The Other Railway
Encyclopedia
In the children's books The Railway Series
, by the Rev. W. Awdry, The Other Railway refers to British Railways (later British Rail
), the UK nationalised rail organisation that existed from 1948 until 1997.
Several of the characters in the books have visited the Other Railway or used it to travel from place to place. Many of the Fat Controller
's engines came from the Other Railway originally. There have been several visitors from the Other Railway.
Although the fictional North Western Railway
or Fat Controller's
Railway was part of the nationalised railway network it kept most of its operating independence from British Railways on the mainland. This is why it escaped the infamous Beeching Report in the 1960s.
The NWR and the Other Railway meet at Barrow-in-Furness
and the fictional Island of Sodor
is connected to the mainland by a rolling lift bridge between Barrow and Vicarstown.
BR ran an hourly suburban train service from Barrow to Ballahoo and Norramby on Sodor.
There have been at times direct services from Tidmouth to London Euston or London St. Pancras
with Other Railway engines taking over at Barrow.
The Big City Engine, Gordon and Duck were involved in an argument over the confusion between the mainline stations in London
. Gordon the Big Engine
boasted about going to London, and believed that London was restricted to Kings Cross (served by the London and North Eastern Railway). Duck the Great Western Engine
thought that London was Paddington, as he had once worked there as a station pilot (Great Western Railway
). The Big City Engine thought that London was Euston
(London Midland and Scottish Railway). Unbeknownst to them, they were all correct, but they did not realize, due to being on their own isolated lines before coming to Sodor, that there were a number of stations in London, and that these were merely three of them. Gordon was disappointed to discover when he visited London that the station he visited was St. Pancras
.
are detailed below, although others have been seen in various illustrations.
and Duck
over the name of the terminus station in London
. Gordon claims the station is King's Cross, Duck claims it is Paddington and the Foreign Engine claims it is Euston
(Gordon later brings the Express to London and is disappointed to arrive at St. Pancras).
The Big City Engine is a former London Midland and Scottish Railway locomotive used mainly on the Euston–Glasgow
route. The one illustration in which he appears does not make his class clear, but he may be either a Patriot class
or one of the larger Royal Scot class
. He is portrayed in the standard British Railways express passenger locomotive livery of lined green.
The locomotive is never named in his one appearance. The name "Foreign Engine" was applied by Martin Clutterbuck and is derived from the fact that in the Railway Series, engines not from the Island of Sodor
are described as "foreign". The name "Big City Engine" was applied by Learning Curve when they produced the character for their range of wooden toys.
s who work on the Other Railway. They (amongst other engines) came to help out when the eight main engines went to England (in The Eight Famous Engines), and practiced their work whilst the engines were still there. Jinty and Pug are revealed to be Percy's friends, and Jinty helped Thomas
when he crashed through some buffers. Not much is known about them, as neither of them spoke, or played important roles in the one story in which they were featured.
Jinty is based on an LMS Fowler Class 3F
0-6-0
T. Small tank engines
, and this class in particular, were nicknamed "Jinties" by railwaymen. Pug is based on an LMS Kitson 0-4-0ST
(aka LMS Fowler Class 0F) 0-4-0
ST. Four-wheeled saddletanks were affectionately nicknamed "Pugs" (see L&YR Class 21
for another example).
). He is based on the 0-6-0
BR Class 08
diesel shunter and is painted in the all-over plain black livery used by British Railways for shunting engines
in the 1950s, although he has no number nor BR crest in the illustrations.
Diesel is the Railway Series' first real villain - a scheming, oily trickster with a foul temper who likes to cause trouble wherever he goes. He was supposed to help Duck
with his shunting, but after humiliating himself in front of the trucks, he spread such mean-spirited rumours about Duck and the other engines that the Fat Controller was compelled to send him away.
Diesel made a brief return in the one-off story Thomas and the Evil Diesel, in which he showed that perhaps he did have a good streak buried somewhere deep inside. A very similar-looking locomotive appeared in one of the illustrations for Thomas and the Great Railway Show.
