Sir Handel

"Gordon says I'm... er... insensible."

- Sir Handel, Great Little Engines

   Sir Handel   Sir Handel, named after the Skarloey Railway's first owner, Sir Handel Brown I - but previously Falcon, after the works where he was made - is a narrow-gauge tank engine.
 * Number: 3
 * Builder: Falcon Works
 * Designer: Henry Hughes
 * Configuration: 0-4-2ST, originally 0-4-0ST
 * Arrived on Sodor: 1904

Bio in the Railway Series
Falcon was built at Falcon Works in Loughborough, England for the Mid Sodor Railway as an 0-4-0ST, causing him to bounce until he was rebuilt with a rear pony truck.

When the Mid Sodor Railway closed in 1947, he and Stuart were sold to the aluminum works at Peel Godred for an expansion project. They were sheeted at the project's close for almost a year, then both were purchased for a total of fifty pounds by the Skarloey Railway and renamed Sir Handel and Peter Sam respectively.

Sir Handel did not cope well with the worn track on the railway and would often derail - sometimes deliberately. He was given a pair of special wheels with broad tyres to cure this problem, dubbed "steamroller wheels" by the other engines.

In 1983, Sir Handel visited the Talyllyn Railway to help while Talyllyn was being mended. Sir Handel had plenty of adventures there, like pulling a wedding train and having to wear an eye-patch after colliding with a tree at Nant Gwernol.

When Peter Sam was brought back from the Talyllyn Railway early during a visit in 1995 Sir Handel became jealous and as a protest deliberately knocked out his firebars. He was sent to the shed and began to fear that he would never come out after weeks went by and no one came to see him. When The Thin Controller came in one day Sir Handel confessed and asked for a second chance. Sir Handel got his firebars later that day - no one bothered to tell him that they had only just arrived.

He is presently on loan to the Talyllyn Railway.

Bio in the television series
Falcon and Stuart lived with Duke until their line was closed and they were bought by the Skarloey Railway and were renamed Sir Handel and Peter Sam respectively.

Upon arriving, Sir Handel had many adventures. He was derailed by his own coaches when he stopped too quickly in front of some sheep. Sir Handel was also very pompous and refused to do his job well, so he was sent to the sheds for a while to repent. After coming back out, he got into a fight with George the steamroller, which ended in a race with George smashing Sir Handel's trucks.

Sir Handel did not reappear until years later, apparently because he was working in the stone quarry. When he returned, he had a much different attitude. He did his jobs without complaining, and had trouble getting up hills. He is also wiser in most situations, but in some cases he is still pompous. He is generally of the opinion that he knows best and should be in charge. This can sometimes lead him into trouble with the other engines and the trucks. However, he always gets the job done.

Persona
Sir Handel, named Falcon is his younger days while being brought up under the instruction of Duke, has been prone to moody tantrums, being stubborn and thinking that he knows better than others. He has broad wheels which hold well to the rails and has been said to give a smooth ride, perhaps contributing to his arrogant self-importance and his belief that he is a grand engine. He has been known in the past to take a disliking to the narrow gauge coaches (often referring to them as "cattle trucks"), feign illness, and think that he should be in charge. However, Sir Handel works to get things done and is proud to also be a reliable, helpful, and good-hearted engine. He has a habit of getting too big for his wheels.

Basis
Sir Handel is based on the Talyllyn Railway's Sir Haydn.

Livery
In the Railway Series, Sir Handel was painted blue until coming to work on the Skarloey Railway, where he was painted in the Skarloey Railway's red livery and blue-and-yellow lining. In the television series, he is painted blue with red and yellow lining.

Appearances
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Railway Series

 * Four Little Engines
 * The Little Old Engine
 * Gallant Old Engine
 * Mountain Engines
 * Very Old Engines (does not speak)
 * Duke the Lost Engine
 * Great Little Engines
 * New Little Engine

Television series

 * Season 4 - Granpuff, Sleeping Beauty, Bulldog, You Can't Win!, Four Little Engines (does not speak), A Bad Day for Sir Handel, Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady, Trucks!, Rock 'n' Roll (cameo), Special Funnel, Steam Roller, Passengers and Polish (mentioned), Gallant Old Engine (cameo), and Bowled Out (cameo)
 * Season 10 - Follow that Flour (cameo), A Smooth Ride, Duncan Drops a Clanger, Thomas' Tricky Tree, Fearless Freddie, Which Way Now? (cameo), and Missing Trucks (does not speak)
 * Season 11 - Thomas and the Big Bang, Duncan Does it All, Sir Handel in Charge, and Wash Behind Your Buffers (cameo)
 * Season 12 - Henry Gets It Wrong (mentioned), Mountain Marvel (cameo), The Party Surprise (cameo), and The Man in the Hills
 * Season 16 - Don't Bother Victor! and The Christmas Tree Express (cameo)
 * Season 17 - Luke's New Friend

Specials:
 * The Great Discovery (does not speak)
 * Blue Mountain Mystery

He also made cameos in one fifth season and two sixth season songs.

Magazine stories
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 * 1997 - Culdee's Story, and Duncan
 * 1998 - Duncan Has a Spill (mentioned)
 * 2009 - Thomas and the Big Bang (does not speak)
 * 2011 - Reindeer Rescue (does not speak)
 * 2012 - Blue Mountain Mystery (speaks in speech bubble only)
 * 2013 - Don't Bother Victor! (does not speak)

Voice Actors

 * Keith Wickham (UK/US; sixteenth season onwards)
 * Naoki Tatsuta (Japan; fourth season)
 * Bunkō Ogata (Japan; tenth-eleventh seasons)
 * Shōto Kashii (Japan; sixthteenth season onwards)
 * Daniel Montoya (Germany)
 * Jan Kulczycki (Poland)
 * Per Skjøldsvik (Norway; Blue Mountain Mystery onwards)

Trivia

 * Since the tenth season, Sir Handel has had a tail lamp.
 * From Season 10 to Season 12, Sir Handel had black buffers.

Merchandise

 * ERTL (normal, Falcon, and metallic; discontinued)
 * Wooden Railway (reintroduced 2008 and 2012)
 * Take-Along (discontinued)
 * Take-n-Play
 * Nakayoshi (discontinued)
 * Wind-up (Japan only)
 * Motor Road and Rail (discontinued)
 * TrackMaster (normal and "Sir Handel in Charge")
 * My Thomas Story Library (discontinued)
 * Bandai (several versions; discontinued)
 * Trading Cards (discontinued)
 * De Agostini
 * Brio (discontinued)