Stepney

"Bluebells forever!"

- Stepney, Stepney Gets Lost, fifth season

    Stepney    Stepney, named after a district in London, is a tank engine from the Bluebell Railway. He is Boxhill's brother.
 * Number: 55
 * Class: A1X
 * Built: 1875, rebuilt in 1912
 * Builder: Brighton Works
 * Designer: William Stroudley
 * Configuration: 0-6-0T

Bio in the Railway Series
Stepney was built at Brighton Works in Brighton, England in 1875 and later rebuilt in 1912. He arrived on the Bluebell Railway on May 17th, 1960, after the railway's founder Bernard Holden MBE helped to save the line for preservation. Stepney was the first engine to be rescued by the Bluebell Railway.

In 1962, Stepney came on loan to Sodor and worked briefly with Duck at Tidmouth before working on Thomas' Branch Line, during which time he caught a cricket ball in a truck while passing the Elsbridge cricket field. Towards the end of his stay, he returned to Tidmouth, and on his last day double-headed the Express with Duck after the Diesel failed.

In June 2008, Stepney was withdrawn from service as his boiler certificate had expired. He has since had a fast-track overhaul so that he could be back in service for the "Bluebell 50th" gala in early August 2010. However, due to his "tired condition", Stepney was only being allowed to carry out light-duties. He was withdrawn from service in March 2014, and his current boiler certificate expired in April 2015. It is unknown if he will be given a major overhaul now that he was been withdrawn or wait his turn in the Sheffield Park Engine Shed.

Bio in the television series
Stepney was stranded on a siding in the scrapyard at the Vicarstown Goods Depot when Rusty found him and helped arrange for him to be put back into service. He now runs The Bluebell Branch Line.

Stepney later wanted to have a change from his branch line, and he was sent to help Toby and Mavis at Anopha Quarry. This excursion nearly ended in disaster after 'Arry and Bert tried to scrap Stepney, luckily without success, after Stepney accidentally ventured into the Sodor Ironworks. Stepney later helped Edward with the running of The Loop Line and was accidentally bumped into by Duck, who was looking at The Hot Air Balloon. He was last seen in the twelfth season, when he was hit by a truck of sugar in an incident caused by Rosie.

Persona
Stepney is a bubbly, honest, and humble chap who is busting with enthusiasm. He is very eager to please and is every engine's friend. Even if an engine might not like him at first, his personality wins them over. After being saved from scrap by Rusty and the Bluebell Railway, he now runs his own branch line, but loves helping out on the Fat Controller's Railway. He has an enthusiasm for learning and listening to advice, as well as keeping busy. Stepney can feel down in the dumps if he does not get enough work to do or if he does not get a good long run to stretch his wheels. Stepney is high-spirited, lively, and is keen to see fair play. He is popular amongst the engines and is always game for more work.

Basis
Stepney is based on the real engine of the same name, a LB&SCR A1X Class "Terrier" 0-6-0T tank locomotive.

Livery
Stepney is painted in the goldenrod locomotive livery of the LB&SCR, formally known as "Stroudley's Improved Engine Green".

In 2010, He was painted in "Bluebell Black". On January 14th, 2012, Stepney made an "only-morning" appearance in BR Lined Black with "cycling lion" crest and his BR number, 32655, for a special photographic charter. He carried the same BR Lined Black livery again on April 17th, 2012 for another photographic charter; this time though with the later "ferret and dartboard" crest. He returned to "Bluebell Black" in time for his visit to the National Railway Museum's "Railfest" in the first week of June 2012.

As of August 2014, he has returned to his famous "Improved Engine Green" livery, officially being released to the public in May 2015.

Appearances
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Railway Series

 * Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine
 * Oliver the Western Engine (mentioned)
 * Thomas and the Great Railway Show (mentioned)

Television series

 * Season 4 - Rusty to the Rescue, Thomas and Stepney, Train Stops Play, and Bowled Out
 * Season 5 - Stepney Gets Lost
 * Season 6 - Percy and the Haunted Mine (cameo), James and the Red Balloon (does not speak), and Edward the Very Useful Engine (does not speak)
 * Season 7 - Edward's Brass Band (stock footage; does not speak) and Trusty Rusty (stock footage cameo)
 * Season 12 - Rosie's Funfair Special (does not speak in UK version)

Magazine stories

 * 2004 - Train Stops Play and Edward to the Rescue! (does not speak)
 * 2005 - I'll Eat My Hat!
 * 2010 - Steam Roasted (does not speak)

Stepney also appeared in the magazine stories, Really Useful Edward and Spotty Stepney.}}

Voice Actors

 * Bin Shimada (Japan; fourth and fifth seasons)

Trivia

 * Stepney's model was on display at Drayton Manor until the summer of 2015. His front coupling was missing in 2014.
 * Stepney is, as of 29th March 2014, withdrawn from service, following the failure of his main steam pipe. He was repainted from his British Railways black livery with red lining, which replicates that which he carried upon his arrival at the Bluebell Railway in May 1960. He now carries his original London, Brighton and South Coast Railway "Improved Engine Green Livery". A future overhaul has not been entirely ruled out.
 * Alec Baldwin gives Stepney a Cockney accent. This may have been intentional, as Stepney is a region of East London, and the inhabitants of that area, amongst others, were known as Cockneys.
 * The prototype of Stepney's 1996 Wooden Railway model has the original face and magnets of Thomas.
 * When the president of the Bluebell Railway Bernard Holden MBE died, aged 104 on October 4th, 2012, Stepney headed his funeral train on the 16th, due to being the first engine that the railway rescued. In 2014, Stepney also headed the funeral train for Jack Owen, who was his ex-driver.
 * At one time, the Official Website incorrectly stated that Stepney was a narrow gauge engine. Stepney was also incorrectly stated to be narrow gauge in Roundhouse Rhymes.
 * In the Spanish dub of the show, he is known as the Hyacinth engine instead of the Bluebell engine. In the Dutch dub, he is known as the Violet engine.
 * Both of Stepney's appearances in Season 7 were made up of stock footage.
 * In the television series, Stepney has had several whistles. In 'Thomas and Stepney', Stepney had Smudger's whistle. In 'Bowled Out' onward, he has a different one, of which is unique to him, up until 'Stepney Gets Lost' where he shared the same whistle sound as Skarloey. Then in 'Rosie's Funfair Special', where it became a slightly higher pitch version of Thomas'.

Merchandise

 * ERTL (discontinued)
 * Wooden Railway (reissued in a three-pack; discontinued)
 * Take Along (discontinued)
 * Take-n-Play
 * Motor Road and Rail (discontinued)
 * TrackMaster (discontinued)
 * Hornby (discontinued)
 * Trading Cards (discontinued)
 * My Thomas Story Library (discontinued)
 * Thomas Engine Collection Series (discontinued)
 * Thomas Town (discontinued)
 * De Agostini (discontinued)
 * Nakayoshi (discontinued)
 * Wind-up Trains (Japan only)
 * Pocket Fantasy (discontinued)
 * Brio (discontinued)