Duke

Duke is considered a hero among most of the engines on the Island of Sodor. He is a narrow gauge engine. Coloured light brown, his name is displayed on nameplates on both sides. He was named after the Duke of Sodor, and whenever anything went wrong he would exclaim, "That would never suit His Grace!"

Duke lived and worked on the now-closed Mid Sodor Railway with the engines Stuart and Falcon. He was the oldest engine on the line, and liked everything to be "just so". This prompted Falcon and Stuart to give him the nickname "Granpuff". When the railway closed, Stuart and Falcon were bought (and later renamed), but Duke was abandoned in his shed until, many years later, he was found. Duke now works on the Skarloey Railway where his number was changed from 1 to 8.

The story of Duke was based upon a true story about an engine abandoned in the Brazilian rain forest. Duke himself is based on the engine Prince, a tender engine on the Ffestiniog Railway at Porthmadog, North Wales. Duke is also one of the few engines without buffers.

Duke was introduced in Season 4, but this is the only season to date in which he was featured. He did make a flash-back cameo in Season 7.