The oldest surviving railway carriage from the Isle of Man Steam Railway has returned home.

After many years as part of a private collection in the UK, coach F.6 has been purchased and repatriated by the Supporters’ Association, who are assessing the vehicle with a view to its eventual restoration.

Built in 1876, the carriage remained in traffic on the Ramsey line until 1965 and subsequently went into storage first at Douglas station and then St John’s.

It was saved from the scrapman in November 1974 by railway enthusiast and preservationist the late Peter Rampton.

He and fellow enthusiast Nigel Bowman travelled to St John’s to negotiate with Millen Metals, the Belfast firm then dismantling the closed lines.

A deal was struck on a handshake with scrap dealer Albert Millen, and F.6, together with several other historic carriages, became part of what was later known as ‘Collection X’, based at Mr Rampton’s farm in Surrey.

It remained in storage there for nearly five decades and then passed to the custodianship of the Vale of Rheidol Railway following Mr Rampton’s death.

Sister coach F.68 was fully restored and is now on public display in the Vale of Rheidol Railway’s museum at Aberystwyth.

Two others from the collection returned to the Isle of Man in 2022.

Grant Taylor, secretary of the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters’ Association, said: ‘Coach F6 represents a unique and tangible link to the early days of the railway.

‘We are extremely grateful to the Vale of Rheidol Railway for their support in making this return possible and look forward to the opportunity to bring this important vehicle back to life.’

Llyr ap Iolo, managing director of the Vale of Rheidol Railway, said: ‘We are delighted to see coach F.6 return home. We’re excited to see what the future holds for it.’