The character "Devious Diesel" in the Thomas and Friends television series was based on Diesel.
This diesel came to Sodor to help out whilst Stepney was on the railway. He did not make a good impression on his arrival, as he told the engines that they should be scrapped and replaced by diesels like him. He soon got his comeuppance when he accidentally sucked a Railway Inspector’s bowler hat
into his air intake during a maintenance check, causing him to break down as soon as he started moving towards the train he was supposed to take. He left soon afterwards, saying goodbye to no-one.
D4711 is based on a Class 40 diesel locomotive
. His number is entirely fictitious and does not correspond to the numbering sequences used for any class of diesel locomotive on British Railways. The television series
used the number D261, which would have been correct for a Class 40.
He made his one and only appearance in Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine. In that story he was referred to as "Diesel", but the television series revised this to "the Diesel" to avoid confusion with an earlier character by that name (although he is still sometimes referred to as "Diesel").
He visited Sodor on a trial with D7101 (later known as "Bear", see below), and talked about taking over the railway. He and Bear argued, and the other engines took an instant dislike to D199. One afternoon Henry the Green Engine
found D199 moaning near a signal box
because he had engine trouble, and the signalman called him "Spamcan
". Henry rescued both the engine and his train, and D199 was soon sent away in disgrace by the Fat Controller.
Although he does not appear in the television series, D199 appears in the magazine story Diesel Day! published on 16 May 2001.
D199 is a 1Co-Co1 diesel locomotive
based on the British Rail Class 46
. The number D199 is fictional but would be correct for a Class 46 if another six had been built: they were numbered from D138 through to D193.
on a trial for the Fat Controller, in the book Enterprising Engines. The trial was ultimately successful, and D7101 joined the North Western Railway
fleet. He gained the nickname Bear on account of the growling noise of his engine.
Bear is based on the British Rail Class 35
"Hymek" B-B diesel-hydraulic locomotive type.
Old Stuck-Up only appeared in one story, "Old Stuck-Up", in the book James and the Diesel Engines. He is based on a British Rail Class 40
1Co-Co1 diesel.
after a breakdown, and almost single-handedly changed James' opinion on diesels
. He is a friendly sort who lives at Crovan's Gate and performs odd jobs around the railway. His first appearance was in James and the Diesel Engines, with his next confirmed appearance in Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree as the engine who collected the tree from The Other Railway. He then makes a cameo in Henry and the Express, at Barrow. At first it was unclear if they were one and the same, but Christopher Awdry
revealed that the diesel seen in all three books is the "Works Diesel".
He is loaned from British Rail
, and is based on a Class 47 diesel
. It is suggested in James and the Diesel Engines that he is one of a number of new diesels on the railway.
"Works Diesel" is a reader-applied name; he carries no identifying number and is unnamed in the stories.
, "the Other Railway" is a term used for the railway lines serving Sodor Ironworks and the China Clay Quarry. It was here that Rusty the diesel rescued Stepney from being broken down for scrap, as did Douglas with Oliver the Western Engine. It is described as "a far-off part of the Island where only the diesels work". These days, 'Arry and Bert, the ironworks diesels, work around there, its scrapyard has been seen in seasons 6 to the current known as the Smelters Yard.
The Railway Series
The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...
, by the Rev. W. Awdry, The Other Railway refers to British Railways (later British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
), the UK nationalised rail organisation that existed from 1948 until 1997.
Several of the characters in the books have visited the Other Railway or used it to travel from place to place. Many of the Fat Controller
The Fat Controller
The Fat Controller is the head of the railway in The Railway Series of books written by the Rev. W. V. Awdry. In the first two books in the series he is known as The Fat Director...
's engines came from the Other Railway originally. There have been several visitors from the Other Railway.
