heritage and leisure transport.

Using the heritage railways for commuter purposes was not practical on a daily basis.

He added: ’I put my cards on the table, I would have never gone for, dare I say, the diesel locomotive.

’You are mixing a heritage railway with a mode of transport, with buses and so forth, that gets people around where they need to go,’ he said. ’I think there is a danger when we try to mix something like this.

’It is a special asset and I know people have different opinions about it but it is a special thing that we have but it is very different to the day to day travel.’