Spencer

"He's all silver steam and bossy boiler, that one!"

- Victor, Hero of the Rails

   Spencer   Spencer is a sleek engine privately owned by the Duke and Duchess of Boxford.
 * Class: LNER A4 Pacific
 * Builder: LNER Doncaster Works
 * Designer: Sir Nigel Gresley
 * Configuration: 4-6-2
 * Built: Sometime between 1935 and 1938

Bio
During his first visit to Sodor, Spencer took the Duke and Duchess of Boxford on a trip around Sodor. He ignored Gordon's warnings about taking on water and thus ran out; however, he blamed the incident on a leaky tank.

Upon his next visit, Spencer challenged Edward to a race and maintained a lead for the majority of the race, but vainly fell asleep while the Duke and Duchess stopped to take photos and lost to Edward, after Edward got onto the summer-house branch first.

Spencer has since developed a rivalry with Thomas, with the latter often trying to outshine Spencer - largely without success.

Spencer returned to Sodor to help build the new summer house for the Duke and Duchess of Boxford, much to the annoyance of all the engines. First, he insulted the other steam engines - especially Thomas by calling him a "toy tank engine", which as a result they had a competition of strength. However, Spencer neglected to build the new summer house when he became suspicious about Thomas, thinking he was being a tricky tank engine and ended up getting slate down his funnel at Anopha Quarry. When Spencer discovered Percy's mail coaches (thinking that Thomas was hiding them from Percy), he got into trouble with the Fat Controller, who thought that Spencer was hiding the mail coaches all the time. Afterwards, Spencer lost his pride when his owners turn up for their holiday. He then gets stuck in the mud when he chases Thomas to Knapford. After being rescued by Hiro, Spencer apologises to Thomas and Hiro and they all work to finish the summer house.

Sir Robert Norramby borrowed Spencer as his private engine during the restoration of Ulfstead Castle. He transported the Earl around, and, much to his embarrassment, had to pull some stones for the job. During that time, he attempted to have races with Gordon, but when the two met Connor and Caitlin during one of their runs, they called off the race. After the restoration was complete, Connor, Caitlin, Gordon and Spencer had another race from Ulfstead's grounds.

Spencer brought a VIP from the Mainland to present the Fat Controller with an award. Due to showing off, he ended up on Edward's Branch Line. Once he finally arrived at Knapford, the Deputy Minister crossly announced that he would not travel back to the mainland with Spencer. Throughout the day, as the other engines were showing off, Spencer felt sorry for himself and wished he had done his work properly. He learned from his mistake and successfully brought the Deputy Minister back to Sodor the following day.

One day, Spencer was travelling through Henry's Tunnel and almost ran into Thomas, who was hiding in the tunnel pretending to be a made-up engine called Geoffrey, to trick the Fat Controller.

Persona
Spencer is very arrogant and pompous and considers himself to be above doing menial duties such as shunting. None of the engines like him, especially Thomas and Gordon. When he came to build the summer house, Spencer proved himself to be very nosey, sneaky, disobedient and rather neglectful. Despite being closely related, Gordon and Spencer have never gotten on very well with each other. This is mainly because of his pompous behavior, which exceeds even that of Gordon's. Although he has shown a kind side when he realises his mistakes. This side once came through when he helped Percy find his way home to Tidmouth Sheds.

Basis
Spencer is an LNER Class A4 pacific. Mallard is also a member of this class.

Livery
Spencer was painted blue-grey with black lining. From the tenth season onwards, he was painted metallic silver.

Appearances
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Television series

 * Season 7 - Something Fishy (cameo) and Gordon and Spencer
 * Season 8 - Edward the Great
 * Season 10 - Topped Off Thomas
 * Season 11 - Emily's Rubbish and Dream On
 * Season 13 - Creaky Cranky, Tickled Pink, Steamy Sodor, and Snow Tracks
 * Season 14 - O the Indignity
 * Season 15 - Edward the Hero (cameo), Spencer the Grand, and Kevin the Steamie
 * Season 16 - Thomas and the Rubbish Train (mentioned), Sodor Surprise Day (cameo), Whiff's Wish, and Welcome Stafford
 * Season 17 - The Afternoon Tea Express
 * Season 18 - Signals Crossed (cameo) and Spencer's VIP
 * Season 19 - Who's Geoffrey?