Although the fictional North Western Railway
North Western Railway (fictional)
The North Western Railway is the main railway company featured in The Railway Series of children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry. Although the company's name has never been specifically stated in the books, it was mentioned as such in tie-in books such as The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and...
or Fat Controller's
The Fat Controller
The Fat Controller is the head of the railway in The Railway Series of books written by the Rev. W. V. Awdry. In the first two books in the series he is known as The Fat Director...
Railway was part of the nationalised railway network it kept most of its operating independence from British Railways on the mainland. This is why it escaped the infamous Beeching Report in the 1960s.
The NWR and the Other Railway meet at Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness railway station
Barrow-in-Furness railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, England. It is located on the Furness Line to Lancaster and the Cumbrian Coast Line to Workington and Carlisle...
and the fictional Island of Sodor
Sodor (fictional island)
Sodor is a fictional island in the Irish Sea used as the setting for The Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and later used in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends television series.-Inspiration and creation:...
is connected to the mainland by a rolling lift bridge between Barrow and Vicarstown.
BR ran an hourly suburban train service from Barrow to Ballahoo and Norramby on Sodor.
There have been at times direct services from Tidmouth to London Euston or London St. Pancras
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
with Other Railway engines taking over at Barrow.
The Big City Engine, Gordon and Duck were involved in an argument over the confusion between the mainline stations in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Gordon the Big Engine
Gordon the Big Engine
Gordon the Big Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic tender locomotive in The Railway Series books by Rev. W. Awdry. Gordon is painted blue and carries the number 4. Gordon views himself as the most important engine because he is the biggest and he pulls the Express...
boasted about going to London, and believed that London was restricted to Kings Cross (served by the London and North Eastern Railway). Duck the Great Western Engine
Duck the Great Western Engine
Duck the Great Western Engine is a fictional steam engine from The Railway Series by the Rev. W. Awdry and the spin-off television series Thomas and Friends. He is a green 0-6-0 pannier tank locomotive and lives and works on the Island of Sodor....
thought that London was Paddington, as he had once worked there as a station pilot (Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
). The Big City Engine thought that London was Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
(London Midland and Scottish Railway). Unbeknownst to them, they were all correct, but they did not realize, due to being on their own isolated lines before coming to Sodor, that there were a number of stations in London, and that these were merely three of them. Gordon was disappointed to discover when he visited London that the station he visited was St. Pancras
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
.
Locomotives
The locomotives that have been featured in The Railway SeriesThe Railway Series
The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...
are detailed below, although others have been seen in various illustrations.
The Foreign Engine
The "Foreign Engine", also known as the "Big City Engine", appears in the story 'Gordon Goes Foreign' in The Eight Famous Engines in which he debates with GordonGordon the Big Engine
Gordon the Big Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic tender locomotive in The Railway Series books by Rev. W. Awdry. Gordon is painted blue and carries the number 4. Gordon views himself as the most important engine because he is the biggest and he pulls the Express...
and Duck
Duck the Great Western Engine
Duck the Great Western Engine is a fictional steam engine from The Railway Series by the Rev. W. Awdry and the spin-off television series Thomas and Friends. He is a green 0-6-0 pannier tank locomotive and lives and works on the Island of Sodor....
over the name of the terminus station in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Gordon claims the station is King's Cross, Duck claims it is Paddington and the Foreign Engine claims it is Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
(Gordon later brings the Express to London and is disappointed to arrive at St. Pancras).
The Big City Engine is a former London Midland and Scottish Railway locomotive used mainly on the Euston–Glasgow
Glasgow Queen Street railway station
Glasgow Queen Street is a railway station in Glasgow, Scotland, the smaller of the city's two main line railway termini and the third-busiest station in Scotland. It is between George Street to the south and Cathedral Street Bridge to the north, at the northern end of Queen Street adjacent to...
route. The one illustration in which he appears does not make his class clear, but he may be either a Patriot class
LMS Patriot Class
The Patriot Class was a class of 52 express passenger steam locomotives built for the London Midland and Scottish Railway. The first locomotive of the class was built in 1930 and the last in 1934. All of the Patriot class locomotives were withdrawn from service by 1965...
or one of the larger Royal Scot class
LMS Royal Scot Class
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway Royal Scot Class is a class of 4-6-0 express passenger locomotive introduced in 1927. Originally having parallel boilers, all members were later rebuilt with tapered type 2A boilers, and were in effect two classes.-Background:Until the mid-1920s, the LMS...
