Rusty

"Manager said, "Let's mend the track so well that he won't know where he is!" And we did, and you didn't, if you take my meaning."

- Rusty, "Rock 'n' Roll"

    Rusty  Rusty is a diesel who does maintainence work on the Skarloey Railway.
 * Number: 5
 * Builder: Ruston and Hornsby
 * Arrived on Sodor: 1955

Bio in the Railway Series
Rusty was built by Ruston and Hornsby and came to Sodor in 1955 to help Sir Handel and Peter Sam and do maintainence work while Skarloey and Rheneas were being repaired.

The Little Old Engine
When Sir Handel claimed to be ill, Rusty promised to follow after Peter Sam with Sir Handel's trucks. He later helped Peter Sam away from the wreckage of the slate trucks.

Gallant Old Engine
After a bridge was found to have been swept away, Rusty took workmen to repair it.

Very Old Engine
Rusty was present at Skarloey and Rheneas' 100th birthday.

Great Little Engines
Rusty took workmen up the line to clear the rails of brambles.

New Little Engine
As Fred was supposedly sick, Rusty had to pull the weedkiller train.

Persona
Rusty is usually helpful and kind, but initially refused to help Duncan after he derailed. In the television series, he is occasionally impatient, careless and prone to procrastination.

Basis
Rusty is based on the Talyllyn Railway's "Midlander".

Livery
In the Railway Series, Rusty is painted charcoal-black with gold lining. In the television series, he is painted orange with yellow lining and white lettering.

Trivia

 * A major continuity error occurred in the original American broadcasts of the ninth season, where Rusty was referred to as a female by Michael Brandon. While Rusty was clearly slated as being male in the original books, not once in the television series had he been referred to in gender-specific terms until then. Nonetheless, the two episodes that contained this error, "Tuneful Toots" and "Duncan and the Old Mine", were edited for their DVD releases, now identifying Rusty as male.
 * Rusty is actually named after his makers, Ruston and Hornsby, not his orange colour.
 * The original Learning Curve Wooden model of Rusty was first released with a white cab roof. When he was re-released, he gained the correct black roof.

Merchandising

 * ERTL (normal and metallic; discontinued)
 * Learning Curve Wooden (reissued in three-pack)
 * Take-Along (three-pack and "Faulty Whistles" four-pack)
 * TOMY/TrackMaster
 * My First Thomas
 * My Thomas Story Library
 * Bandai Tecs