Bert

"Well, go on. Aren't you going to impress us with your thoughts after all?"

- Mike, "Jock the New Engine"

Bert, previously Merlin, is smaller but older than Mike and Rex and the quietest of the Arlesdale Railway engines.

Bio
Merlin was built at Duffield Bank, Derbyshire by Sir Arthur Heywood in 1894. He arrived in Ravenglass via the Gretna munitions factory in 1917 with Petit and was principally used on stone trains. He received a major overhaul and rebuilt at Murthwaite in 1927, becoming a 0-8-2 tender engine named Bert with a new boiler, longer frames, a cab and a a six-wheel tender. Bert worked on an unnamed line in England until 1968, at which time their line closed down and he, Rex and Mike were sent to Sodor to work the Arlesdale Railway. Some time after his arrival, Bert took offence when the Reverend W. Awdry and the Reverend Teddy Boston accidentally sprayed him with mud while passing him in their car, and in retaliation Bert drenched the Reverend Teddy Boston with water when he took a ride in Bert's cab. However, both parties made up and Bert was as a result featured in the Reverend W. Awdry's next book, "Small Railway Engines".

For a long time Bert had trouble with steaming, but this has stopped since he was rebuilt into a narrow gauge outline with a taller chimney, dome and cab in 1984. In 1989, he was rebuilt with a larger boiler, giving him his current appearance. He has remained in traffic on passenger duties ever since.

Persona
Bert is friendly and easy-going, but is also clever and somewhat cynical and has a similar appearance to that of Gordon.

Appearances
Bert's appearances are listed in chronological order:


 * "Small Railway Engines"
 * "Oliver the Western Engine" (cameo)
 * "Duke the Lost Engine"
 * "Jock the New Engine"
 * "Wilbert the Forest Engine"

Basis
Bert is based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway's "River Irt", a Heywood locomotive built at Duffield Bank, Derbyshire, in 1894.

Livery
Bert is painted in the NWR sand blue livery with red-and-yellow lining. He has a brass dome, red nameplates with yellow writing mounted each side of his smokebox and "Arlesdale" written on his tender in yellow.