. He is portrayed in the standard British Railways express passenger locomotive livery of lined green.
The locomotive is never named in his one appearance. The name "Foreign Engine" was applied by Martin Clutterbuck and is derived from the fact that in the Railway Series, engines not from the Island of Sodor
Sodor (fictional island)
Sodor is a fictional island in the Irish Sea used as the setting for The Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and later used in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends television series.-Inspiration and creation:...
are described as "foreign". The name "Big City Engine" was applied by Learning Curve when they produced the character for their range of wooden toys.
Jinty & Pug
Jinty and Pug are black steam locomotiveSteam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s who work on the Other Railway. They (amongst other engines) came to help out when the eight main engines went to England (in The Eight Famous Engines), and practiced their work whilst the engines were still there. Jinty and Pug are revealed to be Percy's friends, and Jinty helped Thomas
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...
when he crashed through some buffers. Not much is known about them, as neither of them spoke, or played important roles in the one story in which they were featured.
Jinty is based on an LMS Fowler Class 3F
LMS Fowler Class 3F
The London Midland and Scottish Railway Fowler 3F 0-6-0T is a class of steam locomotive, often known as Jinty. They represent the ultimate development of the Midland Railway's six-coupled tank engines.- Introduction :...
0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
T. Small tank engines
Tank locomotive
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. It will most likely also have some kind of bunker to hold the fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive dependent upon...
, and this class in particular, were nicknamed "Jinties" by railwaymen. Pug is based on an LMS Kitson 0-4-0ST
LMS Kitson 0-4-0ST
The London Midland and Scottish Railway Kitson 0-4-0ST was a class of 0-4-0 saddle tank steam locomotive designed for light shunting.5 were originally designed and built by Kitson & Co. of Leeds to LMS specification in 1932 and numbered 1500–4. They were similar to other shunters built for...
(aka LMS Fowler Class 0F) 0-4-0
0-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...
ST. Four-wheeled saddletanks were affectionately nicknamed "Pugs" (see L&YR Class 21
L&YR Class 21
The L&YR Class 21 is a class of small 0-4-0ST steam locomotive built by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway for shunting duties. They were nicknamed Pugs.- Operational history :...
for another example).
Diesel
Diesel was the first diesel engine to arrive on the Island of Sodor. He visited on a trial from The Other Railway in Duck and the Diesel Engine (vol 13 in The Railway SeriesThe Railway Series
The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...
). He is based on the 0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
BR Class 08
British Rail Class 08
The British Rail Class 08 is a class of diesel-electric shunting locomotive. From 1953 to 1962, 996 locomotives were produced, making it the most numerous of all British locomotive classes....
diesel shunter and is painted in the all-over plain black livery used by British Railways for shunting engines
Switcher
A switcher or shunter is a small railroad locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been...
in the 1950s, although he has no number nor BR crest in the illustrations.
Diesel is the Railway Series' first real villain - a scheming, oily trickster with a foul temper who likes to cause trouble wherever he goes. He was supposed to help Duck
Duck the Great Western Engine
Duck the Great Western Engine is a fictional steam engine from The Railway Series by the Rev. W. Awdry and the spin-off television series Thomas and Friends. He is a green 0-6-0 pannier tank locomotive and lives and works on the Island of Sodor....
with his shunting, but after humiliating himself in front of the trucks, he spread such mean-spirited rumours about Duck and the other engines that the Fat Controller was compelled to send him away.
Diesel made a brief return in the one-off story Thomas and the Evil Diesel, in which he showed that perhaps he did have a good streak buried somewhere deep inside. A very similar-looking locomotive appeared in one of the illustrations for Thomas and the Great Railway Show.
