Billed in the Manx Heritage Transport Festival events leaflet as the "Viking Venture", on Friday 31st July the railway's resident Schöma-built diesel locomotive No. 17 "Viking" undertook some rare passenger workings.  This unusual outing was made all the more unique as the trips ran only between Port Erin and Colby, exemplifying the management's dedication to making this year's event a success by putting on some out of the ordinary events for the visiting enthusiasts.  The train completed two return runs, departing Port Erin at 11.55am and 5.25pm between the regular service trains and hauling just one small F coach, hence the advanced publicity advising that the trips had a limited capacity.  The event also gave the opportunity for enthusiasts to photograph the extremely rare sight of a locomotive running round its train at Colby Station, something which does not happen very often, certainly in the course of day-to-day running of the railway.  The event, whilst simple, has been applauded by the visitors to the railway for the opportunities it provided and it is hoped that such events will return to the events period next year.  With our thanks to Supporters' Association member Howard Bishop for the photograph.