Bert

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

- Mike, Jock the New Engine

    Bert    Bert is the quietest of the Arlesdale Railway engines. He is the oldest out of the engines including Rex, Mike, and himself.
 * Based on: Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway's River Irt
 * Builder: Duffield Bank
 * Designer: Sir Arthur Heywood
 * Built: 1894
 * Configuration: 0-8-2, originally 0-8-0T
 * Arrived on Sodor: 1967

Bio in the Railway Series
Bert worked on an unnamed line in England until 1967, at which time it 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 as a result, Bert was 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, cab, and a larger boiler in 1973, giving his current appearance.

Bio in the Television Series
When Marion was heading up he Little Western she saw sparkles rushing past. She bumped into Oliver's ballast train and was frightened by Mike pushing ballast hoppers up the chute. She was introduced to Rex and Bert. Bert was carrying wool wagons. When she met them Marion believed they were magic. The engines sang a song to Thomas to cheer him up after he was sent to work on the Harwick branch line.

Persona
Bert is the quietest of the Arlesdale Railway engines. He appears to be very easy going and friendly. One thing Bert doesn’t like, however, is the idea that bigger engines (and some people) might look down on the little engines just because they’re small. Bert usually gets on with his jobs without complaining and doesn’t mind what kind of work he does as long as he’s treated with respect.

Basis
Bert is based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway's River Irt. River Irt also appeared in a seventeenth season learning segment which featured Mr. Perkins.

Livery
Bert is painted NWR blue with red-and-yellow lining. He has a brass dome, red nameplates with yellow writing mounted each side of his boiler and "Arlesdale" written on his tender in yellow. In the Railway Series his wheels are painted black, but in the television series they are blue.

Railway Series

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

Television Series
Specials:
 * Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure

Voice Actors

 * Keith Wickham (UK/US)
 * Stan Limburg (The Netherlands)

Trivia

 * Bert's rebuilt form has never been featured in either the Railway Series or television series.
 * In Sticking Power, Bert is said to be younger than Rex and Mike. However, this is incorrect, as Bert is much older than the two of them.
 * Bert uses Mighty's whistle sound at a slightly different pitch.

Merchandise

 * Trading Cards (discontinued)
 * Wooden Railway