The character "Devious Diesel" in the Thomas and Friends television series was based on Diesel.
The Diesel/D4711
- For the TV series character, see: D261
This diesel came to Sodor to help out whilst Stepney was on the railway. He did not make a good impression on his arrival, as he told the engines that they should be scrapped and replaced by diesels like him. He soon got his comeuppance when he accidentally sucked a Railway Inspector’s bowler hat
Bowler hat
The bowler hat, also known as a coke hat, derby , billycock or bombin, is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown originally created in 1849 for the English soldier and politician Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester...
into his air intake during a maintenance check, causing him to break down as soon as he started moving towards the train he was supposed to take. He left soon afterwards, saying goodbye to no-one.
D4711 is based on a Class 40 diesel locomotive
British Rail Class 40
The British Rail Class 40 is a type of British railway diesel locomotive. Built by English Electric between 1958 and 1962, and eventually numbering 200, they were for a time the pride of the British Rail early diesel fleet...
. His number is entirely fictitious and does not correspond to the numbering sequences used for any class of diesel locomotive on British Railways. The television series
Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
Thomas and Friends is a British children's television series, first broadcast on the ITV network in September 1984. Until 2003, it was named Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. This series was shot on 35mm film...
used the number D261, which would have been correct for a Class 40.
He made his one and only appearance in Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine. In that story he was referred to as "Diesel", but the television series revised this to "the Diesel" to avoid confusion with an earlier character by that name (although he is still sometimes referred to as "Diesel").
D199/"Spamcan"
D199 only appeared in the book Enterprising Engines.He visited Sodor on a trial with D7101 (later known as "Bear", see below), and talked about taking over the railway. He and Bear argued, and the other engines took an instant dislike to D199. One afternoon Henry the Green Engine
Henry the Green Engine
Henry the Green Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic 4-6-0 steam locomotive from The Railway Series books written by the Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry, and the spin-off children's television series, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.Henry lives on the fictitious...
found D199 moaning near a signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
because he had engine trouble, and the signalman called him "Spamcan
Spam (food)
Spam is a canned precooked meat product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation, first introduced in 1937. The labeled ingredients in the classic variety of Spam are chopped pork shoulder meat, with ham meat added, salt, water, modified potato starch as a binder, and sodium nitrite as a preservative...
". Henry rescued both the engine and his train, and D199 was soon sent away in disgrace by the Fat Controller.
Although he does not appear in the television series, D199 appears in the magazine story Diesel Day! published on 16 May 2001.
D199 is a 1Co-Co1 diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
based on the British Rail Class 46
British Rail Class 46
The British Rail Class 46 is a class of diesel locomotive. They were built from 1961-1963 at British Railways' Derby Works and were initially numbered D138-D193. With the arrival of TOPS they were renumbered to Class 46. Fifty-six locomotives were built...
. The number D199 is fictional but would be correct for a Class 46 if another six had been built: they were numbered from D138 through to D193.
Bear/D7101
D7101 first arrived on the Island of SodorSodor (fictional island)
Sodor is a fictional island in the Irish Sea used as the setting for The Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and later used in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends television series.-Inspiration and creation:...
on a trial for the Fat Controller, in the book Enterprising Engines. The trial was ultimately successful, and D7101 joined the North Western Railway
North Western Railway (fictional)
The North Western Railway is the main railway company featured in The Railway Series of children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry. Although the company's name has never been specifically stated in the books, it was mentioned as such in tie-in books such as The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and...
fleet. He gained the nickname Bear on account of the growling noise of his engine.
Bear is based on the British Rail Class 35
British Rail Class 35
The British Rail Class 35 is a class of mixed-traffic B-B diesel locomotive with hydraulic transmission. Because of their Mekydro-design hydraulic transmission units, the locomotives became known as the Hymeks....
"Hymek" B-B diesel-hydraulic locomotive type.
