City of Truro

"But I didn't like his looks. He's got no dome! Never trust domeless engines, they're not respectable!"

- Gordon mocks City of Truro, Gordon and the Famous Vistor, third season

City of Truro is a famous tender engine from the Great Western Railway, who once visited the Island of Sodor. He was the first engine in the world to attain the speed of 100 mph.

The Railway Series
City of Truro first appeared in Duck and the Diesel Engine when the Railway Society visited. Duck, although shy at first, quickly befriended him, as the two were both Great Western. Duck talks Great Western all night with City of Truro, which makes Duck very proud of his Great Western ancestry, much to the annoyance of Gordon. Gordon was jealous of City of Truro's record and attempted to go as fast as him, only to have his dome blown off on the Viaduct.

When Duck crashed into the barber shop, Sir Topham Hatt said he would inform City of Truro of Duck's bravery and how he and his crew managed to prevent a serious accident. City of Truro was later referenced in Thomas and the Great Railway Show as being a member of the National Railway Museum.

Thomas & Friends
City of Truro also appeared in the third season episode Gordon and the Famous Visitor. His name was not mentioned (though it appeared on a banner and on his nameplate) and he did not speak, but, according to Duck, he is a celebrity. The engines believe that the engine is conceited due to his high status, however, they learnt that he was not conceited at all and he enjoyed talking to the engines till long after the stars came out.

Just like in the Railway Series, Gordon was jealous of him and tried to beat his speed record, only to have his dome blown off.

In the eighth season, a photograph of City of Truro appears inside the Duke and Duchess of Boxford's private coaches. In the sixteenth season, a photograph of City of Truro also appears in "Great Railways", a book of famous railway engines.

Personality
City of Truro and Duck got on very well during his stay on Sodor, talking about their Great Western heritage and ways. He sparked jealousy within Gordon, and gave him ambition to break City of Truro's record but to no avail. In addition, Edward and Duck described him as "the finest engine in the world".

Real-life History
City of Truro is based on the real locomotive of the same name, built in 1903 for the Great Western Railway (GWR) at Swindon Works to a design by George Jackson Churchward. Debatably, City of Truro broke the 100mph speed barrier for steam railways in 1904, the year after it was introduced. However, Flying Scotsman was the first steam engine to attain the speed of 100 mph that was officially recorded. It went on static display at the National Railway Museum following a tube failure in February 2013. In November 2015, he was moved to Steam Museum in Swindon, Wiltshire. For more information - see here.

Livery
City of Truro is currently painted in the Great Western Brunswick green livery, lined out in orange and black, with black frames and the words "Great Western" on his tender. In his appearances in the Railway Series and the television series, he had brown frames and the original Edwardian Great Western Railway crest on his tender.

Appearances
Railway Series= {{Scroll box|

The Railway Series

 * Duck and the Diesel Engine - Domeless Engines, Pop Goes the Diesel (mentioned) and A Close Shave (mentioned)
 * Thomas and the Great Railway Show - Museum-Piece (mentioned)

Companion volumes
}} Television Series=
 * 1972 - The Railway Series: Surprise Packet
 * 1979 - Annual
 * 1980 - Annual
 * 1987 - The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways (mentioned)
 * 1996 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection
 * 2005 - Sodor: Reading Between the Lines (mentioned)
 * 2007 - Thomas the Tank Engine: The New Collection (mentioned)

Thomas & Friends

 * Season 3 - Gordon and the Famous Visitor (not named; does not speak)
 * Season 8 - Edward the Great (picture cameo)
 * Season 16 - Flash Bang Wallop! (picture cameo)

City of Truro's scrapped model appeared throughout the fifth to ninth seasons. It also appeared in the 2000 movie, Thomas and the Magic Railroad. Other Media=

Books

 * 1992 - Gordon and the Famous Visitor
 * 1994 - The Adventures of Thomas

Magazine Stories

 * 2007 - Surprise Visitor
 * 2010 - Surprise Visitor
 * 2012 - City of Truro

Video Games

 * 2008 - Begins Educational Learning

Trivia

 * City of Truro is the first real engine to appear in both the Railway Series and the television series.
 * Although he did not appear with a face in television series, he was portrayed with a face in the 1980 annual and the magazine story, Surprise Visitor.
 * Although City of Truro's name is never mentioned in the television series, it is seen on the banner at Tidmouth Sheds and his nameplate.
 * City of Truro is called "セレブリティー" in Japan.

Quotes
"Good riddance" grumbled Gordon. "Chatting all night keeping important engines awake, who is he anyway?"
 * ''"He's City of Truro. He's famous."
 * ''"As famous as me. Nonsense!"
 * ''"He's famouser than you. He went 100 miles an hour before you were drawn or thought of!"
 * ''"So he says. But I didn't like his looks. He's got no dome!" said Gordon darkly. "Never trust domeless engines, they're not respectable! I never boast, but I say that 100 miles an hour would be easy for me! Goodbye!"

- Gordon and Duck arguing about City of Truro, "Domeless Engines."