Specials:
 * Hero of the Rails
 * Misty Island Rescue (does not speak)
 * Day of the Diesels (mentioned)
 * King of the Railway

Magazine stories

 * 2006 - Steamed Up
 * 2007 - The Right Shape
 * 2011 - Who's Highest?, Special Carriage, Little and Light, Tickled Pink (mentioned), Speedy Spencer, Steamy Sodor (speaks in speech bubble only), and O, the Indignity! (speaks in speech bubble only)
 * 2012 - The Fat Controller's Bedtime Story (Issue 648), Welcome Stafford, Thomas and the Rubbish Train (mentioned), The Fat Controller's Bedtime Story (Issue 650), and Paint for Percy (mentioned)
 * 2013 - Whiff's Wish, Spencer's Statue and The Fat Controller's Bedtime Story (Issue 665) (speaks in speech bubble only)
 * 2014 - The Afternoon Tea Express
 * 2015 - Spencer's Star

Spencer also appeared in the magazine story, Spotty Spencer. }}

Voice Actors

 * Matt Wilkinson (UK; Hero of the Rails onwards)
 * Glenn Wrage (US; Hero of the Rails onwards)
 * Yasuhiko Kawazu (Japan; seventh and eighth seasons)
 * Shigenori Sōya (Japan; tenth season onwards)
 * Till Huster (Germany; Hero of the Rails onwards)
 * Marek Robaczewski (Poland; Hero of the Rails onwards)
 * Paweł Galia (Poland; Creaky Cranky and O the Indignity only)
 * Espen Sandvik (Norway; Hero of the Rails onwards)
 * Tony Marot (France and French speaking Canada)
 * Leonardo García (Mexico; Hero of the Rails onwards)
 * Danny Houtkooper (The Netherlands; Hero of the Rails only)
 * Reinder van der Naalt (The Netherlands)
 * Gadi Levy (Israel)
 * Torbjørn Hummel (Denmark)
 * Ángel Amorós (Spain)

Trivia

 * On the Steamies vs. Diesels DVD, Spencer is called a Diesel. This is because in the game, Spencer says he does not have a whistle, but an electric horn instead. However, his picture clearly shows him having a whistle.
 * One of Spencer's models is currently on display in Canada at Nitrogen Studios.
 * Spencer's television series model was based on an A4 Pacific, however it was slightly modified. The smokebox was much less angled then it should have been due to the eye mechanism inside. This trait was carried on into the CGI switchover.
 * Spencer had bronze buffers in the seventh season, but since the eighth season, they have been silver.
 * In late 2013, Spencer's Take-and-Play model was referenced in the BBC television programme "Have I Got News For You" being described as "A train that looks like David Cameron".
 * Spencer's Hornby model incorrectly features him with black wheels. All other merchandise models have him with correct silver wheels
 * In the nineteenth season, Spencer gained two permanent LNER headlamps as suggested to former Arc Productions producer Robert Anderson by CalleyFan.

Quotes

 * "Who are you!?"
 * "This is Spencer, he's the fastest engine in the world!"
 * "Humph!" but secretly Gordon was impressed.
 * "I'm the Duke and Duchess' private engine. I take them everywhere!"

- James introduces Gordon to Spencer, Gordon and Spencer, seventh season.

Merchandise

 * ERTL (discontinued)
 * Wooden Railway (several versions)
 * Take Along (normal and metallic; discontinued)
 * Take-n-Play (normal and talking)
 * Motor Road and Rail (discontinued outside Asia)
 * TrackMaster (normal, coal mustache, and talking version)
 * My First Thomas (talking)
 * Hornby (discontinued)
 * Bachmann
 * Tomica
 * My Thomas Story Library (discontinued)
 * Nakayoshi
 * Wind-up Trains
 * Pocket Fantasy (discontinued)
 * LEGO (discontinued)
 * Mega Bloks (discontinued)
 * Diablock
 * Collectible Railway
 * Push Along
 * Padlock and Key
 * Pico Pico
 * Boss (with blue express coach and pullback; discontinued)
 * Minis (classic, racers, old school and DC super friends)