Old Stuck-Up
Old Stuck-Up is a blue diesel engine with the number 40 125 who once visited the Island of Sodor. He visited the railway, but was disgusted to see steam engines in the shed, and showed his disdain by calling them "Dirty, Smokey, Slow Things", and causing trouble. In return, the steam engines gave him his unflattering nickname. In the end, as Henry put it, "Old Stuck-Up came unstuck" when he slipped on a patch of oil left by BoCo and Bear, and crashed through the back wall of the engine shed. He was sent home soon after, never to disturb the steam engines again.Old Stuck-Up only appeared in one story, "Old Stuck-Up", in the book James and the Diesel Engines. He is based on a British Rail Class 40
British Rail Class 40
The British Rail Class 40 is a type of British railway diesel locomotive. Built by English Electric between 1958 and 1962, and eventually numbering 200, they were for a time the pride of the British Rail early diesel fleet...
1Co-Co1 diesel.
The "Works Diesel"
This unnamed character once rescued JamesJames the Red Engine
James the Red Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic tender locomotive from The Railway Series children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and the spin-off TV series Thomas and Friends. James is a mixed-traffic engine, which means he is just as capable of pulling coaches as trucks...
after a breakdown, and almost single-handedly changed James' opinion on diesels
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
. He is a friendly sort who lives at Crovan's Gate and performs odd jobs around the railway. His first appearance was in James and the Diesel Engines, with his next confirmed appearance in Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree as the engine who collected the tree from The Other Railway. He then makes a cameo in Henry and the Express, at Barrow. At first it was unclear if they were one and the same, but Christopher Awdry
Christopher Awdry
Christopher Awdry is an English author best known for his contributions to The Railway Series of books featuring Thomas the Tank Engine, which was started by his father, the Rev. W. Awdry. He has also produced children's books based on a number of other railways, as well as non-fiction articles...
revealed that the diesel seen in all three books is the "Works Diesel".
He is loaned from British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
, and is based on a Class 47 diesel
British Rail Class 47
The British Rail Class 47, is a class of British railway diesel-electric locomotive that was developed in the 1960s by Brush Traction. A total of 512 Class 47s were built at Crewe Works and Brush's Falcon Works, Loughborough between 1962 and 1968, which made them the most numerous class of British...
. It is suggested in James and the Diesel Engines that he is one of a number of new diesels on the railway.
"Works Diesel" is a reader-applied name; he carries no identifying number and is unnamed in the stories.
On television
In the television series Thomas the Tank Engine and FriendsThomas the Tank Engine and Friends
Thomas and Friends is a British children's television series, first broadcast on the ITV network in September 1984. Until 2003, it was named Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. This series was shot on 35mm film...
, "the Other Railway" is a term used for the railway lines serving Sodor Ironworks and the China Clay Quarry. It was here that Rusty the diesel rescued Stepney from being broken down for scrap, as did Douglas with Oliver the Western Engine. It is described as "a far-off part of the Island where only the diesels work". These days, 'Arry and Bert, the ironworks diesels, work around there, its scrapyard has been seen in seasons 6 to the current known as the Smelters Yard.
Merchandising
Despite having never appeared in the Thomas & Friends television series, the characters Bear and The Big City Engine have nevertheless been included in commercial merchandising lines based on the series, alongside other Other Railway characters. In the case of the Big City Engine, the character was not known by this name until Learning Curve released the model in their wooden railway range.| Model range | Type | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Ertl | die-cast metal | Diesel, The Diesel, D199, Bear/D7101 |
| Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway | wood | Diesel, The Diesel, D199, The Big City Engine |
| Hornby | electric OO gauge OO gauge OO gauge or OO scale model railways are the most popular standard-gauge model railway tracks in the U.K. This track gauge is one of several 4mm-scale standards used, but it is the only one to be served by the major manufacturers... models |
Diesel, The Diesel, Bear/D7101 |
| Take Along | die-cast | Diesel, D199 |