Harold

"Stupid thing. Why can't it go and buzz somewhere else?"

- Percy, Percy the Small Engine

    Harold Harold is a helicopter used for patrolling the railway. He was built in 1949.

Bio
When Harold first met Percy he stated that railways were "slow and out-of-date", but was proven wrong when Percy later beat him in a race.

Harold is owned by the coastguard on Sodor and lives at Dryaw airfield by Thomas' branchline. He keeps a watchful eye over Sodor in case of trouble, and speeds to the rescue of anyone in distress.

Persona
Harold speaks in a manner reminiscent of an RAF pilot, using terms such as "wizard" and "old chap" in conversation.

Basis
Harold is based on a Sikorsky S-55 helicopter, built in the UK as the Westland Whirlwind. He has added floats.

Livery
Harold is painted white with red lining. In the Twelfth Season episode "Henry Gets It Wrong", Harold was painted white with black lining.

Appearances
Harold's Railway Series appearances are listed below, in chronological order:


 * "Percy the Small Engine"
 * "More About Thomas the Tank Engine" (does not speak)
 * "Thomas Comes Home" (does not speak)
 * "Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree" (does not speak)

In the television series, Harold has appeared in every season since the second, except the eleventh, and thirteenth. From the twelfth season onwards, he was fully rendered in CGI. He will be appearing in the 2010 special Misty Island Rescue.

Merchandising

 * ERTL (normal and Gold Rail) (both discontinued)
 * Learning Curve Wooden (normal and with magnet)
 * Take-Along (normal and with magnet)
 * Take-n-Play
 * TOMY/TrackMaster
 * My First Thomas (normal and talking)
 * Bachmann
 * Bandai Tecs

Voice Actors

 * Kevin Frank (Thomas and the Magic Railroad)
 * Hiroyuki Satō (Japan) (Season 2 - Season 8)
 * Wataru Hatano (Japan) (Season 9 - Present)

Trivia

 * In Season 2, Harold's rotors were achieved using a transparent disk.