After many years of neglect in the back of the old carriage shed at Douglas Station the Supporters' Association arrange to have No. 6 Peveril removed for cosmetic restoration in late 1993 and began the task of cosmetic restoration.  The first job was to find some of the ancillary parts that had been either lost or used on other locomotives in the years since 1960 when she had last seen service.  Our first view shows the locomotive prior to being removed from the carriage shed and dates from 1992.

The last coat of paint applied had been in 1967 when she was placed on display at St. John's along with several other disused locomotives and this was sanded down for a base to apply undercoat.  It was discovered that the chimney has previously been used on No. 13 Kissack until the latter was given a cast one in the 1980s so the holes where the previous numerals had been applied were filled in and painted over.  New replica name plates were cast and fitted and new wooden backing boards prepared for this.

A spare dome was found for the engine as the one it was carrying was on old steel one believed to have been supplied with another new boiler many years previously.  The safety valves were also absent and spare ones were found in the stores and fitted accordingly.  Although largely complete to look as superficially, there remain several smaller components missing but by the early months of 1994 the locomotive was pinch-barred from the workshops for the first time in her new coat of paint.  It was to be autumn before the workshop staff were able to apply the lining out and back cab sheet number however.

She made her first appearance as part of the Enthusiasts' Events held in 1994 by which time the younger members of the Supporters' Association had spent many hours cleaning the brass work and locating several other small components with the assistance of the late Colin Goldsmith, who was the Locomotive Superintendent at the time.  Then, the Mainland Group of the I.o.M.S.R.S.A. arranged for two headboards to be made and these were fixed to the front and rear of the engine.  One of these remains on the locomotive to this day, the other is retained by a member for use on any "genuine" special trains that take place.

In 1997 the thirtieth anniversary of the reopening was commemorated and No. 6 was included in a line-up at Douglas Station on "Ailsa Day" that July; it was then that, to the chagrin of the management, an oily rag was placed in the smokebox allowing her to "steam" again"  With the restorations of both No. 15 Caledonia and subsequently No. 1 Sutherland this left a considerable gap in the museum at Port Erin and after this was rebuilt in 1999 No. 6 selected to be placed at the head of coaches F.36 and F.75 upon reopening (No. 4 Loch had also spent time in the museum but thanks to the "Un-Loch Your Cash" appeal by the Supporters' Association she was removed for return to service).  And so it is here that No. 6 remains today.  With our thanks to Jon Worham of www.island-images.com for allowing his photographs to be reproduced here.